Recapping a season of success

Six Penn athletic squads took to their respective fields this fall, and every squad met with success this season. Two -- women's soccer and volleyball -- took home Ivy League titles, while five teams finished with winning records in the Ancient Eight. The men's soccer team also won the Philadelphia Soccer 7 for the first time since 1983.

All in all, it was a season to remember for Quakers athletics. The winter teams can only hope to achieve this much success.

Football: Despite finishing with an 8-1 record, one-and-a-half games better than the 2000 Ivy League champions, this season proved to be a disappointment for the Penn football team.

On a cold, windy day in Boston on Nov. 10, the Quakers fell to undefeated Harvard, 28-21, dashing their Ivy League title hopes.

And although the season ended in disappointment, there were several bright spots for the Quakers.

Penn started out well enough, with a 37-0 thrashing of Lafayette and a 21-20 win over Dartmouth on a blocked extra point with 1:38 remaining by Kyle Chaffin.

After outscoring Holy Cross, Columbia and Yale by a combined 99-17, the Quakers headed to Providence, R.I., and shut down Brown's vaunted offense, winning, 27-14.

Homecoming against Princeton followed, and the Quakers used two fourth quarter touchdowns from senior running back Kris Ryan to defeat the Tigers, 21-10.

But then the defeat at the hands of the Crimson deflated the Quakers' hopes for their first undefeated season since 1994 and their second consecutive Ivy title.

The next week, the Quakers rebounded for a bittersweet victory, 38-14, over Cornell in the season finale. Although Harvard defeated Yale, 35-23, in "The Game" to clinch the Ivy title, Ryan rushed for 152 yards to break Brian Keys' Penn career rushing yards mark. Ryan's record stands at 3,213 yards gained over his four year career.

For the Quakers, the successful careers of Ryan and quarterback Gavin Hoffman have ended. While Hoffman was not able to achieve the success this season he did in his past two campaigns, he still finished up his three seasons at Penn strongly.

The Quakers also finished ranked nationally for the first time in recent memory, ending the season at No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN Division I-AA poll after climbing as high as No. 16 earlier in the season. The Crimson finished at No. 19.

Penn's iron-curtain rushing defense led all of Division I this season, allowing only 58.4 yards per game -- including holding both Yale and Brown to negative yards rushing in consecutive weeks.

Best player: Ryan. He carried the team and unsuccessful tacklers on his back through several weeks of the season, amassing 1,304 yards rushing and 16 total touchdowns.

Best game: On Oct. 27, the Quakers passed their first test of the season with flying colors, shutting down Brown's offensive powerhouse in a 27-14 win.

Best play: With the score knotted at 7-7 late in the first half on against Brown, Ryan caught a screen pass from Hoffman and crossfield for a 51-yard touchdown with only 1:44 left.

W. Soccer: The Penn women's soccer team was young, inexperienced and was not expected to make any noise this season. Instead, the Quakers finished 13-2-3--their best record ever-- and won their first-ever Ivy League title.

Freshmen forwards Katy Cross and Rachelle Snyder combined to score 57 points, nearly 50 percent of the team's production, while Cross's 34 points set a Penn single season record, in addition to leading the Ancient Eight.

Penn's main goal, however, was winning the Ivy title -- this the Quakers did, finishing in a three-way tie with Princeton and Dartmouth. With two huge games, a 1-1 tie with the Tigers and a 3-1 victory over the Crimson at Harvard, the championship was theirs. As guaranteed by goalkeeper Vanessa Scotto, the Quakers stifled the Harvard attack and posted their first ever victory over the Crimson.

After receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA College Cup, the Quakers' youth caught up with them, as they were upset by Villanova, 2-0, in State College, Pa. in the first round to unexpectedly end a dream season.

The Quakers finished ranked nationally for the first time in the 10-year history of the program, No. 25, in the final regular season Soccerbuzz.com rankings.

Best player: Cross. The first-team all Region Mid-Atlantic, second-team national All-American and Ivy League Rookie of the Year, proved to be the best in a very strong Red and Blue freshman class.

Best game: Penn's 3-1 victory over Harvard on Nov. 10. The Quakers win virtually guaranteed them an NCAA College Cup birth and gave them a share of the Ivy title.

Best play: With the Quakers down, 1-0, to Princeton with less than five minutes to play, freshman Rebecca Weber took a pass from Ashley Glaubach, turned, and rifled a shot into the back of the net, helping the Quakers forge a tie.

M. Soccer: The Penn men's soccer team had a bit of a disappointing season. Although the Quakers won the Philadelphia Soccer 7 for the first time since 1987 -- with Penn coach, Rudy Fuller garnering co-Philadelphia Soccer 7 Coach of the Year honors -- the Quakers ended at 6-9-1 overall, with a 2-5 mark in the Ivy League.

After an 0-2 start, the Quakers rebounded to post an undefeated mark in their next six games, improving to 5-2-1. Storming to a 2-1 start in the Ivies with a 2-1 win over Yale on Nov. 20, Penn had great hopes for the remainder of the season. Penn would not fulfill their title dreams, stumbling to finish the season in a scoring drought and with six straight losses.

Best player: John Salvucci. The Penn senior defender received two postseason honors -- first-team all Region Mid-Atlantic and second-team all Ivy.

Best game: The Quakers came from behind to defeat Yale, 2-1, on a goal by Alex Maasry with only 2:50 remaining in the game.

Best play: Maasry's goal on an assist from Louis Lazar emptied the Quakers bench and lifted them past the Elis. Penn had a 6-3-1 record after the victory.

Volleyball: The Penn volleyball team completed its most successful season in history by finishing as co-champions of the Ivy League and earning the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

Although the Quakers lost, 3-0, to No. 8 UCLA in the first round of the Tourney, Penn finished the year 18-7, with an 11-3 mark in the Ivies.

Penn coach Kerry Major was named Coach of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic region and recorded her 100th coaching victory this season, while the Quakers defeated Ivy rival Princeton for the first time since 1993.

Three Penn seniors -- setter Jodie Antypas, outside hitter Stephanie Horan and middle hitter Kelly Szczerba -- will leave West Philly ranked second all-time at Penn in each of their specialties. Antypas is second in assists (3, 545), Horan in second in digs (1,284) and Szczerba is second in total blocks (446).

Best player: Sczczerba. Although the Quakers led an tremendously balanced attack this season, the senior made her second appearance first-team All Ivy and finished ranked second nationally in blocks.

Best game: After Penn tied with Brown for the Ivy League title, the two squads went to New Haven, Conn. for a playoff to determine the recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. After dropping the first game, the Quakers rolled to three straight victories to defeat the Bears, 3-1.

Best play: Junior right-side hitter Stacey Carter solo-stuffed UCLA senior and 2000 All-American Kristee Porter -- one of the best hitters in the nation -- to tie the third game at 17 in Penn's first round NCAA Tournament game against UCLA on Nov. 30.

Field Hockey: The Penn field hockey team had a complete turnaround this season. After not winning an Ivy League game since Oct. 1999, the Quakers finished with a 6-11 overall mark and 4-3 in the Ivies, their best since 1998.

The Quakers battled their opposition to five overtime contests -- going 3-2 in the extra sessions -- and at one point had a 4-1 mark in the Ivies, with a matchup with 5-0 Princeton looming.

However, the Tigers took that game, 6-1, and Penn finished the season on a sour note.

Best player: Kylee Jakobowski. The junior led the team in goals (6) and points (16) and scored the overtime game-winners in three of the Quakers' Ivy wins.

Best game: Captain Nikki Battiste guaranteed victory for the Quakers' Oct. 20 game against Yale on Franklin Field, and Jakobowski delivered, scoring just 1:15 into OT to give the Quakers the win.

Best play: The one that turned the Quakers' season around after an 0-5 start was by Jakobowski again, as she rocketed in a goal with 6:40 left in OT to give the Quakers a win over Dartmouth -- their first Ivy victory in almost two years.

Sprint Football: The Penn sprint football team's season can be summed up in three words: special teams mistakes.

Despite having first-team all Ivy offensive stars quarterback Jimmer Donapel and CSFL leading rusher Mark Gannon, the Quakers lost two key games due to their special teams.

Kicker Greg Tidwell missed two field goals in a 9-6 loss to Navy, and Army's Austin Wilson returned two punts for touchdowns in the Quakers 35-3 loss to the Cadets.

The Quakers did wrap up their third straight winning season, however, with a 4-2 mark, and defeated Princeton twice by a combined score of 91-18.

Best player: Gannon. The CSFL's leading rusher gained 766 yards in just six games and scored eight touchdowns.

Best game: On Nov. 14, the Quakers jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead en route to a 56-12 thrashing of Princeton. Although Princeton scored in the third quarter to cut the lead to 40-6, the Tigers extra point was blocked and Robert Le ran it back for the conversion to continue Penn's domination of Princeton.

Best play: Trailing, 17-13, to Cornell with only one second left on the clock, Donapel floated an 18-yard pass to Tim Murphy for a 19-17 Quakers victory in the season opener.

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