W. Soccer | Surfing the web and scoring goals

Sophomore midfielder Sarah Friedman came into Saturday's match with Cornell knowing she could shatter Penn's single-season assist record.

"Kristin [Kaiser] and Kaitlin [Campbell] and I were researching Cornell, and one of the Web sites had written something about it," she said.

Friedman made history in style, picking up two more helpers in the Quakers' 6-0 drubbing of the Big Red (1-7-1, 0-2 Ivy).

Having already netted a scorcher of her own, Friedman slotted a crafty through ball to Ursula Lopez-Palm 20 minutes into the second half, for her second assist of the night and the 11th in just 10 games.

"I wasn't really thinking about it at the time," Friedman said. "I think I've always been kind of a passer more than a scorer."

She credited her success to her time spent this summer working as a counselor at Penn's soccer camps for teens. These were directed by head coach Darren Ambrose and assistant coach Peter Pososki.

"We had to make sure we trained a lot," Friedman said. "The kids were younger, but it gave us a chance to get touches on the ball everyday."

On Saturday, Friedman was a major part of Penn's overpowering 4-3-3 attack. Molly Weir started the Red and Blue's offense when she rifled a shot just inside the post, from 15 yards out at 9:17 of the first half.

"When we won the ball, the midfielders were very good at getting it to our feet. I think they did a great job," Weir said.

Penn (6-3-1, 2-0) continued its offensive outburst from there, as Friedman took over. She slipped a pass to Allyson Gordon, who powered it home to give Penn a 2-0 lead.

"Goals came on transition, where we won a ball and played through midfield," said Pososki, who was filling in as Ambrose dealt with a family emergency.

"Our forwards did a great job of getting wide and staying onside, and we slipped balls through on the ground, [leading to] breakaways and crosses."

So far, the team has been superb in conference play as it tries to defend its Ivy title. And as they head into the weekend with matches against Columbia and La Salle, the Quakers may get another boost: Jessica Fuccello, last year's leading goal scorer, was cleared to run as she recovers from an ankle injury.

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