Women's Soccer falls to No. 4 Cal, George Mason

"There is no question we have an uphill battle in front of us for the rest of the season," Penn women's soccer coach Darren Ambrose said after two losses this weekend.

The Quakers(5-4, 1-0) dropped both their games, falling to No. 4 California on Friday afternoon, 4-2, and then faltering against George Mason yesterday, 2-0.

The two losses ended Penn's five game win streak, which started Sept. 13 with a 3-2 win over Seton Hall.

Penn took a 1-0 lead heading into halftime against Cal, but the Golden Bears' second half comeback was a testament to its standing in the world of NCAA women's soccer.

"I think we gave them a good game and that's pretty much all you can ask for when you move to the next level," Penn forward Katy Cross said. "It's always disappointing to lose, but I also think we played really well. We fought really hard and we showed them that we can play against them."

The Red and Blue took the lead late in the first half. With under five minutes before the break, Robin Watson attacked a ball that was dancing in front of Cal net minder Ashley Sulprizio. The freshman's first career goal put Penn up, 1-0.

"For the first 45, they didn't get a shot off within 30 yards of the goal," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said. "In the first half we did a nice job of absorbing that and dropping back and picking up all their passes."

He added, however, that the Golden Bears possessed a physical presence that Penn was unable to counter.

"What changed in the second half was we got tired," Ambrose said. "They did a nice job of finding the spaces in between us and once they did that they started to run at us."

Those words were evidenced by Brittany Kirk's goal in the 51st minute, when she got behind the defense to tie the game, 1-1.

Cross answered back 7 minutes later, as she cut to her left to juke three defenders before putting the ball in the net.

Following Cross' offensive fireworks, Cal started its onslaught. Kassie Doubrava and Lucy Brining scored within five minutes of each other. Brining's score came without a defender in sight.

The heartbreaker came with 15 minutes to play. Cal's Carly Fuller took advantage of a penalty, blasting her free kick past Red and Blue goalkeeper Vanessa Scotto.

Despite losing to Cal, Penn entered Sunday's game against George Mason ready for victory.

Last season, Penn knocked off the Patriots, 3-0, at the William & Mary Tribe Classic.

GMU entered the game having lost three straight.

The game started slow as Penn managed a meager three shots in the first half and the Patriots failed to create a single shot.

The teams went into the halftime break scoreless.

The second half was a different story. Penn charged out of the gate and controlled the majority of play for the remainder of the game firing 14 shots in the half.

Although the Quakers dictated the pace of play, they were unable to capitalize on their many opportunities.

"Frankly, we dominated the game and kept possession of the ball," Ambrose said. "We lacked from 25 yards out and in. That's where we fell down today."

The Patriots capitalized on Penn's collapse in the 54th minutes, scoring the first goal of the game when senior forward Caroline Kent slotted the ball past Penn goalkeeper Vanessa Scotto.

The Patriots scored what would be the final goal of the game in the 73rd minute when senior forward Katy Robertson fired a shot into the Penn goal off a bouncing through ball.

George Mason's two goals came on only six shots.

"They got their two goals, which was very opportunistic," Ambrose said.

Despite trailing by two, the Quakers continued to pressure the George Mason goal.

Penn missed an open-goal opportunity when sophomore forward Rachelle Snyder failed to convert a cross from classmate forward Devon Sibole.

Another Penn opportunity emerged in the 81st minute when Snyder was taken down in the box after breaking down a George Mason defender.

Senior co-captain and defender Jen Valentine stepped up to take the penalty for the Quakers. Valentine fired the penalty off the crossbar and the Quakers were unable to convert on the rebound.

The penalty would prove to be the Quakers last real opportunity. George Mason held on for the remainder of the game to earn a 2-0 victory.

"[GMU] sat back, defended well, took their chances, and fortunately for them, we didn't score and capitalize on the chances we created," Ambrose said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.