Soccer teams to complete their seasons this weekend

Men can play spoiler against NCAA hopefuls After this weekend, there won't be any more opportunities for the Penn men's soccer team to "bounce back," as it has thought it would be able to do after disheartening defeats throughout this 1993 season. At the conclusion of this rare two-game weekend, the Quakers will have all off-season to think about their season of disappointment. Or, if they have their way, they will be basking in the glow of one or two monumental upsets. Penn (1-4 Ivy League, 5-8 overall) will wrap up its season on Sunday in a game against Dartmouth (1-4, 8-5) at Rhodes Field (11 a.m.) that could determine whether the Big Green make the NCAA tournament. But while that game may not be the farthest thing from the Quakers' minds right now, it is certainly not the closest. That's because Penn has a Homecoming date with Ivy co-leader Princeton (5-1, 9-4) tomorrow (11 a.m., same place) in a game that will help decide the league championship. A Tiger win combined with a Columbia loss to Dartmouth tomorrow will give Princeton the title all to itself. As for the Quakers, they can't wait to try to play the role of spoiler. "We've got two very good teams coming here and we have a chance to be part of determining the Ivy League championship," Penn assistant coach Brian Kammersgaard said. "That could be a lot of fun." Against a high-octane Tiger offense that has averaged more than four goals a game in its 13 contests thus far, it is imperative for the Quakers to avoid the defensive errors that have been costing them games throughout the season. Penn must make sure that its midfielders get back on defense in time to help out and that all of its defensemen do a better job of marking their Tiger counterparts. "The first thing we have to do is stop giving up a lot of goals," junior defenseman Mike Leo said. "We have to avoid mental breakdowns. We can't be in a situation where we have to score five goals to win the game." In fact, since beating up on weaklings Lehigh and Lafayette early in the season, the Quakers haven't been able to score any more than one or two goals. Penn will be looking to convert opportunities whenever they arise, as failure to do so has been another aspect of the Quakers' play that has plagued them of late. If Penn is to match skills with the Tigers offensively, it needs to have possession of the ball for a significant portion of the game. That means taking care of the ball and not surrendering it via silly mistakes, as the Quakers have been prone to do this season. Win or lose tomorrow, Penn will have little if any time to dwell on its performance, as it will have to rest up and do some quick homework in preparation for the next morning's contest against Dartmouth. Once again, the opponent would appear to have the motivational edge over the Quakers, as the Big Green will likely be playing for a postseason berth if they can upset Ivy co-leader Columbia the day before. Further putting Penn at a disadvantage will be the style of Dartmouth's attack, which is the exact opposite of Princeton's. While the Tigers prefer a methodical attack centered around precision passing, the Big Green like to push the ball upfield at a hectic pace and simply try to outrun the opponent. Penn hopes that it will not be so physically and emotionally fatigued from the previous day's game that it will not be able to withstand Dartmouth's furious attack. "We're just going to have to suck it up," Leo said. "It's the last game of the season. We can rest afterwards." In truth, Penn should have the advantage in the fatigue department. Even though the Quakers have to play two games in a row against difficult competition, the Big Green will have to journey to New York to face Columbia tomorrow before booking it down to Philadelphia to take on the Quakers. All in all, Penn coach George O'Neill expects any effects either team might experience from the previous day's games to cancel out. "Is it ideal?" he said of playing two days in a row. "No, but that's just the way things fell. All things are going to equal out. You just do the best you can to the best of your abilities. If we get our guys to play up to their performance, we can win the game." And finish a somewhat bitter season on a very sweet note.