Wounded W. Soccer to battle Monmouth in New Jersey

The Battle of Monmouth was a crucial Revolutionary War skirmish in May of 1778, where George Washington and his troops showed their ability to fend off the British.

Today, the Penn women's soccer team (10-1-1) will march into the town of that battle, Monmouth, N.J., confidently intent on winning its own battle against the Hawks of Monmouth University (9-4-1).

"As long as we play our game, there should be no problem in winning," Penn goalie Vanessa Scotto said.

Of course, the Quakers will not have to battle any Redcoats to defeat the Hawks.

But right now, Penn looks a little like a wounded army.

"Injuries have caught up on us," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. "That will be a factor for the rest of the year."

Key Penn defenders Sarah Campbell, Heather Issing and Jen Valentine are all suffering from ailments that will most likely force them to the sidelines for some, if not all, of today's game.

The Red and Blue's offensive attack has also proven susceptible to the injury bug.

Neither of Penn's star freshmen forwards -- Rachelle Snyder and Katy Cross, who are responsible for almost half of the team's total points -- is 100 percent.

Snyder is day-to-day with a knee injury she re-aggravated on Saturday's game against Yale, while Cross is fighting off a case of pinkeye.

Still, the Quakers have fought off injuries before to win and feel that some unheralded players can fill in for the wounded.

"We said at the beginning of the season that everyone is going to have to contribute," Ambrose said. "Now other players have to play big and do what we know they can do."

And while the Red and Blue do not know much about the Hawks, the Quakers are not taking their opponent for granted.

"We have to expect that they're a Princeton-level team and play the best we can," Scotto said.

Though today's contest is not a revolutionary battle, the Quakers realize that as the season progresses, each game is crucial to their dual goals of winning the Ancient Eight and making the NCAA tournament.

Penn is now tied with Harvard for second in the Ivy League -- both a game behind Princeton -- with three league games still to play. And with 10 wins in 12 games, the Quakers have a good shot at qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

"In every game, there is something on the line," Ambrose said. "In every game, we have to go out and play tough."

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