Scotto guarantees W. Soccer win

For the 10 years that the Penn women's soccer program has been a varsity sport, the Quakers have not suffered from any curse -- they simply have been unable to defeat Harvard.

Penn sophomore goalkeeper Vanessa Scotto, however, is positive the Crimson's win streak will come to an end tomorrow in Boston.

"I think it's a big game because it's going to be the first time we've beaten them -- and we will beat them," Scotto said. "It will be even sweeter getting them at their field."

Penn's past few games against Harvard (10-4-0, 4-2-0 Ivy League) have not been kind to the Quakers (12-1-3, 4-1-1). Two years ago, the Crimson pulled off an overtime victory in a battle for the Ivy League championship. Last year, the Quakers led, 1-0, until Harvard scored two second-half goals in the same minute to hand Penn a devastating loss at Rhodes Field.

Aside from the rivalry, the Quakers also have the NCAA Tournament committee to impress by the result of tomorrow's game. Monday is the Tournament Selection Show, and a Penn win would most likely solidify their spot. The Quakers' last trip to the NCAA Tournament was in 1999, which ended in a 1-0 loss to James Madison in the first round.

Also, a Red and Blue win coupled with a Princeton loss would give Penn a share of their first-ever Ivy League title. The Tigers, who stand atop the Ivies at 5-0-1, host Yale on Saturday.

"With the way the Ivy League is, we know every game is close," Scotto said. "So we've got our hopes up."

This is the Quakers' last regular season contest, and they have already proven themselves one of the best squads in the program's history. Saturday's final contest is no doubt one of the biggest games to ever be played for Penn in the last decade.

The Quakers are currently ranked No. 6 in the Mideast region in the Soccerbuzz.com rankings, while the Crimson are second in the Northeast and No. 22 overall.

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's game, the Quakers have shattered all expectations. On a team where 18 of its 22 members are either freshman or sophomores, not much was expected from the young squad.

However, the Quakers blasted out of the blocks and have not looked back. Their only loss of the season was on Sept. 29 against Dartmouth.

The amazing group has been led by phenom freshmen Katy Cross --ÿwho has set the single-season points record with 28 -- and Rachelle Snyder, with the defense anchored by Heather Issing, Jen Valentine and Rebecca Weber, who was named Ivy League rookie of the week on Monday.

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