Quakers stun No. 13 Lions

M. Soccer upsets columbia With his pride at stake, junior Brendan Sullivan stepped onto the soccer field in a Penn uniform and faced his former Columbia teammates. No one questioned the transfer student's loyalties as he propelled the Quakers to an upset victory over the Lions Saturday. Like many of his Penn teammates, Sullivan came out a new man in the 3-2 win. His dynamic midfield play showed just how much talent the Quakers (3-2, 1-1 Ivy League) have been hiding, and how lucky they were to have him in Penn colors this time around. "It was a friendly battle," Sullivan said. "I have a lot of friends on the team. It was really a matter of pride. I was concentrating on every play." The Penn men's soccer team that trudged through its first four games was unrecognizable. In its place was an aggressive squad that showcased enough control, finesse and heart to defeat the 13th-ranked team in the country. With stellar defense and offense, the Quakers stifled Columbia (4-1-1, 1-1). "We knew if we could win here, that it would be the difference between last year and this year," sophomore Alan Waxman said. "We came to a crossroad where we had to decide whether we were going to be winners or losers. We chose to be winners." From the start, Penn dominated on its home field. For the first 10 minutes, Quaker goaltender Andrew Kralik barely stirred from the goal. The Lions appeared shocked by Penn's superior ball handling. Columbia's defensemen clutched their heads and swore as junior Pat Larco repeatedly burned them. In the sixth minute, Larco fired one just over the goal and woke up the Lions. Kralik made a tremendous save in the 11th minute. Just as he started to recover, Columbia came down on the right side. As Kralik jumped out, the ball shot across the goal line and was fired in behind his back. The play was fast and skillful. The celebration was only momentary. Larco retaliated with a goal for Penn in the 22nd minute to even the score. "The best part of the game was that we came back after being down 1-0," Penn coach George O'Neill said. "That is what we have been bad at in the past games." "Pat Larco played his best game of the year," Waxman said. "We won because our forwards up front took pressure off the defense." Both teams had several scoring opportunities in the balance of the half. Fortunately for the Quakers, the Lions failed to capitalize on corner kicks and their open shots sailed over the crossbar. At the other end, Larco, Sullivan, senior Brian Brown and junior Steve Marcinkiewicz finished the first half with 12 shots as they heated up for next 45 minutes. The second half began in Columbia's favor. Penn's defenders were kept busy by the Lions' quick frontmen. Waxman marked Rikki Dadason, the Lions' star scorer and a member of the Finnish national team. Waxman's physical defense, accurate heading and strength stifled the power forward. "Waxman did a magnificent job on him," O'Neill said. At 58:40, Larco scored again for the Quakers and lifted their play to a new level. Penn would dominate for the rest of the game. "We were dangerous on all runs we made," Larco said. "The outside defenders got us the ball when we wanted it. I had a couple of scoring chances and I happened to put in two." Just two minutes later, junior Pat Brannigan put the Lions to shame with another exciting score. At midfield, Brannigan took a chance by opening himself up along the right offensive sideline. Sophomore Max Englehardt sent him the ball and Columbia was caught by surprise. Brannigan ran half the field undefended, maneuvered past a lone defensemen in the penalty box, then nailed one to the net. "Coming off the bench, it was great to contribute," Brannigan said. "We talked about the fact that we needed a big win to boost our confidence. It couldn't have been better." Leading 3-1 with just minutes left, Penn was electrified. Columbia began to play with hesitation and it cost them every offensive opportunity. After Brannigan's heartfelt play, the game was over for Columbia. At 81:55, the Lions scored off a penalty kick, but the goal was irrelevant. "It feels great beating Columbia," Larco said. "It was a very important Ivy game. It was an upset to the outside world, but we knew if we came out to play we could definitely win. There isn't a weak team in the Ivies. The group has become a lot more competitive. They weren't ranked for nothing. It was a big win for us." Penn revalidated itself in the league after an embarrassing 5-1 loss at Dartmouth. The Quakers rose to the occasion with a perfect blend of defense and offense. Many things had to change to make it happen. Kralik stepped up to his leadership duties as co-captain, vocally and physically bringing renewed confidence to the backfield. The addition of Brown to the front line brought experience that made every one of Penn's 23 shots on goal a scoring attempt. Larco and Sullivan stopped wasting their talent in half-hearted plays and struck hard each and every time they had the ball. And the Quakers stopped playing as individuals and worked together to win. They have beaten the defending Ivy League champions -- the crown is no longer an unreachable goal.