Quakers head to Harvard for crucial Ivy contest

For the Penn women's soccer team to win a second Ivy League title in three years, the Quakers will have to get through the hardest part of their schedule first.

Tomorrow, Penn's Ancient Eight campaign begins with a game against Harvard in Boston. If past seasons are any indication, the winner -- if there is one -- will have an inside track to the League title.

Two years ago, Penn stormed to a 3-1 win on the road and ended up with its first-ever League title. Last year, the two teams battled to a scoreless draw at Rhodes Field, and Princeton finished first.

"The fact that Harvard is one of the programs at the top of the Ivy League every year makes it significant," assistant coach Chris Kouns said. "Harvard is one of the teams that we're going to have to have a good result against" to win the title.

Sophomore midfielder Carolyn Cross said that the two teams "have always had kind of a grudge."

Although the team attended last night's Women's World Cup doubleheader at Lincoln Financial Field, and will travel by bus to Boston today, Kouns expects the team to be at full fitness come kickoff.

"The fact that we go up on Friday lets them recoup their energy a little bit," Kouns said. "That'll help them overcome any 'bus lag.'"

Cross believes that being part of last night's big crowd at Lincoln Financial Field "will get us a little psyched up, get us more ready to play."

Although junior forward Katy Cross has already scored five goals this season for the Red and Blue, the team knows that it cannot rely solely on her to spark the attack -- and Carolyn Cross knows that there will be some pressure on her to help put the ball in the net.

"Everyone's going to be expecting us to look for her to score goals," Carolyn Cross said.

"It's definitely going to be important for me and some of the other players to contribute and help our team."

The attack will be weakened should junior forward Rachelle Snyder not be able to recover in time from an ankle injury she suffered in practice Wednesday.

"Her status is unknown," Kouns said.

"We have good players in a lot of different positions," he said. "And that is what is going to help us more than just Katy Cross scoring a goal."

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