The Penn women's soccer team learned yesterday that its season has been extended by a week. While they did not accomplish their preseason goal of earning a second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Quakers were awarded the second seed in the four-team ECAC Tournament, which will take place this weekend. Penn (8-8-1) will open the tournament against third seed Northeastern (11-6-1) on Saturday at an as-yet-undetermined site. If the Red and Blue win that contest, they will advance to Sunday's championship game in which they will face the winner of the matchup between top seed St. John's (11-8) and fourth seed Lafayette (11-7). The Quakers have not faced any of these teams this season. Success at this weekend's tournament could put a positive ending on a season that had more than its share of disappointment. The Quakers opened the season with hopes of advancing to a second straight NCAA Tournament, but injuries and an inability to find the back of the net caused them to fall to sixth place in the Ivy League standings. A year after going 6-1 in the Ancient Eight, the Quakers finished with a 2-5 record in the league this year. They wrapped up the regular season on Saturday, falling to league co-champion Princeton, 1-0. Princeton, along with co-champion Dartmouth and fourth-place Harvard, earned bids to the NCAA Tournament. Each of these teams edged out the Quakers by one goal. An ECAC championship would be the second for Penn's five seniors, who helped the Quakers secure the 1997 ECAC title during their freshman season.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.