A season of "could have beens" came to a close for the Penn women's soccer team on Saturday.
The Quakers (8-6-3 overall, 3-1-3 Ivy League) traveled to Hanover, N.H., with the hopes of spoiling host Dartmouth's Ivy League championship aspirations. With a win, Dartmouth (12-4-1, 5-2) would have earned a share of the Ivy crown with Princeton.
But Penn dashed Dartmouth's hopes of a share of the Ivy crown with a convincing 2-1 win.
"We're happy with how the season ended," Penn sophomore defender Jessica Woodward said. "We had some tough breaks but finished up strong.
"That's the way the season goes sometimes."
Penn's incentive to knock off the Big Green was aided by the fact that Dartmouth was the only team to beat the Quakers in league play last year.
Penn dropped a 1-0 overtime game to the Big Green in 2001.
Dartmouth entered Saturday's game on an 11-game winning streak. The Big Green had not lost since falling to Princeton on Sept. 21.
"We knew they were a really good team going into the game," Woodward said. "Besides being technically sound, they are strong, physical girls."
The Quakers were able to combat Dartmouth's size advantage by controlling the pace of play and defending well as a team.
All of the game's offense came from corner kicks.
Freshman defender Robin Watson led the Red and Blue's offense, scoring two goals off head balls. The goals marked her second and third of the season.
Watson drew first blood for the Quakers in the 28th minute when she headed home a corner kick from sophomore forward Rachelle Snyder.
Penn was unable to hold its lead for long. Dartmouth senior forward Mary McVeigh headed home her 11th goal of the season in the 39th minute off junior Anne Peick's corner kick.
The teams ended the first half tied at one.
Watson earned the game-winning goal on another header in the 69th minute off a corner from fellow freshman Jenna Linden.
The Quakers were able to fend off the Big Green for the remaining 20 minutes to end Dartmouth's chances at an Ivy League championship and close out the 2002 season.
In a season of drastic ups and downs, the Quakers finished on a high note, ending the season on a 3-0-2 run.
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