Regulation NCAA soccer games are 90 minutes long. Unfortunately for the Penn women's soccer team, its game at Dartmouth yesterday did not end at 89:57.
The final three seconds of the game afforded the Big Green the opportunity to tie the game at 1-1, a result that stood through two overtimes to the final horn.
The goal, scored off a corner kick, was headed home by junior midfielder Allison Green. The tally stands as the first, and by far the most critical, goal that the Quakers have let up against an Ancient Eight opponent all season.
With the tie, Penn (6-4-2, 3-0-1 Ivy) now slips just beneath first-place Princeton in the Ivy League standings. A Quakers win yesterday would have kept the two teams deadlocked.
"It would have been nice to stay on top with Princeton," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. "But we're still within striking distance. The teams that matter -- we still have to play them."
With eight seconds remaining in the game, Dartmouth sophomore Emily Tracy took the corner kick.
"It just became a scramble in front of the goal, and in those situations, you know anything goes," Ambrose said.
In a last-ditch effort, the Big Green (5-5-3, 1-2-1) had pushed senior goalkeeper Anne Marbarger all the way forward.
"I mean, it was 22 players fighting for a loose ball and they got the break; we didn't get the bounce," Ambrose said.
The offensive-minded adjustment was the last of several made by Dartmouth coach Ben Landis. During the second half, Ambrose's counterpart was constantly substituting forwards for defensive players. The Big Green even switched is alignment to a 3-4-3 to increase the pressure on the Quakers' defense and goalie Anna Halse.
The moves paid off for the Big Green. While the shots had been even at 6-6 in the first half, Dartmouth asserted itself in the second half, outshooting Penn 11-1. Penn also saw the corner kicks pile up, as a 7-2 first-half edge shifted to a 5-1 second-half deficit.
"We knew that 1-0 was a precarious lead at halftime, and we knew that they would come after us. They were at home," Ambrose said. "And they did, they came hard."
Despite scoring just one goal, the Red and Blue had a strong showing on the offensive side of the ball. Just 41 seconds into the game, junior midfielder Jenna Linden scored off a restart.
"Jenna Linden was very good, not just because she scored but she created, she settled us down," Ambrose said. "She possessed the ball and created numerous chances for our forwards."
Equally as excruciating as letting up the last-second goal were two goals by the Quakers that were disallowed due to offsides.
"I don't criticize referees, but certainly it was in question," Ambrose said of the first disallowed goal. The goal would have increased the lead to a more comfortable 2-0. The second disallowed goal came in overtime."
Penn finished with five offsides penalties to Dartmouth's one. The statistic is evidence of the aggressive play Penn managed to maintain despite the pressure it faced.
"I think we fought hard the whole game," Linden said. "We created a lot of chances from the back all the way up front, which is good on our part."
"Regardless of the game today, I have a lot of confidence in this team. I think we're playing really, really well together and there's a lot of enthusiasm within the team that is coming out in the way that we play."
"You've got to have a little luck in these type of games," Ambrose added. "Could we have been in a different situation? Sure. But that's why you play the game and that's what happens."
PENN 1 0 0 0 -- 1Dartmouth 0 1 0 0 -- 1
Goals: 1. Linden (P) 0:41 (unassisted);
2. Green (D) 89:57 (Tracy)
