PHILADELPHIA – It's the most wonderful time of the year!
The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team begins its Ivy League championship defense this Saturday, Sept. 28 at Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
The Quakers, following a scoreless draw with the Crimson at Rhodes Field last year, promptly ripped off five wins in league play to eventually share the Ivy crown for the first time since 2010.
Ivy League on ESPN
You will be able to find all Penn home women's soccer matches, as well as road Ivy matches, on ESPN+ this fall with the same high broadcast quality you used to get from the Ivy League Network. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Go to plus.espn.com to subscribe, or go to ivyleague.com to find more information.
MATCH DAY 9 – Penn (5-2-1, 0-0 Ivy League) at Harvard (6-2, 0-0 Ivy League)
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 2 p.m. | Cambridge, Mass. | Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Series Information
Harvard leads 18-6-4 | Last meeting: 2018, 0-0
Historically, the Crimson have held the upper hand in the series, but Penn snapped a four-game losing streak to Harvard in 2018 when it traveled to Cambridge, Mass. and left with a 1-0 road win thanks to an Emma Loving game winner – the last time the Quakers played at Harvard. The league opener is always vital so Penn became the first team since 2008 to capture at least a share of the championship without winning its first game when the pair drew 0-0 in 2018.
The Sandstorm
Emily Sands, who began this season inside the TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 and finished with seven game-winning goals in 2018, leads the Red and Blue with 12 points with four goals and four assists. Sands erupted with three goals and an assist in one unbeaten weekend as Penn scored wins over Bucknell on the road and then Loyola at Rhodes Field. The senior forward now has goals in three games – all wins – and at least a point in each of the last five matches.
Kat's Come Up
Katharine Larson has spent time on the wing and as an outside back during her career and scored for the first time against Hofstra last Friday. She drew a foul in the penalty area and proceeded to put away her spot kick to cut the deficit in half. Two days later, Larson scored the second goal in her career to ignite a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Temple.
Loving Showing the Love
Always a danger to opponent's defenses, Emma Loving has broken through this season as a distributor. Coming into her senior year, Loving accounted for two assists. Halfway through this season, she's racked up three more, in addition to a game-winning wonder strike to beat Temple 2-1 last Sunday.
Breukelen's Breakthrough
At the midway point of the year, Breukelen Woodard has almost doubled her scoring production from an injury-riddled 2018. Woodard has three goals and an assist – good for second-most points in the team – and racked up all seven points in a four-game stretch.
Freshmen Phenoms
Center back Peyton Raun has played the most minutes of any Quaker this season while Sara Readinger, another freshman, has logged 624 minutes – the third-most of any field player. Together, they help sure up the middle of the field and have been extremely important to the always-strong Penn defense.
Allie's Assists
Sophomore Allie Schachter missed the entirety of her freshman season in 2018, but with a two-assist performance in a come-from-behind victory over Temple, she impacted the team in a variety of positive ways. Her distribution, energy and knack for clogging the passing lanes helped elevate Penn's play in last Sunday's second half.
Cracking Down On The Crimson
Harvard enters Ivy play with a 6-2 record and riding a three-game win streak. The Crimson outscored Connecticut, UMass-Lowell and LIU 12-2 in their last three matches. Freshman Angela Caloia leads Harvard with 16 points, racking up an impressive eight assists, in addition to her four goals.
#FightOnPenn
