"One game at a time" will be the Penn women's soccer team's philosophy when it opens the season this weekend.
The Quakers are slated to take on the Richmond Spiders at the James Madison University Comfort Inn Invitational tonight, before concluding the weekend against host James Madison on Sunday afternoon.
But the game against James Madison is no more than an afterthought as Penn has its sights set on Richmond.
"Richmond is first and that is the only game we are concerned about right now," Penn head coach Darren Ambrose said.
The Red and Blue will have to contain three of Richmond's standout players, if they hope to emerge victorious in their first match.
Junior midfielder, Edda Gardarsdottir, a native of Iceland, could cause trouble in the midfield for Penn. Gardarsdottir a First Team Atlantic-10 selection last season, also garnered a spot on the all-tournament team at Richmond's recent Wachovia Challenge.
Another all-tournament selection at the Wachovia Challenge, Richmond junior forward Bethany Shewmaker is considered to be the team leader and uses her speed to lead Richmond's offense.
Shewmaker's running mate at the forward spot is freshman Annette Isham. Isham has started out strong, tallying a goal and an assist in Richmond's first two games of the year.
While the Quakers recognize the ability of their opponents, they are mainly focused on their own play.
"We are much more concerned about ourselves than the other team. We need to get ourselves match fit," Ambrose said.
The Red and Blue do know that their potent offense will be on the field tonight.
Last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year Katy Cross will lead the Quakers offense, along with First Team Mid-Atlantic selection Rachelle Snyder.
While Penn's defense -- anchored by senior co-captain and defender Jen Valentine and junior standout goalkeeper, Vanessa Scotto -- stands to be tested this weekend, the Quakers know that the true test for their backline will come on Sunday afternoon.
The Dukes are a more formidable opponent on paper than Richmond.
JMU handed Richmond a 5-1 loss at Richmond's Wachovia Challenge and managed a tie against Rutgers, the No. 19 team in the country.
In addition, the game against JMU will serve as a pivotal regional contest for the Quakers. JMU is ranked No. 5 in the region, while the Quakers currently occupy the No. 4 spot.
Regional rankings aside, the Quakers will also put their status in the SoccerAmerica.com top-25 poll on the line this weekend. Penn has recently ascended to the No. 22 spot in the national polls -- up from No. 25 in the preseason ranking -- but has yet to be tested.
"We don't know how good we are until we start to play," Ambrose said. "Right now we are just a team on paper."
