Sometimes the best offense is a good defense.
The old sports adage was certainly true for the Penn women's soccer team in its 1-0 victory over Harvard yesterday.
The Quakers (2-4-1, 1-0-0 Ivy) needed a strong defensive performance to outlast an attacking Crimson team in both squads' Ivy League opener.
Penn senior Katy Cross scored her fourth goal of the season just under 12 minutes into the game to give Penn an early lead.
It was the defense, however, that made the slim lead stand over the next 78 minutes. The Quakers were certainly tested early, as Harvard outshot Penn 10-5 in the first half.
"I thought they were more dangerous in the first half," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. "I thought when they attacked in the second half, we did a great job of snuffing it out."
Ambrose was highly complimentary of the defensive tandem of junior Robin Watson and freshman Ashley Hull, calling their play "flawless."
Watson believed that the defense's hustle was the key to the victory.
"A 1-0 lead is probably the most difficult lead to keep," she said. "We fought really hard and everyone won their one battle and we kept defensive-minded."
One big reason the Penn defense was able to maintain the 1-0 margin was its depth. The Quakers used eight reserves, while only one bench player saw action for the Crimson.
"We were able to bring in a lot of players and we felt like we wore them down a little bit," Ambrose said. "Even though they were attacking at the end, they didn't have that same spring in their step."
Watson and Hull simplified the job of Penn senior goalkeeper Anna Halse, who nevertheless was tested several times.
"I don't think Anna had any big saves to make in the second half," Ambrose said in praise of his defense. "In the first half [Anna] made a couple of great ones."
After the final buzzer, the Quakers let out some emotion as the team lined up in front of the stands and sang an impromptu rendition of "The Red and the Blue."
Having played an extremely difficult early-season schedule, including games against three top 25 teams, thee Quakers were excited to open their Ivy League campaign on the right foot.
"The league is where our focus is," Ambrose said. "We started off 1-0, so we'll take that, but we also know it's a long season."
Perhaps the postgame anthem was inspired by Penn's opponent, "Fair Harvard," which has become a bitter rival to the Quakers in recent years.
"It's always good to have an Ivy League win," Watson said. "And Harvard, we all have a personal vendetta against them. Everyone loves to beat Harvard."
