M. Soccer looks to keep perfect Wednesday record

Everybody works for the weekend. Well, maybe everyone except the Penn men's soccer team. Following their Jekyll & Hyde routine, the Quakers (4-4) look to protect their perfect record against the Eagles of American University (4-7) – that is their perfect 4-0 record on Wednesdays. The game, to be played today on Penn's Rhodes Field (3 p.m.), is a crucial test for the Quakers, who dropped a hard-fought contest to Harvard last Saturday that was a lot closer than its 3-0 score indicated. The loss left Penn where it started, without any Ivy League victories, and still winless on weekends (0-4). "I told the team that I want to schedule the rest of our games on Wednesdays," Penn head coach George O'Neill said. This season has certainly been a dichotomy of sorts for the Quakers, as they appear to dominate games at certain points, and yet suffer from detrimental lapses in concentration. American's team mirrors Penn in this respect, as the Eagles have taken top teams into overtime, only to be plagued by occasional mental breakdowns. "I heard that they're a lot like us," Penn sophomore goalie Andrew Kralik said. "At times they can look unbeatable, and at times they can make a lot of mistakes." Five of American's seven losses have come at the feet, chests, and heads of Top 20 teams. The Eagles dropped a 4-1 game to then-No. 1 Virginia (whose recent loss to Clemson dropped it from the top spot), and took then-No. 2 Creighton (now No. 1) into overtime, to eventually lose 1-0. St. John's (3-1), William & Mary (2-1), and James Madison (3-2 OT) were all ranked when they defeated American. The Eagles, coached by Duke-grad Bob Jenkins, are certainly not a homogenous bunch. Three players hail from Peru, one from Jamaica, one from Trinidad, and the U.S. residents are spread out from San Antonio and Albuquerque to St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The leading scorer thus far for American is freshman forward Domenick Alberto, who has seven goals (14 points). Among the Eagles' leaders is a pair of midfielders from Lima, Peru – senior Jose Aservi (12 points) and junior Ignacia Tirado (seven points). In goal for American will be senior Dave Urbach, who has three shutouts on the season. As for the Quakers, this game is an opportunity to rebound from a tough loss to Harvard. Coach O'Neill has been running his players hard despite the muddy conditions of Rhodes Field as they prepare for an important match. "It's about time we won some big games," senior defenseman Mike Leo said. "Instead of going out and beating up on small teams." The team, much like the field, is scuffed up, as sophomore sweeper Greg Sexton is battling through a recurring groin injury and sophomore striker Pat Larco is nursing a sore ankle. Even assistant coach Brian Kammersgaard is banged up, as he missed yesterday's practice with the flu. "This is going to be a real character test to see what kind of season it's going to be," Penn senior captain Mike Gomez said. "We've got some time until our next game, so if we lose, we've got a week to think about it." So be it. This game is a gut-check for the roller-coaster Quakers. Some teams play well at home, some play well on Monday Night Football, and some – that's right – play well on Wednesdays. As to why, the world may never know.