Late goal costs W. Soccer a 'W'

Host Monmouth scored in the 85th minute to send the Penn women's soccer team home with a 2-2 tie. It is very possible that the Penn women's soccer team's game at Monmouth late yesterday afternoon was sponsored by the number two. Attempting to build upon a two-game winning streak against the Hawks (2-1-1), the visiting Quakers (1-1-1) were awarded two times more corner kicks (12) than host Monmouth (6) in the rain-soaked match. The Penn offense more than doubled the amount of shots taken by the Hawks attack, with the striking disparity of 26 Quakers attempts to the Hawks' 10 tries. And the Quakers' own No. 2, forward Heidi Nichols, netted the second goal of the match for Penn with less than a minute remaining before the second half. Unfortunately for the Quakers, though, the number two wasn't completely a good omen. Monmouth forward Kelly Wines' second goal of the match with less then five minutes remaining in the second half tied the score at 2-2, forcing the game into overtime. And after two overtime periods and 120 minutes of play, the Quakers departed New Jersey with a disappointing 2-2 tie to end their second road trip of the season. Penn coach Andy Nelson said that the tie was "a little disappointing," especially in a game that he saw his team dominate on offense with over 15 quality shots on the Hawks' goal. "With the amount of chances we had, it was frustrating," he said. "Two [goals] is not a bad turnout but I feel we had some chances that we should have really put away." Despite the overbearing rain clouds hanging over the central Jersey shore, things looked bright early for the Quakers. In the seventh minute of play, Penn forward Jill Callaghan was pulled down by a Hawks defender in the Monmouth penalty box. Callaghan took the ensuing penalty kick, sending the ball into the right netting while Monmouth goalkeeper Kristin Spohn dove to the left. With the clock reading 7:16, the goal put Penn up 1-0 and "settled us down," according to Nelson. The Quakers' defense was unsettled just 4:43 later, though, when Weins forced herself between two defenders and headed a cross past Penn goalkeeper Katherine Hunt for the first tying goal of the night. "What disappointed me was that we had two players there and neither got to the ball," Nelson said. "I'd rather two players get there than none." After the Monmouth goal at the 11:59 mark, Nelson said Penn started substituting to "get some fresh legs on the field." Nichols was subbed into the game in the 25th minute, and the move paid off for Penn when the freshman broke the 1-1 tie in the final minute of the first half. The goal was scored after Nichols found herself in a one-on-one situation near the top of the Hawks' penalty box. She made a fake to the right, which caused the Monmouth defender to lose balance, then brought the ball back to her left foot. When Nichols looked up after getting a step on her defender, she found the Monmouth goalie out of position and the left side of the goal wide open for a shot. With a left-footed strike, she booted the ball into the goal less than a minute before halftime, giving Penn a 2-1 lead at the whistle. Much like the first half, Penn dominated Monmouth in the second, with the Quakers holding possession of the ball for long periods of time before the Hawks could momentarially gain control. Despite this domination, Penn couldn't get any more balls past Spohn and the Monmouth defense to build upon its lead. Instead, the only goal in the half went to Monmouth, care of Wines and much to the chagrin of Penn. With only five minutes remaining in regulation, Monmouth was awarded a corner kick from the right side. The kick was a high floating ball which Nelson said should have been cleared by his defenders, but was instead a free header by Wines into the Penn goal to tie the match, 2-2, and force overtime. Even with the combined frustrations of multiple missed shots and having to play extra periods, Penn continued to dominate in overtime. The domination, though, didn't amount to a game-winning, overtime goal for the Quakers, although Nelson did see glimmers of hope in the tie. "We're not happy but we didn't lose, either," he said. "We need to get over the hump and I think we're just a step away. We'll get that step with a lot of continued hard work."