PHILADELPHIA – Three full months, hundreds of hours and 15 games culminate to one 90-minute match on a Saturday night in Princeton, N.J. The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team already enters the regular-season finale with a share of the Ivy League championship, but can lay claim on the outright title – and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament – with a win or draw at Princeton, while the Tigers can also earn the NCAA bid and a share of the league title – their 10th – with a win. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. at Sherrerd Field.
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MATCH DAY 16 – Penn (13-1-1, 5-0-1 Ivy League) at Princeton (10-3-2, 4-1-1)
Saturday, November 3 | 7 p.m. | Princeton, N.J. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Series Information
Princeton leads 13-10-4 | Last meeting: 2017 (Princeton, 1-0)
Princeton enters the weekend with a slight edge over Penn in the all-time series – one that includes plenty of tight affairs in recent history. Since 2012, every game in the series has been decided by one goal or ended in a draw, including Penn's 3-2 wins in 2013 and 2014. Under Douglas N. Brush Head Coach Nicole Van Dyke, the Quakers haven't won, but dug out a pair of ties in 2015 and 2016 – her first two seasons. However, Penn exorcised a demon in Brown last weekend, beating the Bears, 2-0, for the first time under Van Dyke. All three contests under Van Dyke have been low-scoring affairs; the teams have combined for a 2-1 score in three seasons.
Ivy League Champions
With its 2-0 win over Brown last Sunday, Penn clinched a share of the Ivy League championship, its first since 2010 and fourth all-time. Through six Ivy games, Penn maneuvered the gauntlet with an undefeated record, going 5-0-1 with a draw to Harvard in the league opener. The Quakers became the first team since 2008 to win the title without winning its league opener. With a win or draw at Princeton on Saturday, Penn will clinch the outright Ivy title, becoming the first team since 2010 to unseat both Harvard and Princeton as Ivy champs.
Dance Shoe Shoppin'
Also on the line on Saturday night is the automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament. With a win or draw, that will also come Penn's way as the outright winner of the league. However, with a loss, even though Penn and Princeton will share the league trophy, the Tigers will earn the tournament bid through the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Quakers have qualified for the Big Dance four times in the program's history, with the last appearance coming in 2010, a 1-0 loss to Penn State.
The Clamps Are On
Throughout much of the season, Penn has locked the door and thrown away the key to the goal it's defending, conceding just four goals in 15 games. Four goals allowed is the fewest in a season in the program's history, three fewer than the current record (2011). Penn boasts 12 shutouts in 15 games, the second-most in program history and just one off the record (2011). The Quakers defensive prowess has made waves nationally, leading the nation in goals-against average (0.259), shutout percentage (0.800) and save percentage (0.930).
Killer Qu(een)
Some of Penn's incredible defensive run can be attributed to the one manning the goal, Kitty Qu. The 2017 All-Ivy first teamer is on pace to break single-season program records in goals-against average and save percentage in almost 1,200 minutes this season. The junior already holds the records for career solo shutouts (19), broken earlier in the campaign. Nationally, Qu is third in GAA and fifth in save percentage while leading the Ivy League in both categories, in addition to shutout percentage.
The Sandstorm
Thanks to a pair of goals at Yale in a 2-1 win, Emily Sands raised her total to eight goals and an unthinkable seven match winners. In five Ivy games, Sands produced the go-ahead goal in three games – against Cornell, Columbia and Yale – sandwiching a walk-off winner at Lehigh with just 52 seconds left in the second overtime period. She leads the league in GWG and is in a three-way tie for the second most in the nation.
Re-Writing the Record Books
Just four goals conceded would be the fewest in program history (7, 2011) … Penn's 30 goals scored are tied for the ninth most in a season in program history and one goal shy of the most in a season under Van Dyke … the Quakers' 12-game unbeaten streak matches the longest in program history (2011-12) … Penn's seven-game win streak is one shy of the record (2011) … its 12 shutouts is also one shy of the record (2011) … Penn's six goals against Delaware State are tied for the sixth most in a game all-time.
Road Warriors
Penn takes its 7-0 record away from Rhodes Field to Princeton on Saturday night. In traditional road games, Penn is 6-0 and added another win in neutral-site action against Delaware in Annapolis, Md. In Ivy League play, Penn is 3-0, including back-to-back wins at Dartmouth and Yale.
Frontrunners
When scoring the game's first goal, Penn is 13-0. Only twice have the Quakers conceded an equalizer once taking a 1-0 lead – pulled off by Navy and Yale, two eventual Penn wins.
Close Game Success
In one-goal games, Penn is 6-1, buoyed by five 1-0 wins, falling only to then-No. 13 North Carolina State by the same score. Three of Penn's wins in Ivy competition came by just a goal – a pair of 1-0 victories over Columbia and Dartmouth and a 2-1 win at Yale.
Halftime Adjustments
Penn has entered the halftime break at 0-0 in nine games this season, but used the second 45 – especially the opening 10 minutes – to blitz teams. The Quakers are 8-0-1 in games they entered the intermission deadlocked at 0-0, drawing only Harvard in 110 minutes of scoreless action.
Previewing the Tigers
The preseason Ivy League favorites enter the final weekend needing three points to join Penn with a share of the league title and a bid in the NCAA Tournament. Princeton is 10-3-2 overall, including top non-conference losses to NC State and then-No. 10 Georgetown in overtime. In the league, Princeton's blemishes both came at home in the form of a scoreless draw against Dartmouth and a 3-2 loss to Brown. However, the Tigers seem to be turning up the wick down the stretch, winning its last three games over Columbia, Harvard and Cornell by a combined 5-0. Mimi Asom leads the Ivy League in scoring with 11 goals while Gabi Juarez, Tomi Kennedy and Courtney O'Brien each have multiple tallies.
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