Ivy women face nonconference foes

Harvard

After only two games, Harvard remains the only undefeated women’s soccer team in the Ivy League. The other seven schools in the Ancient Eight split their first two games this past week. The Crimson scored two quick goals in its home opener against Long Island before allowing two goals late in the second half to settle for a 2-2 tie. In its second game, Harvard once again scored two goals very early in the game, notching two long-distance strikes in the first four minutes. This time, the Crimson buckled down on defense and held on for the 2-0 victory.

Brown

The Brown women opened up the season with a 1-0 loss against Northeastern at home before bouncing back with a 3-0 domination of Colgate. Senior midfielder Erika Lum led the attack with two goals while junior forward Marybeth Lesbirel added two assists to give the Bears their first win of the season.

Cornell

Cornell also opened up its season with a 2-1 loss to Delaware, but came roaring back with a 7-0 thrashing of Delaware State. Freshman midfielder Mary Keroack’s two goals in the first half earned her Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors. She was matched by sophomore Megan Crowell, who also put two balls in the back of the net. The Big Red was so dominant on defense that junior goalkeeper Kelly Murphy and freshman netminder Tori Christ only had to face one shot on goal between the two of them.

Dartmouth

Dartmouth lost a heartbreaker in its first game at the 2010 Dartmouth Nike Classic, dropping its opener 1-0 to Hanover. In the final seconds of the game, freshman Marina Moschitto was in perfect position to tap in an easy equalizer, but was fouled hard before she had a chance to score. No penalty was called, however. The Big Green bounced back with a 1-0 win over Northeastern led by an early second-half goal by senior Peyton Tata.

Penn

The Penn women allowed just one shot in their opener against Towson, but it happened to go in the net, pushing the Tigers to a 1-0 victory. The Quakers appeared on their way to opening the season 0-2 as they faced Villanova, a squad they hadn’t beaten in their 12 previous tries. Penn opened with three strikes in the first half, however, and blew the Wildcats off the field.

Princeton

Princeton opened up its season with a 2-0 loss to No. 24 Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights put two balls past senior Tigers goalkeeper Alyssa Pont and never looked back. Sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Watson relieved Pont in the 77th minute, marking the first time since the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament that Pont was not between the Princeton posts. Princeton returned home to beat Seton Hall 3-1, led by sophomore Caitlin Blosser, who assisted on all three goals.

Yale

The Yale women opened the season on a high note, stunning No. 16 Penn State with a 1-0 victory in New Haven for the program’s first ever win over a Big Ten opponent. Senior forward Becky Brown, last season’s Ivy Player of the Year, scored the only goal against the Nittany Lions, earning her Ivy League Player of the Week honors. The Bulldogs couldn’t keep up the momentum, however, and lost 1-0 to Illinois in their second home game.