Men's Soccer Blanks Penn; Women Smash Quakers, 5-0

The Harvard women's soccer team has been unbeatable this year, and nothing looked different after its balanced attack left Penn quaking Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The Crimson (7-0-0 overall, 3-0-0 Ivy) entered the game ranked 17th in the nation and rolled to an easy 5-0 win over Penn (2-5-1, 0-2-0), with five different Harvard players scoring goals.

"As you can tell from the box score, we were really balanced," senior co-captain Rachel Chernikoff said.

"That's been one of our strengths this year. We have people who we look to to score and then we also can count on getting some scoring from other people," she said."

Although Sunday's effort was not as dramatic as some earlier wins such as the 2-1 nailbiter against Yale, no one was complaining.

"We wanted to concentrate on both sides of the scoreboard and take pride in everything we do," freshman halfback Beth Zotter said.

"It's not just about winning but how we do it. We gave up goals earlier in the season to teams that we shouldn't have and are better than."

Harvard stayed out of that trap by getting ahead and not letting up on Penn.

Junior forward Kristen Bowes buried the ball in the netting for Harvard's first goal 7:32 into the match. The goal was her second of the year.

Senior midfielder Dana Tenser found sophomore halfback Brynne Zuccaro, who also had an assist, for the second goal fifteen minutes later.

Junior midfielder Emily Stauffer, a First Team All-American last year, scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season at the 34:20 point of the first half, and the only question remaining about the outcome was what the final score would be.

Harvard maintained its lead into the second half and added two more goals with less than fifteen minutes to go.

Sophomore midfielder Naomi Miller, whose five assists lead the team, added some scoring with her fourth goal of the season at the 76:03 mark, and Zotter made a penalty kick for her first career goal to end the scoring just two minutes later.

"I was going around the last defender at the six-yard box when I got tripped," Zotter said.

"I usually don't like to take penalties after I'm fouled, but coach [Tim Wheaton] was pointing at me, so I guess he wanted me to score."

Harvard's high level of play has translated to a consistent climb in the national rankings.

There has not been a game which the Crimson failed to dominate the action by outshooting its opponent. This Penn team was no exception, since Harvard had a 25-7 advantage in shots.

After beginning the season at number 21 then going to 19, the Crimson stands in its current position thanks to seven consecutive wins with a goal differential of 24 to four.

"It's exciting and a challenge, too," Chernikoff said. "Each week we jump a few steps higher, so we want to see how far we can go. It motivates us."

The win was Harvard's second 5-0 victory in a row, since the Crimson beat Hartford (1-9-0) by the same margin just three days before.

Sunday's game capped off a successful three-game stretch of road contests for Harvard. Only Holy Cross managed to score a single goal on the Crimson, who won the games by an average margin of four goals. Harvard  5 Penn  0

HARVARD, 5-0 at Philadelphia, PA. Harvard  3  2  --  5 Penn  0  0  --  0

Scoring

Har--Bowes (unassisted) 7:32.

Har--Zuccaro (Tenser) 22:28.

Har--Stauffer (unassisted) 34:20.

Har--Miller (Zuccaro) 76:03.

Har--Zotter (unassisted) 78:30.

Saves: Har--Burney 1, Browning 0; Penn--Jodoin 6.

HARVARD, 5-0 at Philadelphia, PA. Harvard  3  2  --  5 Penn  0  0  --  0

Scoring

Har--Bowes (unassisted) 7:32.

Har--Zuccaro (Tenser) 22:28.

Har--Stauffer (unassisted) 34:20.

Har--Miller (Zuccaro) 76:03.

Har--Zotter (unassisted) 78:30.

Saves: Har--Burney 1, Browning 0; Penn--Jodoin 6.

Scoring

Har--Bowes (unassisted) 7:32.

Har--Zuccaro (Tenser) 22:28.

Har--Stauffer (unassisted) 34:20.

Har--Miller (Zuccaro) 76:03.

Har--Zotter (unassisted) 78:30.

Saves: Har--Burney 1, Browning 0; Penn--Jodoin 6.