Twenty-five minutes into the women’s soccer team’s matchup with Dartmouth, senior Jessica Fuccello trapped a soft pass about fifteen yards away from the opposing goal. She was perfectly centered to extend her team’s 3-1 lead further — only she was facing the wrong direction.
Despite intense pressure, she managed to wheel around, and kicked the ball straight into the net.
The goal, which gave the Quakers a 4-1 lead en route to a 5-1 win in their Sunday evening home contest against the Big Green, was already Fuccello’s third of the game — with 20 minutes still remaining in the first half.
An offensive flurry had already given way to a combined four goals by both teams — all in a span of just over thirteen minutes.
Fuccello opened the scoring eight minutes into the game with her 14th goal of the season, one-timing a 30-yard free kick off the foot of sophomore Theresa Yankovich. Penn freshman Yvonne Moyer and Dartmouth senior Myra Sack also added tallies.
Fuccello’s three-goal performance was her third hat trick of the season and gave her 16 goals in 2009, tying a school single-season record.
She shares the honor with Katy Cross, who scored 16 goals for the Red and Blue in the 2003 season and was the only player in school history to have been selected four times as an All-Ivy first teamer.
Senior Michelle Drugan added a goal for Penn (8-3-2, 2-2-0 Ivy) late in the second half to cap the scoring.
Following the early scoring outburst, Dartmouth (6-6-0, 2-2-0) fiercely tried to come back, outshooting Penn 14-4 in the second half. But Penn sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Williams held firm, registering six saves.
Williams relieved Gina Winters at halftime after the junior was given the start. Winters only faced one shot in her time in net — the successful attempt by Sack that came at the 16:53 mark of the first half.
“The performance was fantastic, from start to finish,” coach Darren Ambrose said. “The best ninety minutes we’ve played. I thought we rattled Dartmouth right from the start, and I don’t think they recovered.”
Yet, it was not all good news for the Quakers. The team experienced a scary moment when Fuccello was injured in the second half and was helped off the field.
A healthy Fuccello will be critical as only three games remain on Penn’s schedule. The next game is at home against Yale this Saturday at 5 p.m.
Given that the Bricktown, N.J., native has scored in seven of Penn’s last eight games, it is likely that she will break the school single-season goal record — if she stays injury free.
