Symmetry is a thing of beauty in most aspects of life.
After the Penn women's soccer team suffered defeat at the hands of Ivy League rival Princeton, however -- dropping the squad to a symmetric 1-1-1 in the Ivy League (5-5-1 overall) -- it is clear that aforementioned statement does not apply to Quakers' record.
"I think we're probably a couple games away from where I expected us to be at this point in the season," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. "I thought 7-3-1, maybe 7-4, so we're a couple games back."
The Tigers, meanwhile, maintained their perfect record (11-0 overall, 4-0 Ivy) by mustering the win over the Quakers in overtime, 2-1.
"We went in with a positive attitude," Penn midfielder Lydia Bojcun said. "We had some good opportunities in the first half, and a few more in the second.
"Princeton was just very organized. They finished opportunities and we didn't."
For Penn, the game started inauspiciously as Princeton's Krista Ariss knocked in her fourth goal of the season. The assist went to Kelly Sosa.
The Quakers rebounded in the 12th minute of the second half. Leading Ivy League scorer Katy Cross netted her 11th goal of the year to tie the game. The score was Penn's first in a three-game span -- a disconcerning trend.
"We can't" rely on Cross to score all the goals, Ambrose said. "No one's been contributing the last four games. The scouting report on us right now is 'close down Katy Cross.'"
The stalemate carried into overtime.
Nearing the eight-minute mark, Princeton's goal and point leader Esmeralda Negron got a fortuitous bounce off a Liz Bell free kick. Negron's score was her fourth game winner of the year. It also garnered her accolades as Ivy League player of the week.
Although the Quakers lost a league game for the first time this year, positive signs emerged from the defeat.
Penn goalkeeper Vanessa Scotto turned in a dazzling performance to keep the damage to a minimum. She allowed a pair of goals -- impressive considering the Tigers outshot the Quakers, 22-7.
"I definitely have gained a lot of confidence," Scotto said. "I'm playing a lot more of my game than I was earlier in the season."
Ambrose, too, was delighted by his net-minder's performance.
"It started with Harvard, and then Princeton," he said. "She's been the Vanessa of old. She kept us in the game on Saturday."
On the other side of the ball, Penn's gameplanned strategy forced Princeton to alter its defense from its standard 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3.
"Princeton's outside backs are really quick and they distribute the ball well," Bojcun said. "So our goal was to keep them out of the game by forcing them into the middle."
Although a repeat of last year's Ancient Eight title looks to be nearly impossible right now, Penn still has its share of goals.
"There are six games to go," Ambrose said. "If we win six, we're 11-5-1 -- a record which is pretty impressive in our league."
