Penn women's soccer looks to end on high note

All things must come to an end, and for Penn’s women’s soccer, it is coming fast.

With only two more conference games left, the Red and Blue (6-5-3, 1-3-1 Ivy) will try to end the season on a high note in their Senior Night match against Brown. Even though it did not perform as well as years past, the team does believe it is improving and is looking to prove it over the next few games.

With a lot of new talent, coach Darren Ambrose has decided to focus on the long term . In practice, the team has been focusing on ball handling, working off of each other and attacking the net. The back-to-basics approach this year — since one third of the team are freshmen — was necessary.

“When you bring people in, all of a sudden you don’t know how to play together,” senior goalkeeper Katherine Myhre said. “Starting from scratch shows us all how to play with each other in a system rather than just as individuals.”

The new approach has also helped the Quakers learn how to take a step back and look at the overall picture.

“We were getting too complicated and sometimes we make things more complicated then it is,” freshman forward Juliana Provini said. “Sometimes we just need to go back to the simplicity of it and just play our game.”

The Quakers have struggled this season and have not reached many of their goals, and it will take a while for the team to see the full payoffs of starting from scratch. After all, bad habits can’t be broken within one season.

From its record, one might think that it will take a long time and much improvement for the team to get on top.

“It takes time. They’re playing well under pressure, and they’re more composed. We’re a bit inexperienced in the front, but they’ve started to score goals,” Ambrose said . “Those who haven’t played are starting to contribute. ... They’re in a good spot.”

Improvement comes with time, and the team has proven this throughout the season. After coming off of a tie against Yale and a 2-0 win against Lehigh, Penn will be sure to show its confidence in their next match against the Bears (6-6-3, 1-2-2). For some, Saturday will be the last time playing at Rhodes Field, and this will make the team fight harder than ever before.

Senior Night will happen right before the game at 5 p.m. And though it will be an emotional night, the Red and Blue are holding it back until the clock runs down.

“We play for our seniors every game, but Senior Night is a huge game,” Provini said. “So specifically as a freshman, I want to play for them more than anyone else because I look up to them so much.”

The fact that this season hasn’t been the best doesn’t take away the significance that Saturday night will have. The team still has the chance to have a winning season, and it will give its all in order to do so.

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