Perfect season comes to end

Penn entered with a perfect record, but it was Harvard that played a perfect game.

Off to their best start since 1977, the No. 14 Quakers headed into Saturday as one of only three teams in the nation without a loss.

But that streak came to a crashing halt as the Crimson outplayed Penn on both ends of the field en route to a dominant 13-8 victory.

"We didn't come to play," senior co-captain and midfielder D.J. Andrzejewski said. "It's difficult to place blame. We just didn't play well as a team."

As the first quarter began, it appeared as though Penn (6-1, 1-1 Ivy) was poised to continue its winning ways. The Quakers opened the game's scoring with a goal from freshman midfielder Chris Andrzejewski on an assist from his older brother D.J. Andrzejewski, who also scored a goal in the game.

Penn continued its strong start, jumping out to an early 3-1 margin, before Harvard (3-2, 1-0) tied it up with two consecutive goals.

The Quakers took the lead at the beginning of the second quarter on an impressive goal from senior midfielder Alan Eberstein. After losing the ball, Eberstein recovered near midfield and used an effective spin move to get open at the top of the key.

But from there on, it was all Harvard.

Penn appeared stagnant on offense for the next 24 minutes, failing to score despite the fact that Harvard's starting goalie left the game with a leg injury. Meanwhile, the Crimson reeled off six consecutive goals, building what proved to be an insurmountable lead.

The Quakers didn't display any sense of urgency until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, and by then it was too late.

Every time Penn seemed to be closing in on Harvard, the Quakers defense failed to get the necessary stops.

Quakers junior midfielder David Cornbrooks opened the fourth quarter with a goal, but Crimson midfielder Evan Calvert quickly returned the favor on the other end of the field. Soon after, freshman midfielder Drew Collins scored for the Quakers, only to be matched yet again by the Crimson's Sean Kane -- who scored three goals in the game.

The Quakers finally managed back-to-back goals late in the fourth quarter, as Cornbrooks and Riordan cut the deficit to 12-8 with five minutes remaining.

But Harvard refused to let Penn get any closer, as Calvert scored for the Crimson with 41 seconds remaining to seal the upset.

For Penn, it was a disappointing loss, but the larger picture remains bright. At 6-1 overall, and with convincing victories already over strong programs such as Bucknell, Yale and North Carolina, the Quakers are vastly improved from last year's 2-11 team.

"The main thing is to stay positive," the elder Andrzejewski said. "We are still in a position to be very successful this season."

Despite scoring just eight goals against Harvard, the Quakers boast one of the top-scoring offenses in the nation. Before Saturday, they were ranked fourth, with 12.8 goals per game.

Penn will need to regroup, as it will be playing No. 3 Cornell Saturday this weekend.

For the Quakers to upset the as-of-yet undefeated Big Red next Saturday, they may have to put forth a perfect performance on both ends of the field -- similar to the effort the Crimson displayed this past weekend.

More than that, though, Penn will need to maintain the confidence that it exuded prior to the Harvard defeat.

Confidence isn't an issue for this year's Quakers, D.J. Andrzejewski said.

"Ever since the fall, we've had a very positive outlook," he said. "We expect to win every game, and that is a different approach from what we had last year."

That approach will be crucial not only against Cornell, but also against upcoming Ivy opponents Dartmouth, Princeton and Brown, as well as the season finale against once-No. 1 Maryland.

"We're entering the hardest part of our schedule right now," Andrzejewski said. "We just need to put this game behind us and move on."

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