M. Soccer wastes scoring chances

As if knowing they squandered every opportunity wasn't enough punishment, the Penn men's soccer team suffered a painful loss at the start of their season. Dartmouth defeated the Quakers 5-1 in Hanover, N.H. Major defensive breakdowns and an ineffective offense built a recipe for failure. "Whenever you have a chance, you had better take it," coach George O'Neill said. "If you don't you get punished." For the second time in a week, Penn lost by a 5-1 count. Such a wide margin of defeat is rare in soccer, rare for even last year's Penn team which lacked three starting transfers, promising freshmen, and healthy starters. The first half offered a glimpse of a successful Quaker team. Penn (1-2, 0-1 Ivy League) kept tight control of the ball in scoring position and shut out the Big Green offense, which is led by lethal senior Chris Mitchell. The image faded all too soon. "For the first half, most of the people who were at the game would say we were the better team," junior Pat Larco said. "But we had problems finishing our opportunities, we had several corner kicks and other chances." The teams remained scoreless until late in the first half when the Quakers paid the price for poor communication. Penn sophomore Alan Waxman deflected the ball past teammate and goaltender Andrew Kralik, scoring for Dartmouth (2-0, 1-0). As the ball came down the right defensive side, it was kicked across the goal line. Kralik dove for the ball and missed. Waxman tipped it in, trying to keep it out. Coming out in the second half down by one was just the beginning of Penn's problems. The Quakers came out for the battle, while Dartmouth came out to win the war. The Big Green was eager to show it did not need Penn's assistance to score. So eager, Dartmouth did it three more times to prove the point. Dartmouth took a 5-0 lead. Penn sank to a new low. "There was a lot of confusion with our defense," O'Neill said. "There was a breakdown in communication....We can't allow that and expect to win." Despite maintaining control for the majority of the time, Penn could not score on countless opportunities. "When all is said and done, we outshot them," O'Neill said. "They capitalized on their chances. We didn't. The group was so anxious to get back, they left the ball open and it became 5-0." Frustrated by the score, strategy deteriorated. Penn players started chasing the ball without discipline instead of marking their designated Dartmouth opponent. "That was definitely a problem," junior Pat Larco said. "Our heads went down. We weren't marking right. They became more confident and it fed from our lack of confidence. People were not in the game." After several close attempts, sophomore Max Englehart finally netted one for the Red and Blue to bring the score to 5-1. But it was too late to have any effect on the game and Penn racked up another dismal defeat. "The best thing we can do is put this behind us," Larco said. "We are a good team. Something is missing for us to be a great team." If they expect to contend this year, they had better find it fast.