W. Soccer ready for new year as champs

Evanston, Illinois "This one is very gratifying," Baker said after the game. "You've got the icing on the cake, and then you put a little extra on it." The Quakers (14-5, 5-2 Ivy League) sent a message to the Ivy League and the entire region by capturing the ECAC title for 1997 with wins over Dartmouth and Yale at Rhodes Field on the final weekend of the regular season, November 15 and 16. "Our program has arrived," Baker said. "People are going to look and say Penn is a quality team." The Red and Blue's 2-1 victory in the championship game was especially sweet because it was against the Elis (12-6-1, 5-2). Two weeks before in New Haven, Conn., Yale ended the Quakers' hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, handing Penn a devastating 4-3 loss. The last game with the Elis was Penn's chance to get revenge. "Beating Yale was redemption for us," Penn co-captain Tina Cooper said, "since losing to them was the reason we didn't get in the NCAA Tournament." The first half of the 2-1 victory over the Elis belonged to the Quakers. Penn outshot Yale 9-2 before the intermission and had several opportunities to score. "Our main objective was to come out hard the first 20 minutes," Penn midfielder Kelli Toland said. Yale finally began to threaten 30 minutes into the first half. Until that point, Penn goalie Annie Kluetmeier had not been seriously challenged. Within two minutes, however, Kluetmeier was knocked to the ground twice when she came out to punch dangerous Yale crosses. Kluetmeier, who had missed 2 1/2 weeks before this weekend due to concussions, was slow getting up. The junior goalie stayed in the game after the first fall. The second knock, however, was too much for her. "Everyone in the league knows Yale is a dirty team," Cooper said. "It pissed us off that they would crack her like that." Baker refused to "speculate" on the intentions of the Yale players. "Whether it was deliberate or not, they didn't hold back," Baker said. "I think she suffered a concussion on the first [hit] and the second one just knocked her more loopy." Amy Jodoin, who had started three games in Kluetmeier's absence, came off the bench for the injured starter and played the rest of the match, recording four saves. After controlling the game for 35 minutes, the Quakers finally broke through with a goal off a corner kick set up by Jill Callaghan. Penn forward Andrea Callaghan, who was named the tournament's MVP, put away the rebound from a shot by Penn defender Ashley Kjar. "We were all over them [in the first half]," Baker said. "We were unfortunate not to be up by more than a goal." The Quakers put more distance between themselves and the Elis with a goal six minutes after halftime. The second half was more evenly matched than the Penn-dominated first half. Yale's offense came to life with eight shots. The Elis, however, failed to capitalize on the increased chances until the last 10 minutes. The championship game marked the last in the career of Penn senior Darah Ross. Penn's leading career scorer ended four years of being on a team that has traditionally been the doormat of the Ivy League with the biggest win in the program's history. "It was that much better to have [Ross] leave with a win in a championship," Jodoin said. Penn advanced to yesterday's championship game with its second win over Dartmouth (10-8-2, 5-2) this season on Saturday. The 1-0 win looked as if it would go to overtime with five minutes left. But then Stevens beat three Big Green defenders and forced a corner kick when her shot was tipped over the crossbar by Dartmouth goalie Kristen Luckenbill. The ensuing corner kick bounced to Konstanteras, a Penn midfielder, who rifled a shot to the left side of the goal. Luckenbill was able to make the save, but deflected it toward the middle of the open net. Stevens was there to put away the loose ball. Penn, Yale and Dartmouth came into the tournament tied for second in the Ivy League. With victories over both teams, the Quakers established themselves as the second best team in the Ivy League, behind Harvard. Winning the title in its first postseason tournament ever, the youthful Quakers, who started five freshmen in the tournament games, have a lot to look forward to in the future. "We hope this will be a stepping stone to bigger and better things," Cooper said. But for right now, Penn can enjoy the extra sweet taste of an ECAC championship.

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