Weekend Wrap

It was a successful opening weekend for the Quakers, each team accomplishing what it set out to do. Multiple shutouts by both Penn's men's and women's soccer on top of victories from the field hockey and sprint football teams provided optimism on all fronts, while the volleyball team exhibited promising performances in its hard-fought defeat at the Maryland Invitational. For all the season-opening action, here's this week's edition of Weekend Wrap:

Men's Soccer:

It was a resurgent opening weekend for Penn men's soccer as it squared away back-to-back shutouts against Stony Brook on Friday and Sacred Heart on Sunday. Junior Louis Schott led the way for the Red and Blue, scoring the team's first goals from the edge of the box in both games. From there, seasoned Quakers and younglings alike got their shot at the goal. Junior Jason DeFaria closed out Friday's 2-0 game against the Seawolves while freshman Alec Neumann netted two before senior Stephen Baker and junior Duke Lacroix finished up Penn's 5-0 shutout against the Pioneers.

Penn men's soccer makes up for lost time

Women's Soccer:

The men weren't the only ones wiping the field with the competition this weekend. The Penn women's soccer team also shut down its opponents with two 4-0 victories over St. Peter's on Friday and Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. Penn enjoyed defensive and offensive domination, as the Quakers outshot the Peacocks, 23-1, on Friday and the Mountaineers, 22-3, on Sunday. Goals came from four different players in each game, freshman Tahirih Nesmith claiming one in both games in her collegiate debut weekend.

Women's soccer explodes to start season off

Volleyball:

Things did not go as well for the Penn volleyball team. Taking on three tough non-division opponents in the Maryland Invitational, the Quakers put up a good fight but ultimately fell in their non-Ivy expedition. But no matter. Since the team's main objective for the weekend was to gain experience against the already-practiced teams in the lineup, the Red and Blue's 3-2 and back-to-back 3-1 losses to LIU, UMKC, and host Maryland respectively weren't all that unacceptable. Sophomores Jasmine DeSilva and Alex Caldwell topped the Penn roster for the weekend in kills and senior Dani Shepherd was named to the Invitational's All-Tournament team.

Volleyball gains valuable experience in Maryland

Field Hockey:

On the flipside, Penn field hockey proved itself worthy of its winning 2012 record with a thrilling 5-4 win over Lehigh. In what was certainly an evenly-matched battle, the Mountain Hawks gave the Quakers a run for their money, with both teams going back and forth right from the start. Although Lehigh scored within the first 10 minutes of the game, Penn answered back in a big way. Freshman Elise Tilton kicked off the scoring, with major contributions also coming from all four classes. The match came down to the wire as sophomore Elizabeth Hitti sank a corner shot with no time on the clock, giving the Red and Blue the final point for the win.

Penn field hockey walks off with season-opening win

Sprint Football:

The future looks bright for Penn's sprint football team as the current batch of Quakers flaunted its new-look offense and defensive grit over the Red and Blue of yesteryear in the annual alumni game. The alumni started off with a bang, with alum Mike Bagnoli ('11) taking it from the middle to the end zone to put the alumni up 6-0. But before long, junior running back Mike Beamish put a touchdown on the board, creating a 7-6 lead for the current Quakers and starting off a back and forth that would eventually settle into a 26-12 victory for Wagner's contemporary squad.

Penn sprint football bests alumni, 26-12