There is an adage about some seasons, that they come in like lambs and go out like lions. The same can be said about the Penn women's soccer team's all-time scoring records.
Junior Katy Cross chased Andrea Callaghan's marks of 68 career points and 28 goals with her usual, quiet demeanor. And although coach Darren Ambrose downplayed the significance to both the player and the team, history came in a storm of goals at the Princeton Women's Soccer Invitational this weekend in Princeton, N.J.
Cross did not score against Saint Louis in Friday's 1-1 tie, but she netted three goals against UNC-Greensboro yesterday in the 3-3 stalemate, emphatically breaking both the points and goals record with 73 and 29, respectively.
"It's an honor to get it, obviously," Cross said. "A lot of it just signifies the growth of the program the last few years -- we're a completely different program than we were five years ago and I think everyone knows that."
Cross' finishing was particularly welcome considering that Penn only converted four of its combined 17 shots on goal in the two games.
"I was really proud of her -- she stepped up," senior captain Heather Issing said. "She sets a good example for everyone."
On Friday, the Billikens, which Ambrose called "as good as team that we'll play this year," dominated much of the first half but could not score. Then in the 61st minute, freshman Cathy Roe's corner kick floated over everyone and went into the net to give Penn the lead.
The Quakers would dominate the rest of the half but "we couldn't kill them off," Ambrose said.
As late as the 88th minute, Penn was maintaining possession but Saint Louis' Tara Gresco picked off a pass and sent the ball to Christie Cigno, who headed it in to tie the game.
"We just created all kinds of chances and we know we have got to learn to put a team away," Ambrose said. "It's individual lapses, it's a few minutes here and there."
Although there were more goals between Penn and UNC-Greensboro, there was also more frustration. Katy Cross scored the game's first goal, slotting home Carolyn Cross's through ball and breaking Callaghan's points record. But the Spartans tied the game five minutes later with a goal by Rakel Logadottir, and took the lead in the 36th minute when Amy Carnell got the last touch on a mix-up in the Quakers' 18-yard box. The score remained 2-1 at halftime.
Ambrose let his team know at halftime that they could play better than the scoreboard indicated.
The message got across. Within two minutes of the start of the second half, Penn sophomore midfielder Jenna Linden raced up the field and laid the ball to Cross, who belted a shot from 19 yards out, which Ambrose said "could have easily went into the parking lot."
But Penn would fall behind once more. In the 56th minute, Penn goalkeeper Anna Halse misplayed a clearance and Cheryl Stewart pounced and let fly a shot from nearly 30 yards, putting Penn behind 3-2.
"It was kind of a lucky goal but it set us back on our heels a bit," Issing said.
However, Cross would not let her day be marred by a loss.
She scored once more three minutes later, breaking Callaghan's goals record, and, more importantly to her, tying the score at 3-3. Linden once again provided the assist, laying the ball to Cross on the 18-yard line. A simple finish gave the junior forward a hat trick. Penn outshot Greensboro, 20-10, on the game but could not get another goal through to win.
"It's just a matter of us keep working at it and not getting our heads down," Ambrose said. "I'm not concerned and I think the team is learning step by step."
Cross off another Penn junior Katy Cross again added her name to the Penn history books when she connected on three goals against UNC-Greensboro yesterday. All-time scoring: Cross now has 73 points, five more than 1999 graduate Andrea Callaghan. Cross also has 29 goals, one more than Callaghan's old program record of 28. Single-season scoring: Cross burst onto the scene her freshman year, tallying 34 points in the 2001 season. After breaking the previous record for points in a season (26) against Lafayette on Oct. 31, 2001 she notched six points in her final three games. Single-season goals: After leading the Ivy League with 12 goals during her freshman season, Cross broke Penn's program record by scoring 14 goals last year. And still so young...: Yesterday marked Cross' 39th career game for Penn. Callaghan played in 69 for the Red and Blue.
