Its final tuneup before Ivy League play begins on Saturday, the women's soccer team improved to 3-3-1 with a dominating 3-0 shutout over UMBC (1-9-0). Kristin Kaiser started the scoring at 25:52 with a rebound off a shot that was deflected by a UMBC defender.

"Shoulders, shoulders, get your shoulders!" Penn strength and conditioning coach Jim Steel bellowed. Clipboard in hand, Steel marked down the members of the football team as they entered the weight room and began their lifting routine. Practice wasn't over when the team jogged off the Franklin Field turf.

Penn goalkeeper Drew Healy posted his seventh-straight shutout and Alex Grendi, Andrew Ferry and Kevin Unger all scored as the men's soccer team rolled to a 3-0 victory over Penn State at Rhodes Field last night. The win is redemption for last season's bitter double-overtime loss at University Park, Pa.

Penn women's soccer coach Darren Ambrose knows the situation all too well. The Quakers have a lead late in the game, only to "hit the wall" and lose it near the end. "It's about playing for 90 minutes, scoring if we get our opportunities," Ambrose said. The Quakers (2-3-1) know what they need to do against University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) at Rhodes Field tonight at 5 p.

Nine days ago, Penn field hockey coach Val Cloud said she was "at wit's end." Her players couldn't avoid slow starts, so she suggested putting a bomb under them. Since then, the Quakers have dropped two more games, managing just one goal in the process. So Cloud has a new idea.

Penn fans might best remember Norries Wilson for his "11-on-18" rant about the officiating during Penn's 16-0 victory over the Lions two years ago. But this weekend, when a penalty flag went flying during a Fordham punt, Wilson knew the blame lay 100 percent with him.

For as long as senior associate director of athletics Alanna Shanahan can remember, one person was in charge of marketing Penn's 33 varsity teams. And in her words: "I don't think we've had great success." So Shanahan became the impetus for change this summer, helping the Athletic Department broker a deal with Nelligan Sports Marketing, a firm that has worked with numerous schools, atheletic conference and Fortune 500 companies.

All eyes were on Robert Irvin on Saturday during the first quarter of Penn's matchup against Villanova, and it's not hard to imagine why. Behind the strength of his arm, the senior was named starter as a sophomore, but injuries and more injuries prevented him from entrenching himself as the man under center.

A freshman won his flight in the tournament. A transfer defeated a starter on a likely top-20 team. A doubles team sliced through the field.

Villanova 20, Penn 14. There isn't much else to say that hasn't been said, because this is old news, old emotion, painful cliche, all of it. Penn Football has lost a game in overtime. Another one. Since 2006, the Quakers have played in 21 games, losing five of them in overtime and nine of them in the last few plays.

Looks like the Penn women's soccer team has finally gotten opposing defenses to - ahem - "open up." The Quakers' drive back from the nation's capital may have been accompanied by thoughts of their failure to bring home a win. But head Coach Darren Ambrose and his players certainly have made some offensive breakthroughs this weekend - right through some of the toughest defenses

When the Quakers blocked an extra point in the first overtime on Friday, they sensed that a victory over Villanova - one that had eluded them since 1911 - might finally be within their grasp. But moments later, Bradford Blackmon's grip wasn't strong enough.

They were looking for a blank slate, a new beginning. Instead, the players on the Penn field hockey team produced a another slow start in their 3-1 loss to Cornell on Saturday in both teams' Ivy League opener. "We were looking at [the conference season] like a new season," said freshman Abigail Egan, wProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0

It just keeps going and going and going. Drew Healy extended his shutout streak to a Penn-record 590 minutes as the Quakers (4-0-2) tied an inspired Buffalo 0-0 on Friday night and routed hapless Mercer 6-0 yesterday afternoon, claiming the Penn Soccer Classic title - their third tournament victory in as many attempts.

According to junior Anne Magnuson, defense is the key to success for Penn volleyball. "When our defense is on, we're on" she said. Fortunately for the Quakers, their defense was on this weekend, as the team earned three wins in four attempts, improving their record to 4-5.

Football is a game of quick decisions. Punt or go for it? Kick the point after or go for two? Keep it or pitch it? Few split-second calls, however, will have as lasting an impact as the one Villanova coach Andy Talley made Saturday evening, when he replaced struggling quarterback Antwon Young with sophomore backup Chris Whitney in the fourth quarter.

Preseason Ivy No. 1 (tied with Yale) Harvard needed a late comeback to beat Holy Cross at home Friday night, 25-24. The Crimson's senior quarterback, Chris Pizzotti, threw for 370 yards and one touchdown. More importantly, he led Harvard (1-0%