SEASON PREVIEW: Men's Soccer

Soccer teams look to have improved seasonsSoccer teams look to have improved seasonsMen rebuild with transfers and freshmen recruits Every successful story needs a good beginning, so the Penn men's soccer team is finally starting off on the right foot. Last season, the Quakers (5-10 overall, 1-6 Ivy League) were extremely disappointed with their play. Now the team has added a solid freshman class and three transfer students -- Matt Stern from Union, Brendan Sullivan from Ivy champion Columbia and Read Goodman from soccer powerhouse Virginia. And finally, coach George O'Neill has been hired on a permanent basis. "We have by far the best team we've had in my four years here," senior co-captain Keith Amen said. "The team is deeper at each position. We have a real feeling of community -- everyone gets along, both on and off the field -- yet there is competition within the team which pushes everyone to do their best." Penn will host La Salle 1 p.m. tomorrow at Rhodes Field. The Quakers crushed the Explorers 5-1 last year, and hope to do the same again. "We're looking for a big win against La Salle," junior co-captain Steve Marcinkiewicz said. "They're a good first game because they'll play soccer. But they don't have the depth and players we do. We need a big win to start the season." O'Neill's strategy for the contest is deceptively simple. Since he is unsure of the status of some of his players, O'Neill just wants to get as many Quakers as possible into the game. "We've got a couple of injuries, a couple of hamstrings and groin pulls," O'Neill said. "Whenever we get the ball, we're going to attack and try to get as many shots as possible. Hopefully at the end of the game, more shots will end up in their net than in ours." In addition to the varsity squad, the Quakers have an excellent junior varsity team. The JV team, created to give less-experienced players practice and competition, will play eight to10 games against area JV squads. Both O'Neill and volunteer JV coach Jason Barker hope the up-and-coming players will keep the starters on their toes. "We have a good core of kids," Barker said. "The skill level difference between the top and bottom isn't great. The best 20 players day in day out will be on varsity. However, people will go back and forth. It gives them the desire to perform at their best all the time." "This game is all about competition," O'Neill said. "Those on the varsity are going to keep producing or we'll take guys from JV and move them up. It should always be a challenge. There should never be any complacency." Upon taking over, O'Neill promised to work his team hard by stressing physical conditioning. And the Quakers have responded to the training, coming back prepared for the season. "I gave the team strength training and pages of information on eating properly for the summer," O'Neill said. "I am excited at the attitude and condition the team came back in." Despite the strict off-season training regimen, the Quakers have suffered major setbacks on the road to a winning season. Besides the graduation of 1993 captain Mike Gomez and forward Kossuth Bradford, sophomore forward Tim Rusche is out for the season after breaking his leg, and senior fullback Michael Leo will be sitting out due to personal problems. Though the team will miss their skilled play, the Quakers are determined to overcome the losses. "I think the team should be excellent," freshman forward Jared Boggs said. "We've got a good number of returning players from last year's varsity, new transfers coming in and a freshman class that will support the team in the future. We're a big, physical team, and we're definitely going to be tough this season." The presence of a consistent coaching staff will provide a boost. The Quakers are happy to have O'Neill back on a permanent basis after several turbulent years with Steve Baumann at the helm. In addition to O'Neill and Barker, the Quakers have hired David Cartie as an assistant coach. The difference in styles has proved to the team's advantage. "We have a feeling of stability," Marcinkiewicz said. "Coach O'Neill knows where we are now and where he wants to get us to. We are becoming his team, able to play his style and do what he wants. We've got the whole spectrum of players, and we're able to work off each other." The Quakers are determined to improve on last season's inconsistent play. With a lot of hard work, and a little luck, they will take that step forward and bring the team to the next level.