Men's Soccer still leads Ivies after 2OT win

Penn soccer defender Will Lee has seen his share of time on the playing field.

The senior has started in many games throughout his tenure at Penn, however, this season has been a little different.

Lee has rode the bench for the majority of the season, but earned his time in the spotlight on Saturday as he headed in the game-winning goal in the second overtime.

The Quakers (10-2 overall, 5-0 Ivy League) pulled out yet another Ivy shut-out, defeating Brown, 1-0, in double overtime.

"It was just a perfect ball to get in," Lee said. "It was a great feeling to know that I could help out the team."

The goal came at the end of what was a strenuous game for the Quakers.

After a poorly-played first half, the Red and Blue came out to dominate the field. Unfortunately, physical dominance was not sufficient and Penn was unable to score a goal.

"We started to play fairly well for the first 35 minutes of that half," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "We should have scored one or two goals in that time."

The Quakers didn't get that goal, but, thanks to another stellar defensive showing, they were given an opportunity in overtime.

"When it came down to it in overtime, we knew we had step-up," Lee said.

Just 35 seconds into the second extra session, Penn was awarded a corner kick. Penn sophomore Josh Duyan sent the ball toward Lee, who headed it into the back of the goal.

"As soon as I saw the ball get crossed by Duyan, I knew I would score," Lee said. "I knew it was mine to get in."

Lee entered the game in the second half after starting freshman defensive-back Justin Estrada left the game with a head injury. Estrada originally injured his head the previous week against Yale.

Lee's coming in off of the bench served as a wake-up call to the older players who have been seeing less playing time than their younger teammates.

"All season Rudy has been telling us to be ready," Lee said. "I just tried to do my best to step up and help the team."

Fuller believes that this willingness to step up is characteristic of his team.

"I've been saying all season, it's the character of the team, the depth," he said. "For a guy like Will Lee to come in and play such and important role, it's great."

The win gives the Quakers a strong hold on the top spot in the Ivy League. With only two Ancient Eight games left -- against Princeton and Harvard -- the Red and Blue are near to clinching the Ivy title.

Penn is the only team still undefeated in the league, having beaten Dartmouth -- the second place team -- last month.

"We're not even thinking about that," Fuller said. "We can control our own destiny and will do that next weekend against Princeton."

The game against St. Joseph's, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been pushed back a week.

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