M. Soccer to face Harvard

In order to grab its first Ivy League victory when it travels to Harvard for a crucial match tomorrow (11 a.m.) against the struggling Crimson (0-1-1 Ivy League, 1-5-1 overall), the Penn men's soccer team needs to wake up. Literally. Penn coach George O'Neill feels that it is not a coincidence that the Quakers are 4-1 in non-league games, which take place in the afternoon, but 0-2 in the Ivy League morning games. "We seem to have a problem playing at 11 o'clock in the morning," O'Neill said. "It's not an advantage because both teams have to play at that time, but it seems to hurt our team, especially, in the first 45 minutes. Then we start playing in the second [half]. In order for us to establish credibility for ourselves in this game, we have to come out mentally and physically ready early on." Sluggish first halves against Cornell and Columbia were indeed key factors in the Quakers' defeat at the hands of their two Ivy rivals. Penn has gone so far as to seek professional nutritional advice to ensure that the players get the proper intake of food and fluids heading into these early games. But all the dieticians in the world will not be the deciding factor in this game which, of course, will be won or lost on the field. For the Quakers, it is crucial for it to be won. "We have a lot of important games all year, but since we haven't won a game in the Ivy League yet, it's probably the most important one to date for us," sophomore defenseman David Choi said. "We have to win this game. We're a better team than Harvard, and we really have to win it." Penn's goal is to make the Crimson adapt to what it is doing, rather than the other way around. As such, the Penn coaches have not bothered to come up with much of a scouting report. "We want the guys to have a positive attitude and try to dictate the game to the other team rather than us worrying about what they're going to do," O'Neill said. "We want to do what we're good at doing, and if we do then other teams will definitely have to adjust." Two of Penn's recent opponents, Lehigh and La Salle, failed to make the proper adjustments, and the result for the Quakers was plenty of shots and four goals in the second half of each game. These games showed the Quakers how well they can do when they stick to their style and their game plan. The rebuilding Penn squad is in no position to take any Ivy League opponent lightly. Even in big victories against non-league opponents, the Quakers have not been able to completely rid themselves of the mental mistakes on defense that were a major reason for their losses to Cornell and Columbia. "We can play with anybody," Choi said. "It's just the little things that are going to put us over the top and win games, the little mental things."