Women's Soccer looks to get back on track

If the psyche of the Penn women's soccer team is damaged, senior captain Jen Valentine sure isn't showing it.

With a 1-1-1 league mark, the Quakers (5-6-1 overall) have ground to make up on Princeton and its 4-0 Ancient Eight record. The struggle against time commences tomorrow at Rhodes Field when Penn takes on Columbia.

Despite a five-game winless streak, Valentine's determination remains in full-force. And she has just one message for the Lions:

"Bring it on, baby," Valentine said. "I think this team is pretty hungry to score goals.

"We need to prove something to ourselves. This is a gut check."

Sporting a 3-6-1 record, the Lions (0-2 Ivy) appear vulnerable. Considering their inconsistency, however, the Quakers can't take any game for granted.

"We have to make sure to take each team seriously," Valentine said. "What comes first is to make sure they don't score.

"As a defender, we're pretty much bred that way."

Valentine's shutout mentality doesn't seem far-fetched, considering Columbia has registered 11 goals this season, the same number that Penn's Katy Cross alone has scored.

The pressure therefore swings to the Quakers' offense, which has produced just one goal in the last four games combined.

Coupled with the fact that the Lions' opponents have put up just 13 goals on the year, this match promises to be a slugfest.

Penn forward Carolyn Cross emphasizes, however, that low scoring will not make the game a dull one.

"It should be a good game," Cross said. "All Ivy games are really intense and fast-paced.

"We want to come out strong and prove we're the better team."

Of late, Columbia looks like the better team. Penn has gone 0-4-1 in the last three weeks, while Columbia is coming off consecutive victories over Lehigh and Fairleigh Dickinson.

Cross added that the preseason hype surrounding the Quakers might have hindered the team's progress.

"We got a little bit caught up in how we were supposed to repeat" as Ivy League champions, she said. "We didn't know we'd have to work as hard to repeat last year's success."

With four league games left, time has not yet expired on Penn's title defense.

Though Princeton is closing in on the championship, Cross emphasized that the Quakers must concentrate only on themselves and, more importantly, on their immediate opponents.

For Penn, that means Columbia.

"If we win, it will pick up the team morale and show everyone that we can [compete in the Ivy League] and that we're a good team," Valentine said.

And if they lose?

"I guess we'll worry about that if it happens," she said.

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