W. Soccer hopes to stop Bison's top gun

The beauty of sport is often its unpredictability. Nobody ever thought senior captain and goalkeeper Debbie Goldklang would miss a start. Throughout her career, she had always played through pain. "Deb always played with a broken finger or open hand," Penn coach Suzette Wolf said. "[Her hands] have been pounded." However, a 102-degree fever may accomplish what physical injuries could not and sideline her for tonight's game at Bucknell. Even though Goldklang says she will play sick, the task of goalkeeper for the Quakers (0-2) will, in all likelihood, fall on the shoulders of freshman Erin Heffernan. "I'm a little nervous, but also excited," Heffernan said. "You just hope you can prove yourself." Unfortunately for Heffernan, she faces a strong offensive team in the form of the Bison (5-1). Bucknell features perhaps the "Michael Jordan" of women's soccer world in junior forward Lisa Gibbons. She leads all of Division I in both goals scored (14) and in points (30). "She's a speed demon," Wolf said. "[The key to the game is to] close down Lisa Gibbons. If you close down her, you close down Bucknell." Gibbons single-handedly defeated Penn two years ago in a Bison stampede. But the Quakers settled the score last year with a 1-0 win. The victory was one of the highlights of last season. The Quakers, however, can not count on winning games consistently by scoring one goal. The offense, which plagued them last year (9 goals in 15 games) has continued to struggle in the Quakers' two losses this year (only one goal overall). "We don't have any goal scorers," Wolf said. "No one with the desire to crash the net. Up front we're laid back." The team also senses the urgency to rejuvenate the offense. "We only had one shot on goal [against Cornell]," said sophomore defender Meg Kinney, who scored two of Penn's nine goals last season. "We need more shots on goal." Despite the contrasting records of the two teams, the Quakers have reason to be optimistic for the game. By winning last year's contest, the Quakers gained confidence for this game. In addition, the records of the two teams might be a bit misleading. The Quakers play in the tough Ivy League, while the Bison play in the weaker Patriot League. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Quakers are extremely hungry for their first win of the season. "We're getting psyched," Kinney said. "[This game will be the] start of a winning season." Wolf likes her team's chances against Bucknell. If successful, this game could serve as a confidence booster going into Sunday's home game against Ivy power Dartmouth. "Not to take anything away from [Bucknell]," Wolf said. "But the game could go either way. It's an evenly matched game." If the game does hold true to form to last year and is decided by one goal , the goaltending of Heffernan could be the difference. The game will be a tremendous test to see if she, along with the other six starting freshmen, can hold their composure. "When I get into the game, I block out everything else out," Heffernan said. "I just concentrate on the game."

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