The University of Pennsylvania men’s soccer team started off Ivy League play with a bang yesterday, defeating rival Cornell on the road in a back-and-forth overtime affair. Right from the opening whistle, the intensity and importance of the match was on display with fouls and cards being assessed evenly to both sides.

On a day when everything else in the Ivy League went right for Penn, one moment was enough to break the spirits of women’s soccer. 

Until two weeks ago, Penn men’s soccer had drawn the most matches in the country. Almost entirely unbeaten, the Quakers were also winless.

The moment the whistle blew, it was off to the races for Penn women’s soccer. The Quakers managed to put up three goals in the first seven minutes while paying a visit to American on Tuesday in their 4-0 win over the Eagles.

Coming off a sweep in the first Ivy doubleheader of the year, Penn volleyball will hit the road over fall break and take on Cornell and Columbia. The Quakers (7-8, 2-1 Ivy) carry momentum into the weekend after wins over Harvard and Dartmouth, but they'll face two hungry teams in New York, with the Big Red (5-7, 0-3) desperate for their first conference win and the Lions (8-5, 3-0) looking to stay undefeated in league play.

Penn field hockey’s senior captains, Elise Tilton and Claire Kneizys, made it to Penn in very different ways. But now that they’re here, they have one key similarity: an unmatched drive to lead the Quakers to their first Ivy League title since 2004.

The season is only halfway done for Penn field hockey but already we have seen records broken, overtime thrillers, and major positional changes.

Penn men’s soccer head coach Rudy Fuller has had dozens of assistant coaches in his tenure at the school since his arrival 19 years ago. And out of that cast, in a true testament to Fuller’s leadership and coaching prowess, four of them have become head coaches — either at other D-I programs, or professionally.

Last week, the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference announced that Penn women’s basketball coach Mike McLaughlin will be inducted into the conference hall of fame.

Sometimes the fight means more than the win. And, in the 20th edition of the Cissie Leary Memorial Invitational, the Quakers endured extraordinary battles throughout the weekend. On Sunday, play at the Hecht tennis center concluded at Penn’s annual home tournament, commemorating the late Cissie Leary, who served as the women's tennis coach at Penn from 1977-1996.

What difference does an extra few thousand meters make? Evidently not much: the Quakers seemed unfazed as the distance ramped up at Lehigh in longest race they’ve seen so far this year. Both Penn cross country teams had powerful finishes today at the prestigious Paul Short Invitational.

In recent years, Ivy League volleyball has trended toward two stratifications: the four teams at the top and the four at the bottom.

There was a strong overcast over Ellen Vagelos Field as Penn field hockey squared off with Harvard, an apt metaphor for the stubborn opposition that the Quakers faced on the field. In what ended up as an unfortunate 3-2 loss in double-overtime for the Red and Blue (6-3, 1-1 Ivy), there were many points where the home side showed little sign of being able to surmount the 2-0 lead from its Boston rivals. The Crimson (6-4, 2-0) went up by one 25 minutes into the first half after a shot off a corner found its way past junior goalie Liz Mata.

After a demoralizing loss to Harvard last week, it was hard not to wonder if last year’s scoring draught had returned to haunt the Penn women’s soccer team.

“Ivies are another level” Coach Fuller said during his preparation for his team’s next big game. This Sunday at 4 pm, Penn’s men’s soccer team will be heading up to Ithaca to face Cornell.

Penn volleyball optimistic for Dartmouth and Harvard Penn volleyball season is heating up, as the Quakers look to defeat Dartmouth and Harvard at the Palestra.

Heading into the thick of Ivy season, Penn field hockey is ready to roll. After winning their first Ivy contest on Saturday, the Quakers (6-2, 1-0 Ivy) look to repeat their success on Sunday when they host Harvard. The Crimson (4-4, 1-0 Ivy) have had their high and low moments this season.