Give credit to Yale's football team (5-1 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) for being extremely flexible on defense this past Saturday. In their 17-14 overtime win over Penn (4-2, 2-1), the Bulldogs proved that their team can bend without quite breaking.
Despite the fact that the Quakers compiled 350 yards of total offense compared to Yale's 277 yards, the defense managed to hold Penn to only two touchdowns and no field goals. Perhaps part of the team's philosophy was lulling its opponents into a sense of false security, as the Bulldogs managed to create two key turnovers just when they were badly needed to stop crucial drives by the Quakers.
Yale free safety Steven Santoro netted his third interception of the season to end Penn's first drive of the day. Santoro's athletic grab was made possible by the pressure of the defensive front, which flushed Quaker quarterback Rob Irvin to launch a desperation heave downfield.
Surprisingly, the turnover seemed to have a calming effect on Penn's offense. After getting the ball back, the Quakers marched down the field and scored touchdowns on two consecutive drives.
The Bulldogs' offense matched their rivals point for point, roaring early before puttering out in the second half. Both Yale and Penn took a leave of absence on the attack during the second half, while the two defenses dominated play.
The men of New Haven finally managed to claw out a win after the end of regulation on a field goal by kicker Alan Kimball. Kimball's 35-yarder broke the Quakers' five-game winning streak against Yale.
With the win, the Bulldogs are the only undefeated team in the Ancient Eight besides Princeton (6-0, 3-0). The win sets up a showdown in New Haven on Nov. 11, a game that will likely decide who takes home the Ivy title, assuming the two teams continue their success over the next two weeks.
Penn soccer stays on top
Losing in one sport, however, may have motivated Penn (8-4-1, 4-1-0) to win at another. Its men's soccer team avenged the football team's loss by taking a 1-0 nail-biter over Yale (4-9-1, 1-4-0).
Strangely enough, the entire game seemed to be a long, extended anticlimax. Defender Keith Vereb scored the only goal of the game in the game's fourth minute. After the score, the Quakers spent the rest of the game holding off their opponents in a tense defensive struggle.
The Elis on the soccer pitch lacked the fortune of their counterparts on the football field. Throughout the game, the Bulldogs suffered from an inability to score. Despite doubling Penn in terms of shots, 16-8, Yale failed to find the back of the net.
Some of that bad luck, however, may actually be attributed to the skill of Penn's goalkeeper. Daniel Cepero deserved credit for his outstanding game, his sixth shutout of the year and the 21st of his career, while recording six saves. Erik Geiger, the Bulldogs' goalkeeper, managed only one save on the day.
With the win, Penn remained in a tie with Harvard (11-4-0, 4-1-0) for the Ivy League lead.
Cornell volleyers dominate
Cornell's women's volleyball team (10-8, 6-2) manages to play well against Ivy opponents, even if it does not seem too stellar against everyone else. Unfortunately for Dartmouth (10-8, 4-4) and Harvard (9-10, 3-5), the Big Red continued this trend this weekend with 3-0 and 3-1 wins over those teams. Cornell's victories pulled the team half a game above Princeton in the standings, where it currently sits at No. 2 behind Yale.
In its Oct. 20 win over the Big Green, the Big Red unquestionably outplayed its opponents. The margin in each game improved upon the last, from an opening score of 30-26 to 30-24 and finally 30-20.
Middle blocker Joanna Weiss dominated play, picking up 13 kills. As if such offensive production wasn't enough, she also contributed five of the team's 12 blocks.
Weiss also played a key role in Saturday's match against Harvard, picking up a key kill to end a tight first game, 30-28. The Crimson's players seemed demoralized by the close loss, dropping the next game 30-13 as Cornell dominated play around the net. Outside hitter Elizabeth Bishop ended as the team leader in kills, with 21.
If the Big Red keeps playing like this, they could easily win less than half of their out-of-conference games while still winning the league.
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