W. Soccer's season may not be over after beating Tigers

Penn beat Princeton 3-2 Saturday, meaning it may get a berth in a postseason tourney. The Penn women's soccer team won its final regular season game Saturday, but gave Penn coach Patrick Baker a few gray hairs in the process. After losing a two-goal lead to Princeton, the Quakers, with five minutes left in regulation, pulled out the victory when Penn forward Jill Callaghan beat three Tigers defenders and Princeton goalie Jonna Iacona to score the heroic goal. "That's what Jill can do," Baker said. "That's how dynamic a player she is." The dramatic goal was even more special because it gave Penn senior Darah Ross a victory in her final regular season game, and her first victory against Princeton (10-7, 3-4 Ivy League). The nail-biter was an exciting conclusion to a dramatic turnaround season. The Quakers (12-5, 5-2) had never beaten more than one Ivy League team in their history before this fall. In addition, they easily broke their record for wins in a season (eight in 1995). "Penn has really given [Darah] a chance to win," Larry Ross, Darah's father, said. For the first half of the game, it looked like the Quakers were going to run all over the Tigers. Ten minutes into the Homecoming contest, Penn forward Andrea Callaghan scored the opening goal off of a lead pass from Penn sweeper Deane Kocivar-Norbury. "We came out with a lot of emotion," Baker said. "We put them on their heels right away." Twenty minutes later, Ross managed to stay onside on a through ball and found herself alone with only Iacona to beat. The Penn midfielder shot low, but the Tigers' goalie was able to block the shot. A Quakers goal two minutes later seemed to make Ross' missed opportunity a moot point. Penn earned a corner kick, and sophomore Kocivar-Norbury came up from her defensive position to take it. The low kick headed for the near post where Penn forward Kelly Stevens flicked a header past the Tigers' defense. The goal appeared to put the game away for the Quakers, but the entire momentum of the game shifted in the second half. "If we could have scored in the first five or 10 minutes [of the second half], that would have been the nail in their coffin," Baker said. Penn did not score to open the second half, and the Tigers roared back, taking control until Jill Callaghan's goal. "We let up a little bit, thinking a 2-0 lead was enough," Penn freshman Leah Wulforst said. While the Quakers dropped their level of intensity, Princeton began to threaten. In the first half, the Tigers only had one shot on goal and few serious threats. Princeton's offense came alive in the second half, taking 10 shots on goal. Penn dodged several bullets in the first 30 minutes of the half. Fifteen minutes in, the Tigers put the ball in the back of the net off a corner kick and started to celebrate. The goal, however, was negated when the referee ruled that a Princeton player had committed a foul on the play. After several near-misses, the Tigers finally converted 30 minutes into the half. The Penn defense failed to clear a Tigers corner kick that bounced around in the box. Princeton freshman Julie Shaner took advantage of the defensive lapse and put the Tigers back in the game with a shot past Penn goalie Amy Jodoin. The goal was the first goal the Quakers' defense had given up at home in 700 minutes. Princeton kept up the pressure while the Quakers were unable to develop any kind of offensive threat. Five minutes after their first goal, the Tigers tied the game on a header by forward Dana DeCore. The header came off a free kick from 35 yards out. The free kick was awarded to the Tigers, even though it appeared that a Princeton player committed the foul. "It's tough when you have no idea which way [the referee] will point," Baker said of inconsistencies in the calls. All of a sudden, the Quakers, who seemed to have the game in control, were in danger of losing. The goal woke Penn up from a second-half slumber, and the Quakers started to threaten. Both teams threatened following the Princeton goal. "[The tying goal] made us mad," Jill Callaghan said. "We wanted this game. I would say it was desperate." With the game tied, and the minutes ticking down, Baker began to prepare for overtime. When Princeton tied the equalizer, Penn goalie Lauren Dickie began warming up. According to Baker, if the game had gone into overtime, the 5'7" sophomore would have taken over for the 5'3" Jodoin. "We thought a change in height would make a difference," Baker said. In the end, overtime was unnecessary, thanks to the heroics of Jill Callaghan. The Quakers will now wait to see if the NCAA tournament will offer them an at-large bid. Harvard, the winner of the Ivy League title, earned the automatic bid to the national tournament. "We will get talked about for the NCAA tournament," Baker said. "But I don't think we'll get selected." The Quakers have a good chance of being selected for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament, a consolation prize. Penn tied for second in the Ivy League with Dartmouth and Yale. With the strong possibility of post-season play, the dramatic victory over Princeton should give Penn momentum and Ross at least another game as a Quaker.