W. Soccer looks to keep winning

Quakers travel to face Temple Last week the general consensus among the Penn women's soccer team (1-3-1) was that the Lehigh game would be the turning point of the season. Today's game against an extremely physical Temple squad (4 p.m., Temple Stadium) will prove it right or wrong. "[The Owls] play a very physical, very fast type game," Penn coach Suzette Wolf said. "They also have a couple of really tremendous players, but it's nothing we can't handle if we work hard and stay mentally tough." And toughness will be the key, as the defense will more than have its hands full with Temple standout Yanna Love. A midfielder, Love will try to capitalize on the fact that the Penn defense yields nearly three goals per game. "She's outstanding," Wolf said. "She is very quick, can score, and she sets the tempo of their game. If she plays well, their team is going to play well. We have to take Love out of the game." The home-field advantage will go to Temple, as Penn travels crosstown for today's contest. The choppy grass field itself might actually present a problem for the travelling Quakers. "They play on a disgusting field," senior goalie Debbie Goldkang said. "The surface is very tough to play on, which is better for them." Despite the disadvantages of today's contest, the Quakers believe they might actually enter the game as the favorite. After all, their previous outing against Lehigh marked their first win of the season, and the spirit surrounding the team is nothing less than positive. "It is crucial that we win this game," Wolf said. "This is a non-conference game, we have the capabilities, and we have to take this one." The capabilities of the Quakers are not in question if one looks at the 5-2 shelling of Lehigh last Thursday. The question is the consistency with which the Quakers can convert missed opportunities into goals. Their five goals in the Lehigh rout eclipsed their entire season total going into the game, as in their first four games of the year Penn only scored twice. "Our offense has been having trouble putting the ball in the net," sophomore defender Meg Kinney said. "They have more confidence now with a couple goals under their belt, and there should be a better trade off between the offense and defense." Although the Penn offense has a host of scoring threats, freshman Yuka Morita and sophomore Heike Krippendorf will lead the offensive attack. Krippendorf broke the 2-2 deadlock in the Lehigh game with a great shot that provided the momentum for a Penn victory. "We have to play an up tempo game, and be the first team to score," Wolf said. "We can't play catch-up with a team like Temple. We need to to put the ball in the net early and then keep them in a defensive style of play." And like the offense, the defense will have to offset a surging Temple frontline. It simply can't rely on the offense to provide all it needs to win. "We can't give up two or three goals and be optimistic about our chances of winning a game," Wolf said. "Defense has to come through in a total team effort for us to win." Last year's game saw the Quakers fall at the hands of the Owls 2-0 at Franklin Field, but the Quakers believe that they are a better team than the one the Owls saw last year. It is now up to Penn to prove that on the field. "[In terms of Temple's squad] we are basically facing the same team that we faced last year," Wolf said. "They are the same caliber team as last year, while I feel that our team has improved a lot. I think their quickness will be a factor, but we'll frustrate them [Temple] with improved ability and mental toughness." All the makings for a nice win on the road are there. The Quakers' minds are set, and their spirit can be best described by four-year starting goalie Debbie Goldkang. "This game is crucial, we want to win and win big."

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