For the second match in a row, the women's soccer team gets a crack at a team that it feels it should have beaten last year.
The Quakers (6-2-1, 1-1 Ivy) are looking to avenge last year's heartbreaking loss to Columbia. In their wet and windy 2005 matchup, Penn had eight shots on goal to double Columbia's tally, yet the Lions scored the 1-0 winner in the 89th minute of play.
"We certainly had the better of the game," Quakers coach Darren Ambrose said. "Our kids want a chance to prove that they were for real."
Some players were more direct. Sophomore midfielder Natalie Capuano asserted that Saturday's game "is about getting revenge and taking what we should have had last year."
While Columbia (4-4-3, 1-0-1) has struggled this year with a tough early schedule, both teams are coming off impressive performances. After blowing an early lead against undefeated Navy, the Lions dominated a weak Wagner team for a 3-0 win.
Penn is hoping to make it three wins in a row, its last one a 3-0 drubbing of Lafayette thanks to a hat trick from sophomore forward Molly Weir. Ambrose hopes that she will maintain a similar level of intensity, and warns that "she's always going to be dangerous with her speed."
It probably won't be as easy tomorrow for the Quakers, though. Columbia goalkeeper Allison Vespa was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Tuesday. But Penn has also found stability in the net despite having two freshman keepers. The tandem of Cailly Carroll and Sara Rose have allowed just seven goals in nine games.
Neither team possesses a particularly potent offense, so the first goal of the game could be the last as well.
The Quakers will have to keep Lions standout Shannon Munoz out of the box. Columbia's attack is centered around getting her the ball, as her 40 shots this year are more than double the total of any of her teammates. One of their all-time leading scorers, she has three goals and three assists so far this season.
Weir and freshman midfielder Jessica Fuccello lead the Quakers with three goals each. Freshman Jess Rothenheber has notched a goal and an assist in her last two games, and will also be a player for the Lions to watch.
The Quakers' strength is balance. "Different players hit their stride at different points in the year," Ambrose attested.
The Quakers boast a 3-1-1 record at Rhodes Field, but the only loss came to Ivy rival Harvard - a defeat that could haunt them come November.
With five Ivy games remaining on the schedule and the division wide open, the Quakers hope to keep pace in the Ivy race tomorrow against Columbia.
