Fans showed up to Rhodes Field on Saturday to commemorate the nine seniors on the Penn women's soccer team, but they got much more than that.
The Senior Day contest between the Quakers (9-5-2, 4-1-1 Ivy) and the visiting Brown Bears, played in the soggy conditions left over from Friday night's thunderstorm, turned out to be a dogfight in all aspects. Clad in white at the opening whistle, the Quakers more resembled their Brown opponents as they walked off the field with a 2-0 victory.
The seniors were honored in a special ceremony before the game. In their last match at Rhodes Field, the four-year veterans turned in a brilliant performance. Seniors Katy Cross and Rachelle Snyder tallied the goals for the Red and Blue, while fellow senior Lydia Bojcun played a vital role in the Quakers' defense and contributed an assist.
Senior Anna Halse pitched her sixth shutout of the season in net. The Bears (7-9-0, 2-4-0) did not make it easy. Although Halse was only credited with two saves, the Penn goalkeeper singlehandedly quashed several dangerous opportunities for Brown.
In the second half, Halse showcased her skills on a ball lofted into the box. Displaying an uncanny resemblance to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens, the senior leaped into the air and laid out to snag the ball before a Brown forward could head it on goal.
"I always wished I played football at wide receiver," Halse said.
More seriously, Halse recognizes the significance of the way the team played this weekend.
"It was important, stepping onto this field for the last time, to really show what kind of player I was, and it was important for all of us seniors today," Halse said. "This field means a lot to us and this place is really special, so we wanted to go out with a bang."
It seemed only fitting that Cross and Snyder, who have made their presence felt from the first day they suited up for the Red and Blue, scored the goals to lift their team to victory in their last home match. Just 16 minutes into the first half, Cross got her head on a corner kick off the foot of Bojcun to open the scoring. Snyder, determined to leave her mark on the game as well, scored on a breakaway goal with only 15 minutes remaining in the game.
The seniors and underclassmen alike were especially emotional after the contest.
"We came in with a bang freshman year and we were trying to go out with a bang senior year," a teary-eyed Cross said. "So I think we did that today."
"I just wanted to play well for the team because the team has meant everything to me since I've come to school," Snyder said. "I'm glad we went out winning because I think that this group of girls has worked so hard for so long that we deserved to win."
Penn coach Darren Ambrose, who has coached the group of seniors for their entire four years, was quick to recognize the significance of the game.
"I'm so happy for our seniors," Ambrose said. "I mean, to finish the way they did, with two of them scoring and Anna having such a tremendous game, I couldn't be happier for them; as a senior that's what you want."
Penn will play its final regular season game this Saturday against No. 7 Princeton. The Tigers have already clinched the Ivy title outright, but the Quakers have plenty to play for.
"We're playing to get in the tournament, we're playing because Princeton is our rival and every time we get out there we want to beat them," Cross said.
"Princeton is a very good opponent, and beating them would give us an opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament," Ambrose said. "All we can do is win and leave it in the hands of the NCAA committee."
