PHILADELPHIA – After knocking off a fellow Ivy League unbeaten team last week, the University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team confronts another on Saturday when it travels to Dartmouth. The Quakers and the Big Green represent two of the three Ivy League teams tied atop the standings with seven points, despite being picked sixth and seventh in the preseason poll, respectively.
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MATCH DAY 12 – Penn (9-1-1, 2-0-1 Ivy League) at Dartmouth (7-3-2, 2-0-1 Ivy League)
Saturday, October 13 | 1 p.m. | Hanover, N.H. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Series Information
Dartmouth leads 15-9-4 | Last meeting: 2017 (Penn, 1-0 OT)
Dartmouth leads the all-time series, but the Quakers have made strides in recent seasons to carve into that win deficit. Penn is undefeated against the Big Green in the last three meetings, drawing twice at 1-1 in 2015 and '16, and defending Rhodes Field with a 1-0 overtime win a season ago. The Red and Blue actually dropped the first six contests in the series from 1991-96, but have played Dartmouth an even 9-9-4 since then.
Shutout City… still continuing
In 11 games, Penn now has nine clean sheets, best in the nation in shutout percentage. Additionally, the Quakers are No. 2 in the country in goals-against average and save percentage. It obviously isn't easy to put one past Penn, who hasn't conceded a goal since September 9, over 579 minutes of action earlier. The last team to score is Navy, but both goals came off free kicks meaning just one goal against Penn has come in the run of play all the way back on August 31 against No. 13 North Carolina State. This past week, Penn held Columbia and Lehigh to over 199 minutes of scoreless soccer and took another big step in the Ivy League season by topping the then-undefeated Lions 1-0, moving to 2-0-1.
Sandstorm
With match winners against Columbia and at Lehigh, Sands now has six this season, more than 145 teams across Division I soccer. Individually, the junior is tied for second in the country in the category, routinely showing out when the team needs it most. Against Columbia, it came in the 51st minute of a scoreless draw, providing the game's only goal in a massive Ivy contest. Three days later, on the road in a physical battle at Lehigh, it took until 52 seconds remained in the second overtime period for her to flick a ball past the Mountain Hawk keeper for the winner. She was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts.
Qu's Quest for History
The current record for save percentage in a season sits at .898 and has stood since 2001 (Vanessa Scotto), and goals-against average has rested at 0.42 since Sarah Banks in 2011. Both seem to be in jeopardy of shattering in 2018. Qu's save percentage rose to .917 with a pair of clean sheets this past week and her goals-against average (GAA) dipped to 0.29. Both would become program records if the season ended today. Qu leads the Ivy League in GAA, save percentage and shutout percentage. Nationally, she is fourth, sixth and tied for 13th in the same categories, respectively.
Ivy League Picture… Where We Stand
As we hit the halfway point of the Ivy League season, contenders are beginning to emerge, but over half the league is still within three points from the top. Two of which, Penn and Dartmouth, are mired in a three-way tie at the top, along with Harvard, at seven points. Columbia, who just suffered its first loss in league play to Penn, is next at six points, followed by defending champion and preseason favorite Princeton at four points. Of that top five, Penn has just Dartmouth and Princeton yet to play. Harvard and Princeton have combined to win the Ivy League every year since 2010 (Penn).
The Best Yet, and Still Counting
Penn's 9-1-1 start is the best 11-game start in school history.
Frontrunners
Penn is one of the best squads in the country keeping other teams off the board, and so it has spent a lot of time leading games. The Quakers are 9-0 when scoring first, and in eight of those games, Penn did not allow a opponent goal after taking that lead.
Road Warriors
The Red and Blue are 5-0 when playing away from Rhodes Field. Four of those wins came in true road-game fashion, leaving just the neutral field 2-0 win over Delaware.
League Leaders
Penn's three-game win streak is the longest current streak in the league … Penn has scored the most goals in the league (19), while conceding the fewest (3) … its margin of result (1.46) is nearly double the second best (Princeton, 0.75) … Penn leads the league in points per game (5.09) … three Quakers are in the top 10 in shots; Sasha Stephens is third, Allie Trzaska is fourth and Sands is eighth … Sands is second in points, Kelsey Andrews is ninth … Sands (third) and Andrews (fifth) are also in the top 10 in goals … Trzaska continues to lead the league in assists, tallying her sixth in the win over Columbia and is tied for 18th in the country in assists per game … Qu leads in goals-against average, saves and shutouts per game.
Previewing the Big Green
Penn was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Ivy League poll, but Dartmouth was selected seventh in August. However, the Big Green exceeded early expectations, posting a 7-3-2 record through the first week of October with an undefeated 2-0-1 start in league play, including a scoreless draw with preseason favorite Princeton. Dartmouth and Penn are officially the two hottest teams in the league. To open Ivy play, Dartmouth beat Brown 2-0 in Hanover, N.H. and then took down Yale 1-0 also at home. Also like Penn, the Big Green traveled for a mid-week non-conference affair, defeating Holy Cross 3-0 on the road. Dartmouth hasn't lost since September 7, going seven straight unbeaten. Remy Borinsky leads the team with four goals and two assists, Tracey Mills has three goals and a pair of players have recorded five points.
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