Women's Soccer ties Yale, now 1-1-3 in Ivy play

Lydia Bojcun's missed penalty kick in overtime at Yale on Saturday was a microcosm of the season for the Penn women's soccer team.

After a fast start for the Elis (8-3-2 overall, 2-2-1 Ivy) that saw a Jamie Ortega goal in the ninth minute, the Quakers -- who tied the game on Katy Cross' 13th goal of the year in the 25th minute -- dominated the next 81-plus minutes.

But the season-long trend continued, and the Quakers (5-6-1, 1-1-3) watched Bojcun's kick sail over the crossbar. They watched another victory sail away.

"It's disappointing because we had chances in overtime," Cross said.

"I feel like the whole year, nothing has gone our way. Usually, you get lucky on half [of scoring opportunities], and not on the other half. We've just been unlucky on all of them this season."

Bojcun declined to comment on the kick, saying only that she "must've leaned back" when her foot met the ball, causing it to float.

Penn's tie continued its seven-game winless streak. In that span, Penn has scored six goals and is 0-4-3.

Still, Penn's players believe that their efforts on Saturday should have warranted them a victory.

"It was a weird feeling," Penn's Jenna Linden said of the tie. "I was proud of us, we played well."

Linden provided the assist on Cross's goal.

"The first 15 minutes we struggled, but we finally figured it out," she added. "For most of the first half, and all of the second, we possessed the game."

The Quakers owned the next 20 minutes of overtime, too -- even after Bojcun's miss.

The penalty kick "just showed us how unlucky we are," Linden said. "The whole team blew it off, though. It made us push harder."

The loss to Yale prevented Penn from reaching .500 in its overall record.

The Quakers' struggle to break even resumes Tuesday at Lehigh against a vulnerable team. The Engineers are 4-11-1.

Cross has a chance to establish her own niche in the Penn record books. With 64 career points, the sophomore can become the Quakers' all-time leading scorer with two more goals.

"It's nice to be the one who scored, but it doesn't make up for anything," Cross said. "It's just as disappointing if [I score] and we don't win."

Cross was more intent to think ahead to Lehigh than to dwell on personal accolades.

"I don't think it'll be hard to stay focused [against the Engineers] because we're struggling for wins," she said.

For a team that finished 2001 with a 13-2-3 record, this year's record reflects a disappointment which the entire team feels.

"Everyone's very frustrated, especially coming off of last year," Bojcun said. "But it's a learning experience that will help toward next year."

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