Record-breaking W. Soccer welcomes Yale to Rhodes

After yet another drubbing of a non-conference opponent on Wednesday -- a 3-0 shutout of St. Joseph's -- the Penn women's soccer team now boasts a glossy 9-1-1 record.

To go along with the team success, the individual accolades are piling up.

Katy Cross will likely have her name printed all over the Penn record books by the end of the season, as she has dished out assists this season like she is the Wayne Gretzky of Penn soccer. She is currently tied for second in the nation in that category, with 11.

Fellow newcomer Rachelle Snyder is only a point behind Cross in offensive proficiency with 20 points on the season, and thus also might find her name peppering the Quakers record books at season's end.

The single-season points record is 26, set by Jill Callaghan in 1998.

On the other side of the field, Vanessa Scotto has been downright stingy in net, allowing only three goals in 717 minutes, placing her seventh in the nation with her miniscule 0.38 goals-against-average.

Still, the numbers of these stars do not overshadow the success of the team as a whole.

"The girls are happy for the individuals, but I'm happy for the team," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. "Individual records reflect effectiveness as a team."

While the Quakers have been very effective, they are not resting on their laurels.

Penn still has six games remaining, and it is still a game behind Harvard and Princeton in the Ivy League standings. The Red and Blue have four tough Ancient Eight contests left on their schedule, including pivotal ones against the Crimson and the Tigers.

Also, the injury bug is nipping at the heels -- literally and figuratively -- of Penn's defensive backbone.

Senior tri-captain and defensive center midfielder Sarah Campbell is sidelined with an Achilles heel injury that has hampered her all year. Both central defenders, sophomore Heather Issing and junior tri-captain Jen Valentine, are also not at their strongest. Valentine is fighting off a viral infection, while Issing is experiencing foot problems.

Tomorrow, the Quakers will confront its hardships head on as the Quakers host Yale at Rhodes Field.

"Good teams can rise above adversity and fight around that," Ambrose said. "This will be a test to see how good we really are."

The Elis, despite a 4-5-1 overall record, are always tough and were barely outlasted by Ivy League leaders Harvard in double overtime.

"Even though our record might indicate that we have the advantage, it isn't that easy," Ambrose said. "They are traditionally a good team and you can't count them out."

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