It was a weekend of solid performances, but mixed results.
The Penn women's soccer team followed a tough 1-0 loss Friday night against Michigan State with an easy 6-0 victory yesterday over Saint Joseph's.
Despite the loss, Penn was in control of Friday's match for much of the time, suggested by the 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. But the Quakers were unable to break through, leaving the door open for a late winner by the Spartans.
The goal came with 5:19 left in regulation after forward Lauren Hill broke free behind the Penn defense and was pulled down just outside the box. Michelle Telebar's free kick was subsequently deflected by Hill and eventually finished by Maureen Pawlak.
The Quakers clearly played the better first half. They had close calls in front of the Spartans' net. Nine minutes in, Michigan State goalkeeper Nicole Galas saved Jessica Fuccello's header. Galas was barely able to get back into position to stop the rebound attempt from Mara Fintzi. But she was close enough.
About seven minutes later, Galas got just enough of Jessica Rothenheber's shot to cause it to hit the crossbar.
"I though we were the better team, I'll flat out say it," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. Michigan State "scored on a whim and a prayer and we didn't get a lucky bounce all night."
Though he was mostly proud of his team's play, Ambrose added that Penn played too much into its opponent's "back-and-forth" style during the second half, losing some of the early aggressive play that helped them control the opening half. That loss of urgency resulted in a lack of chances on both sides of the pitch, and to the eventual deciding goal.
The Quakers carried over their frustration and came out firing against St. Joe's yesterday.
Penn pushed two goals past Hawks' goalkeeper Megan Bastianelli before fifteen minutes had gone off the clock. Fintzi, normally known for her slick ball-handling skills, showed she can finish well also, putting home two perfect crosses from forward Molly Weir.
Penn continued its persistent first-half attack as Fuccello got her third goal of the season on a nice header off Rothenheber's corner kick.
"We knew we had to bring it from the start," junior captain Natalie Capuano said. "We definitely took out some of our frustration and anger on [St. Joseph's] today."
The Quakers poured it on in the second half with Weir connecting on two goals of her own and defender Eileen Larkin getting a rare goal to cap off the scoring.
"It feels really good to have such a big day," said Weir of her two-goal, two-assist effort. "I really wanted to contribute and it feels good to do it on a day when we needed a win."
The Quakers showed they are capable of playing at a high level. The question is whether their play will yeild more wins or more disappointing losses.
