Katy Cross was a one-woman wrecking crew last year against Harvard.
In the contest, the Penn women’s soccer team forward netted a hat trick to lead the Quakers to a 3-1 win over the Crimson. It was the first time in Penn’s 11-year history that it had ever been able to defeat Harvard.
Based on her season-long tear, Cross should be able to provide ample pressure on the Crimson backfield again tomorrow afternoon. The key to this year’s game, however, will rest on Penn’s defense.
Harvard (3-4, 1-0 Ivy League) is “a very talented team going forward,” Penn coach Darren Ambrose said, “They’ve got two good forwards, both seniors, [Joey] Yenne and [Beth] Totman.”
Those two names might become familiar over the Rhodes Field loudspeakers this weekend. The linchpins of the Crimson offense, Yenne is responsible for four goals and four assists this season, while Totman has netted an additional three.
The Crimson, however, are not a two-player team.
“They’ve got Katie Westfall, who was the Ivy League player of the year a couple years ago, [and] rookie of the year a couple years ago,” Ambrose said of the Harvard midfielder who has two goals and five assists this year. “They’ve got a freshman player, Maile [Tavepholjalern], a midfield player who is very, very dangerous.”
For the Quakers (5-4, 1-0) to be focused, they need to wash away memories from last weekend, when they dropped games to George Mason and then-No. 4 Cal.
Ambrose tackled the problem by dividing the season in half— non-league and league. Penn has played only one Ancient Eight match this year, defeating Cornell, 2-1. As far as Ambrose is concerned, the Quakers start a new season tomorrow.
Evidently, his players agree.
“Everybody’s trying to get to the tournament, [but] we haven’t done anything to get us there,” Penn forward Rachelle Snyder said. “We’re undefeated in the Ivy League so far if you want to think of it that way. It’s an opportunity for us to step it up.”
Penn defenders Jessica Woodward and Jen Valentine, who face the critical role of neutralizing Yenne, Toman and Westfall, agree that the season begins tomorrow.
“It’s an Ivy League game, and right now, it’s the biggest game of the year,” said Valentine, Penn’s senior captain. “We just have to come out ready to play, and it’s going to be tight.”
“At this point, just the Ivy League and what’s ahead of us is what we’re thinking about,” Woodward added. “With a win against Harvard, it’ll be a confidence booster for us going into Princeton.”
According to Ambrose, the backfield and midfielders have to concentrate on passing. Hitting the forwards in stride instead of in the back, he believes, will lead to more chances.
With opportunities come goals, and with goals come victories.
