Villanova pounds W. Soccer; Quakers unable to find net

"Shit happens."

Penn junior forward Rachelle Snyder bluntly stated her feeling and the sentiment of much of the Penn women's soccer team after its 4-0 loss at Villanova (11-5-1) yesterday.

The relatively lopsided score, however, gives no indication as to the closeness of the battle, at least in the first half.

"We played very well in the first half," Snyder said. "We created lots of chances and had a significant amount of good shots... it was by a little miscommunication on our part that resulted in [the Wildcats'] only goal."

Not only was there a little miscommunication among players, but there was also problem communicating with the referee. Just five minutes into the first half, the Quakers (6-4-3, 1-2-1 Ivy) had a shot on goal after a well-placed cross -- immediately, they began celebrating. Villanova's goalie was in the net when she caught the ball.

Or so the Quakers thought.

The referee, however, perhaps due to a different and much more distant viewpoint, called the goal back.

"That was an unfortunate call... it was close, but he probably didn't want to have to make such a controversial call so early in the game," Snyder said.

The remainder of the half was an even battle and the high energy level showed by both teams made an overtime session seem likely.

But Villanova had other plans than a tie entering halftime, let alone the end of regulation.

Penn juniors Snyder and Katy Cross both had shots on goal but couldn't manage to get the ball past Wildcats' goalie Chrissy Dolan, who has led the team to No. 15 nationally in goals against average.

With 1:30 left on the scoreboard, Villanova's Candice MacDonald eagerly jumped on a pass from Laura Johnson, which she sent past Penn junior goalie Anna Halse to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at the half.

At halftime, Penn's frustrated coach, Darren Ambrose, told the Quakers that if they wanted to score, they needed to get more than the two shots on goal they recorded in the first half. However, the Quakers only recorded another two after halftime and Penn seemed to be going through the motions for much of the second half.

"We had lots of momentum the first half... then we fell apart," Snyder said.

"I don't know what happened... we were trying to finish strong, but the final third we had trouble shooting... our game kind of fell apart."

The Quakers were outplayed and outshot. The final tally of shots on goal -- 17-9 overall and 11-5 after the half -- reflected the Wildcats' control of play during the second half.

Villanova's Janessa Jeltema brought the score to 2-0 just three minutes into the second half off a cross from teammate Elizabeth Dauble.

Jeltema went on to assist the final two goals of the game, netted by Lindsey Finnegan (69:57) and Erica Stewart (79:47).

"They began to pick up the pace in the second half, and we were slowing down a bit," Snyder said.

"We looked a bit tired... and we're just playing around with the ball out there... I think we were a bit frustrated."

Penn's was not the first offense to be frustrated by the Wildcats. Doyle's shutout win yesterday was her 10th shutout victory in 17 games this season. Her win broke the school's previous shutout mark of nine set by 'Nova goalies Lynn McCale (1987) and herself last season.

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