The fight for the top spot in Ivy League women's soccer is heating up as Harvard and Princeton share a 4-1 record to tie for first place in the division. Brown and Dartmouth are well within striking distance with a 3-1 record.
So far each of these teams has suffered its respective loss to one of the other three teams in the elite group. Early in the season Brown defeated Princeton, who later took a 1-0 victory over Dartmouth. Harvard handed Princeton its first loss of the season this past weekend, but Brown defeated Harvard earlier in the year.
This Sunday Dartmouth will face off against Harvard in a match that could very well determine this year's Ivy League champion. Harvard and Dartmouth both cracked into the nation's top 25 after the weekend's action, marking the first appearance of an Ivy League team on the list this year. They are ranked 23 and 24 respectively.
Harvard 2, Princeton 0
Thirty-three minutes into the pivotal Friday night match-up, sophomore Joey Yenne of Harvard nailed in a goal past Cheryl Gunther to become the first Ivy League player to sneak a goal past the stingy Princeton defense.
It turned out to be all that Harvard needed, but Katie Westfall scored a second at the 79 minute mark to demonstrate both the strength of the Harvard offense and the vulnerability of the Princeton D.
Brown 2, Cornell 1
Kim Lanzire carried Brown to victory with two goals against Cornell this past Saturday. This is the second consecutive win for Brown after the team's undefeated streak ended against Princeton on Oct. 13 and Rhode Island handed the Bears their second defeat of the season immediately thereafter.
Sarah Olson scored the only goal for the Big Red as Cornell dropped to 1-4 in the Ivy League.
Yale 4, Penn 2
Penn stumbled while Yale gained ground Saturday when Yale soundly defeated Penn to bring both teams to a 2-3 record in the Ivy League. The contest was close and hard fought in the first half with both teams heading into the half having scored one goal.
Yale came out sharp in the second half, outshooting the Quakers 12-6 and scoring three more goals to close out the victory.
