Easy day for Hunt in W. Soccer shutout of Drexel

Freshman Melissa Mandler's first career goal provided the difference for the Quakers. Freshman Melissa Mandler's first career goal provided the difference for the Quakers.The Jesse SpectorFreshman Melissa Mandler's first career goal provided the difference for the Quakers.The Jesse SpectorThe Daily Pennsylvanian Freshman Melissa Mandler's first career goal provided the difference for the Quakers.The Jesse SpectorThe Daily Pennsylvanian On the day when she moved into a tie for second place on the Penn women's soccer team's all-time shutout list, freshman goalkeeper Katherine Hunt probably had the easiest day she'll ever have in net. "Our defense played really well, and [Drexel] really didn't get any chances on goal at all," Hunt said. "So my job was very easy today." The Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif., native tied the Quakers' first-ever varsity goalkeeper, Debbie Goldklang, in the record books with her fourth career shutout. Hunt will have a ways to go before she catches the all-time leader, however. Anne Kluetmeier's 19 shutouts rank first in Red and Blue history. It will also be tough for Hunt to catch Kluetmeier's single-season mark of 10 shutouts. With seven games to play, Hunt would need to record a shutout in every match to break that record. Still, only Kluetmeier, who had 10 shutouts last season and nine in 1997, has more shutouts in any one season than Hunt, who passed Amy Urban's 1995 mark of three shutouts to move into third on Penn's all-time list. With the shutout, Hunt's goals-against average dropped to 0.89, giving her a chance to chase Kluetmeier's record, set last year, of a 0.87 GAA. Such a performance for Hunt would be easy if the Quakers could face Drexel (3-6-1) every time out. Dragons coach Ray Goon said that his team's main objective for the afternoon was to keep Penn from scoring -- specifically Andrea and Jill Callaghan. While the twins did not score, that objective did prevent the Dragons from generating any sort of offense of their own. As a result, the toughest shot Hunt had to face all day was "a ball that rolled to me on the ground and I had to pick it up." Penn outshot Drexel, 25-4, and the score could have been much more lopsided if not for the play of Drexel goalkeeper Joy Banares, who made 10 saves, and the Dragons defense, which constantly had players stacked up inside their 18. "We were all over them," Penn coach Andy Nelson said. "But it's very difficult when a team gets so many people in the penalty area to get clear-cut chances. You're going to get lots of little chances and half chances. So, you've got to give credit to Drexel, they kept it tight and defended well." Credit must also be given to the crossbar at the north end of Drexel Field, which took away a sure goal from Jill Callaghan in the 22nd minute. On a separate play moments earlier, Callaghan had stolen the ball from a Drexel midfielder, broken away through the defense and fired just wide of the net. "Jill's a bit snake-bitten right now," Nelson said. "She just seems to be hitting the crossbar, the post, all that kind of stuff. But her goals will come." As will the goals for the rest of the Quakers. Kellianne Toland had two excellent scoring chances -- one was tipped up and over the net by Banares, the other hit the short-side goalpost -- but was not able to extend her goal-scoring streak to three games. She did, however, assist on Mandler's goal to extend her point-scoring streak to that same length. For all of Penn's attacking, to come away from the game with only one goal seems like an unsuccessful afternoon. The Quakers did emerge from Drexel with one very important thing though. "We got the win," Nelson said. "And that's the most important thing. We played a very average game and still got the result." Throughout the game, Penn played as if it was under the assumption that the Drexel defense would finally collapse and allow the Quakers to score, much as the Dragons did in Penn's 4-0 victory in the teams' meeting last season. "Keep knocking on the door, and as many chances as you have, at least one or two will go in," said Penn midfielder Angela Konstantaras, who set up the attack for most of the afternoon and took four shots of her own. "Fortunately, one did go in but I guess [the lack of scoring beyond Mandler's goal] was just a matter of being unlucky." The Quakers will have to hope that they are not so unlucky in future games, when the opposition will put up an offensive fight and won't just send the ball Hunt's way with more than a slow bounce.