We’re getting into the swing of things in the Ivy football season, and both Penn and Harvard, the preseason favorites to battle it out for the Ancient Eight crown, have looked as strong as ever. But behind the Quakers and Crimson, the field gets extremely crowded, as teams like Yale and Princeton have made waves early. Can anyone rise up out of the pack and challenge the Ivy elite?
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Dartmouth is going to pose a big challenge the rest of the way in the Ancient Eight. I think that the Big Green’s 20-13 win over previously-unbeaten Yale last week was a real statement win. Running back Dominick Pierre and quarterback Dalyn Williams torched the Bulldogs on the ground, just like they had done the week before against Penn, and we all know how that game turned out.
With the head-to-head loss against the Quakers, I don’t think that Dartmouth can leapfrog both Penn AND Harvard to take the crown, but that Nov. 2 date with the Crimson in Cambridge is looming. I’m not so confident that Harvard’s defense can contain Dartmouth’s read-option (Penn just barely could), so that game could be an upset in the making. And remember, Williams is only a sophomore. He’ll be back next year, and the 2014 Ivy title could easily belong to the boys from Hanover.
Sports Editor John Phillips: I agree that Dartmouth definitely poses a problem, but at the end of the day, Penn has already tackled the Big Green (despite being taken to the brink), so it comes down to Harvard and Dartmouth. While the Big Green have definitely shown the Ivy League that they are a force to be reckoned with, I’ll still take the Crimson in that one game. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s just between Penn and Harvard.
Princeton has shown a lot over the course of the season. The Tigers took Lehigh, a ranked team, to the limit. They only lost by one, and they’ve trounced inferior competition in Georgetown and Columbia. Last week’s game against Lafayette showed me the most though, as Penn has seen firsthand how tough Lafayette can be to put away, and the Tigers did so admirably.
IW: I’m not as hot on Princeton as others have been, to be honest. They absolutely gagged against Lehigh, and I’m not sure that a team should be given style points for beating up on programs as lackluster as the Hoyas and Lions. Princeton has potential, especially junior wide receiver Connor Kelley (eight catches for 102 yards and a score against the Leopards on Saturday), but I don’t think they’re quite ready yet to pose a serious threat to either Penn or Harvard. Back-to-back road games against Brown and the Crimson should bring them back to reality.
The Verdict: Let’s be real here. Harvard and Penn are far and away the two best teams in the Ivy League this season and have successfully warded off all challengers so far. Princeton and Dartmouth are both solid teams, but they are at least a year away from being serious contenders in the Ancient Eight. Nobody wins.
While the rest of the undergrads were away on Fall Break, the athletes of Penn packed it up and headed away from home turf to take on some of their toughest opponents of the season. A few shutouts here and a few close losses there made for a weekend all over the board for the Red and Blue. Check out all the action in this week's edition of the Weekend Wrap:
Football
After an historic game culminating in a Red and Blue victory over the Big Green, the Penn football squad headed down to William & Mary for its final non-conference game. But those four overtimes seem to have tired the Quakers out. The game started with a strip-sack of senior quarterback Billy Ragone, toppling into an early Tribe touchdown. Missed chances to minimize the damage the Tribe put on the Quakers painted the rest of the game until the fourth quarter. That's when the Red and Blue made two drives into the end zone to cut their 21-0 deficit at the start of the final stanza to a final 27-14 loss.
Women's Soccer
Women's soccer shipped up to the Big Apple to take on Columbia and vie for the Ivy title. And with a 1-0 win, they kept the dream alive. In their eighth shutout of the season, the Quakers came away with one goal on the game, courtesy of a Columbia defender. The Red and Blue once again flaunted all its defensive strength, only allowing seven shots from the Lions - six of which came in the second half when the wind was against the Quakers. This victory puts them in a three-way tie for third place in the league behind Harvard and Brown.
Field Hockey
Women's soccer wasn't the only one with a shutout up North. Penn field hockey put an absolute clinic on UMass-Lowell this weekend, shutting the River Hawks down 5-0. The Quakers outshot their opponents, 28-5, and took seven of the game's eight penalty corners. This win marks their third shutout of the season as the team hopes to maintain its focus and strategy at Columbia next weekend.
Men's Soccer
On the other hand, it was a completely scoreless game for the men's soccer team as they too took on Columbia in New York this weekend. After two overtimes, the Quakers came to a stalemate with the Lions, ending the match at 0-0 for a tie to put the Red and Blue at 1-0-1 in the league. Still technically undefeated, Penn is satisfied with the result. The Quakers made full use of the bench throughout the game, as well as the refs' yellow cards with a total of five called between the two teams.
Volleyball
It was deja vu for the volleyball team as they split the weekend for the second week in a row. Against Yale and Brown, the Quakers put up a good fight both nights, giving up a hard-won match against undefeated Yale and sweeping the floor in Providence against Brown. The team is working its way back up to full strength as injuries early in the season make their way through recovery. This weekend boded well for the Red and Blue, and they hope it will build as they return home next weekend for the first time in almost a month.
Sprint Football
In the weekend's lone home game for Penn, the sprint football made Franklin Field familiar with another overtime game, but this time the result was not as favorable. Even though the team was up 24-13 in the first half, the defense gave up some big plays, allowing Franklin Pierce to catch up and send the game into overtime. Penalties peppered the field and the Red and Blue defense came up short too many times, sending the Falcons back to New England with a 33-27 win.
Congratulations. You've found yourself in Haiku Corner, where we still succinctly recap the weekend for each of the fall sports.
The question remains,
Why William & Mary?
Tuneup too taxing
___________________
The spotlight for Penn
Somehow shines on Austin Kinn
Sideways ain't forward
__________________
Quakers beat the wind
With defensive second wind
Oh, and an own goal
___________________
Only time ever
Franklin Pierce trumps Ben Franklin
Just blame the shutdown
___________________
At last a blowout
Though a win is a win is ...
Another still clutch step
____________________
As far as splits go
That's as good as they will get
A turnaround now?
____________________
Eye of the tiger
Can't see any short game yet
Missing Marsico
GOOD: Penn’s offense
The Quakers dominated UMass offensively, scoring three goals in the first half and two in the second. It was truly a team win, as all five goals came from different players. Penn also managed to capitalize on penalty corners, scoring off of two of them.
BAD: The lack of a challenge
While the blowout win was certainly heartening, it probably didn’t provide much by ways of preparation. The Quakers will face a much more challenging opponent this Friday when they travel to New York to face Columbia.
UGLY: UMass
The River Hawks now stand at an abysmal 1-13 as the Quakers make an already bad season even worse.
Fifth-year senior running back Brandon Colavita must really hate Dartmouth.
Last season, Colavita got injured at Dartmouth in the opening sequence of play while still recovering from a rib injury sustained in the season opener two weeks earlier. It was an early exit at the hands of the Big Green, as Colavita sat the rest of the season.
Last week, Colavita managed to get to the third quarter before getting injured against the Big Green again. The DP learned Thursday that the injury Colavita sustained last week was to his meniscus and that he is expected to miss a month. Colavita underwent an MRI earlier this week to assess the extent of his injury, and coach Al Bagnoli said after the game that there had been an audible pop in Colavita's knee upon getting injured.
It is most likely a meniscal tear, a tear of the rubbery cartilage that absorbs shock between the thigh and shin bones. Based on his expected recovery time, any tear that Colavita may have sustained is not severe, but pain and swelling can return if the knee is twisted or overused after a meniscus tear.
In Colavita's absence, fellow running backs Kyle Wilcox and Spencer Kulcsar will bear the brunt of coach Al Bagnoli's sizable rushing workload. Wilcox is already the Quakers' leading rusher through three games with 114 yards on 21 carries, including 94 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime of Penn's historic win over Dartmouth after Colavita went down.
In other injury news, senior wide receiver Conner Scott will again be out with an ankle injury Saturday at William & Mary after missing last week's contest. Scott still leads the Quakers in receptions with 16 despite having missed last week.
THE GOOD: Emily Corcoran’s continuing late-game heroics
The junior has now scored the overtime winner in two consecutive thrillers. Last Sunday, it was at home against Ivy foe Dartmouth to give them a 5-4 victory. Today, it was in New Jersey to give the Quakers a 4-3 edge over Rider. At home, away, conference, nonconference — Corcoran has shown that she can be clutch, wherever, whenever she’s needed.
THE BAD: The Quakers almost gave it away
After freshman phenom Jasmine Cole scored twice to give the Quakers a 3-1 lead in the second half, it seemed as if the game was the Quakers’ for the taking. But defensive miscues led to two consecutive Rider goals to mirror Cole’s, and it could have been a crushing loss just as easily as it ended up a thrilling win.
THE UGLY: The state of our hearts
This game marks the sixth this season decided by one goal. In fact, each of Penn’s last four wins has been by one point. While there’s not too much room to complain — Penn has won five out of those six games — a dominating win in the fashion of Penn’s 5-2 victory over St. Joe’s at the beginning of the season would be a welcome reprieve from the last few weeks of nerve-wracking contests.
How will Penn football handle William & Mary? Not easily ... we think. Sports Editors John Phillips and Steven Tydings discuss the Quakers' incredible finish vs. Dartmouth last week and predict how tough the Tribe will be in Williamsburg Saturday. (Hint - pretty tough.)
It looks like Brandon Copeland will be taking his talents to the Music City now.
The former Penn linebacker signed with the Tennessee Titans' practice squad on Tuesday after spending the first month of the NFL season the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad.
Copeland was a three-year starter for the Quakers during his time at Penn and a three-time All-Ivy selection. Throughout his collegiate career, the Sykesville, Md., native recorded 160 tackles and 11 sacks for the Red and Blue.
After going undrafted in April's NFL draft, he was signed to the Ravens' practice squad heading into training camp.
And after a productive preseason that included a juggling interception which made SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays, Baltimore kept Copeland on its practice squad heading into the regular season.
As a member of an NFL practice squad, Copeland was available to all 31 other teams. The Titans exercised their right to sign him on Tuesday, bringing the 22-year old to Nashville.
The Titans posted a press release to their website Tuesday evening announcing the signing.
Later Tuesday evening, Copeland confirmed the signing on his Twitter account, responding, "Thanks boss!" to congratulations from Russell Street Report writer Brian Bower.
The move provides the former Penn star with another opportunity to crack an NFL regular season roster, and represent the Ivy League at the sport's highest level.
It was definitely the most exciting weekend for the Red and Blue thus far. With multiple games going into overtime, one of which was the longest football game in Ivy League history, and victorious performances across the board, the Quakers had a thrilling weekend. Not a single team came home empty-handed. For more details that you genuinely do not want to miss this time around, here's this week's edition of the weekend wrap:
Football
Of course the longest game in Penn athletics' history had to be as dramatic as it was lengthy. Touchdowns bounced from one side to the other, and with four seconds left in regulation play, Dartmouth junior kicker Riley Lyons was primed to make a 21-yard field goal that would send the Big Green sailing into its first victory over Penn since 1997. Not so fast. As Lyons lined up to make the game-winning punt, junior linebacker David Park blocked the shot, saving the Quakers from an early loss and pushing the game into its first overtime. The classic back-and-forth that spectators witnessed for the entirety of regulation play went on into the four overtimes of Ivy League history's longest football game. In the end, the Red and Blue emerged victorious with a dramatic final touchdown from junior Kyle Wilcox, one of the Quakers' biggest key players of the day, and left the scoreboard at 37-31.
Field Hockey
It seems like it was overtime weekend on Penn's campus. In addition to the nail-biting football match-up, the field hockey team fought an exciting game into overtime at Ellen Vagelos Field before coming away 5-4, also against the Big Green. The tables were turned for field hockey, though, as the Quakers were the ones to take home their first victory over Dartmouth in six years. Missed opportunities painted the field as the Red and Blue led the Big Green 14-5 in shots and 9-0 in corners at the half but still trailed behind, 3-2. In the end, the Quakers rallied to push the game into overtime when junior Emily Corcoran sent a game-winning shot sailing through the net to give Penn a clean 3-0 conference slate — its best Ivy start in almost a decade.
Men's Soccer
2012 Penn men's soccer, who? The Quakers declared that this was not last year's team in Saturday's match against defending Ivy champion Cornell. Riding on a high from Wednesday's victory over Drexel, a win that snapped a six-game losing streak, the Red and Blue showed up and shut down the Big Red at Rhodes Field. The final score of 1-0 was a shock to everyone but themselves, and the team looks to show the league what a turnaround they've made next weekend against Columbia.
Women's Soccer
Much less of a surprise was women's soccer's weekend sweep. The Quakers triumphed over Cornell, 1-0, on Friday and Farleigh Dickinson, 4-0, on Sunday. Friday night's win kept Penn's hopes of an Ivy title alive after falling to Harvard on the road. The team found its way back to the shutout-producing focus from the beginning of this season this weekend after seeing a loss and three ties in the past two weeks.
Volleyball
The volleyball team was buzzing with excitement as it went into full Ivy swing in the Empire State. But after losing to Columbia on Friday in five sets, the Quakers were hungry for redemption when they traveled up to Ithaca on Saturday. In another back-and-fourth five-set match, Cornell was the one to fall. The weekend's ups and downs diminished then reestablished Penn's .500 record as the team continues to balance out its newfound offensive prowess with its staple defensive stronghold.
Cross Country
Why is it still almost 90 degrees in October? The cross country team was wondering the same thing in Saturday's Paul Short Invitational. In the unseasonably muggy and hot weather, the Quakers emerged triumphant by their standards, going up against national powerhouses like Georgetown and Indiana and finishing 11th out of 47. It's no surprise that the youth of both the men's and women's sides took most of the top spots, but all runners put their all into the grueling race. One thing's for sure: they'll all be glad when the weather cools down a bit.
Four overtimes was plenty of time for a whole lot of good, bad and ugly for Penn and Dartmouth alike in their classic showdown Saturday.
THE GOOD — Penn’s offense in the clutch
The Quakers somehow always found an answer when they found themselves on the verge of losing. After fifth-year senior Billy Ragone was picked off deep in Penn’s own territory, resulting in a 26-yard Big Green touchdown drive, Penn responded instantly with a nine-play, 82-yard touchdown drive and added another nine-play, 70-yard drive midway through the second quarter to give the Quakers a 14-7 advantage.
And on a crucial third-and-12 from the 27-yard line in the second overtime with Penn trailing, 28-21, Ragone dashed for the scramble of his life down the right sideline, reaching paydirt for a game-tying touchdown. And when junior running back Kyle Wilcox smelled Big Green blood in the water after Dartmouth junior kicker Riley Lyons missed his third field goal, Wilcox’s 20-yard game-winning touchdown jaunt in the fourth overtime sealed the deal.
THE BAD — Penn’s defense in the clutch
While the Quakers’ ‘D’ did come up big in the end, pushing Lyons out of his field goal range in the fourth overtime, Penn had given up too many potentially game-winning drives to the Big Green by that point. Penn allowed a devastating 58-yard run to Dartmouth senior running back Dominick Pierre that led to a game-tying touchdown for the Big Green early in the fourth quarter. And of course, it only took Dartmouth 1:21 after Penn senior kicker Connor Loftus missed a field goal to march down 62 yards in nine plays to set up what should have been a game-winning 21-yard kick. The Quakers allowed back-to-back 12-yard passing plays, which comprised another clutch touchdown drive for Dartmouth in the second overtime as well.
THE UGLY – Dartmouth kicker Riley Lyons in the clutch
It just doesn’t get any uglier. Lyons missed two field goals that would have clinched the game for Dartmouth and a third that would have kept the Big Green from losing at the end. As time expired in regulation, what should have been a chip shot from 21 yards out for Lyons became a nightmare, as senior linebacker David Park rushed the left side and blocked Lyons’ kick. And in the first overtime, he hooked a 34-yard field goal wide left that would have given Dartmouth the win.
Watch what coach Al Bagnoli, senior quarterback Billy Ragone and senior linebacker David Park had to say after one of the craziest games in Penn football history:
Our highlights from the longest football game in Ivy League history, a 37-31 4OT win over Dartmouth. All highlights filmed, edited and narrated by Sports Editor John Phillips:
THE GOOD: David Park and Kyle Wilcox
In the longest game in Ivy League history, the play that saved the Quakers from defeat was a block by senior linebacker David Park with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter. Park shut down Dartmouth's Riley Lyons's attempt for a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation play to push the game into its first overtime of the afternoon. But that wasn't Park's only big play of the day.With 6:16 left in the second quarter, the senior recovered a fumble by Dartmouth quarterback Dayln Williams and ran it all the way for an 84-yard touchdown, putting the Red and Blue up 14-7 in the first half and sending the Quakers on their way to a 37-31 victory in the fourth overtime.
Junior defensive back Kyle Wilcox stepped in late, coming off the bench and making huge plays for Penn. Wilcox ran for a total of 94 yards in his relatively short time on the field.
THE BAD: The four overtimes it took to end this game
Was it the missed opportunities that colored Franklin field on both sides or the too-evenly matched teams that pinned the Big Green against the Red and Blue in a four-hour back-and-forth?
THE UGLY: Connor Loftus's missed field goal
A 42-yard field goal attempt turned into a 52-yard attempt after a failed running play by Wilcox. But coach Al Bagnoli decided to go for a field goal anyway. However, Loftus missed the kick short. This set up Dartmouth for a final drive to beat the Quakers, but their kicker's final 21-yard field goal was blocked. There would be two more missed field goals, and all of them more ugly than the next.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field, the Quakers are looking to get their Ivy season off to a good start against the Big Green. Both Penn and Dartmouth are looking to recover from tough losses against out-of-conference opponents last week, and neither team can afford to start from behind in the Ancient Eight. Follow myself and fellow Sports Editor Steven Tydings as we give you all the action.
On Friday night at Rhodes Field, the Quakers staved off a surging Big Red squad and picked up their first Ivy League win of the season, defeating Cornell, 1-0. Following a Big Red handball with 1:36 remaining in the first half, senior forward Kerry Scalora cooly put away the subsequent penalty kick. Meanwhile, the Penn defense notched its Ivy League best sixth shutout of the season.
THE GOOD: More of the same for the Penn defense.
The Quakers' defense continues to be dependable, giving Penn a chance to win every time it takes the pitch. Sophomore goalkeeper Kalijah Terrilli looks more and more comfortable in her position with each passing game.
THE BAD: Opportunities don't translate to goals.
Also in step with this squad's narrative over the past two seasons, the Penn offense failed to convert on opportunities and struggled to find clear looks at the goal. The team's reliance on its defense will make for a lot of nail-biters this season.
THE UGLY: Fouls in the air.
In the first half, some players seemed to spend more time on the sprawled on the ground or in the air than on their own two feet. Neither side was shy about shoving, pushing or pulling while playing for fifty-fifty balls, and the referees whistles remained silent through much of it, drawing cries from the crowd at both ends of the field as players tumbled to the ground on many occasions.
We mark the start of Ivy play for Penn football this weekend with the return of This Week on 33rd Street, in which Sports Editors Ian Wenik and Steven Tydings sit down with Senior Sports Editor Mike Tony to make sense of the Quakers' blowout loss to Villanova and predict what's in store for Penn at home Saturday against Dartmouth.
Our latest Athlete of the Week is Penn field hockey junior goalkeeper Carly Sokach, who was named Ivy Player of the Week earlier this week. We caught up with her after a 4-0 loss to Lafayette Wednesday to reflect on what has been an otherwise impressive 2013 campaign for the Quakers defensively.
Three Up—
Rookies — Freshman forwards Alec Neumann and Sam Hayward have made their presence known this year. In Wednesday’s game against Drexel, Hayward scored two of Penn’s three goals, tying him with junior Duke Lacroix for the team lead. Neumann has started in all nine of the Quakers’ games and has recorded two goals and two assists.
Belief — Though the Red and Blue’s season does not look so different from 2012, everyone on the team has a strong belief that different results will be produced. Last season, Penn lost to Drexel three days before facing Cornell — the same setup as this week — but the difference now is that the Quakers are going into the Big Red match with a win, not a loss. Their belief in each other and themselves could change their luck and lead to another big triumph.
Breaking the losing streak — The Red and Blue were finally able to break their six-game losing streak on Wednesday against Drexel. This was their first win since the season’s opening weekend. The “City Derby” was the last nonconference game before Ivy play starts on Saturday night. Coming in with a win should boost the Quakers’ confidence in their match against the Big Red, who are coming off of a loss to Niagara.
Three Down—
Defense — In nine games, Penn has allowed 17 goals, an average of about two goals per game. The defensive unit as a whole is allowing too many goals and too many shots on goalies Tyler Kinn and Max Polkinhorne. The Quakers have been spending too much time defending their own goal rather than effectively and efficiently getting the ball up the field to the strikers.
Red cards — Two games last weekend produced two red cards for Penn. Senior Stephen Baker and sophomore Alex Murphy were thrown out of matches against FGCU and FIU respectively. Baker was issued two yellow cards before the match against the Eagles had even reached the 24th minute. This left the Quakers a man down for three quarters of the game. Two days later, Murphy left the match in the 60th minute with a straight red card. Playing a man down in both games certainly presented the Red and Blue with a challenge — one that they were not able to meet as the weekend resulted in two losses.
Duke Lacroix and Stephen Baker — Senior Stephen Baker and junior Duke Lacroix are two of Penn’s four captains this season. They should be the Quakers’ scoring powerhouses — yet they have been falling short. Combined, they have recorded six goals in nine games, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. As both captains and talented players, these two need to step up.
Penn Athletics knows it has a gargantuan marketing opportunity slated for Saturday, Nov. 9 on its hands, and now its plan to take advantage of that opportunity has been announced.
On Wednesday, the University declared Nov. 9 as Student Appreciation Day in a press release that also announced an all-encompassing ticket package.
Nov. 9 will mark the height of Homecoming Weekend, seeing Penn football square off with Princeton at Franklin Field at noon and Penn basketball tip off its 2013-14 season against Big 5 rival Temple at the Palestra at 5 p.m.
Students who purchase Penn Athletics' $10 Student Appreciation Package will be able to attend a Homecoming barbecue in the East end zone area of Franklin Field at the end of the third quarter against Princeton. The barbecue will feature alcoholic beverages for all entrants 21 and older.
Penn Athletics Director Steve Bilsky told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he originally wanted a live band concert at Penn Park to be held in between the football and basketball games, but the space was unavailable.
The $10 Student Appreciation Package will also feature a Red and Blue Crew section ticket for the men's basketball season opener as well as the chance to stay after the game for a special performance from Philadelphia sports and Temple enthusiast Bill Cosby at the Palestra.
"I called Bill Cosby, I said, 'I've gotta ask you a favor,' Athletic Director Steve Bilsky told the DP. "He said, 'Done.' I said, 'I didn't even tell you what it is yet!' And he said, 'If you calling me to ask me [for] a favor, you know I'm gonna do it.' I said, 'I want you to perform.'"
Admission to the football game against Princeton is still free for all students with a PennCard.
"To be able to go to a basketball game and sit and listen to [Cosby] for an hour, I'd be shocked if people leave after the basketball game," Bilsky said.
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