M. Soccer is 6th in Ivies

The Penn men's soccer team does not usually score until it must. Its catch-up offense has not created wins, and it does not earn Ivy championships. Saturday, the Quakers concluded their season with a 2-2 tie at Cornell. Without effective initiative offensively, Penn (6-8-1, 2-4-1 Ivy) finished sixth in the Ivy League. Cornell (2-10-3, 0-5-1) took last place. In perspective, the Ivy League has been gaining respect in national circles and owns some of the top spots in rankings. The Quakers did not do so badly to finish near the bottom of the top. "The Ivy League has greatly strengthened," Larco said. "Whether a team is 0-6 doesn't mean much. It just means the other teams are really strong." It was the same old story for the Quakers in the first half as they allowed several scoring chances to dwindle. "We came out a little flat," junior Andrew Kralik said. But the Big Red did not, and slipped in the first goal of the game. Countering quickly, the Quakers tied the game at 1. "Once we scored," junior forward Pat Larco said, "we obviously felt better." When it scored for the second time, Cornell seemed like it was on its way to winning its first Ivy League match. Penn was once again in a position where it had to come from behind. "It is not a good position to be in," Kralik said. "We tend to let it go?.It makes it tough." Nagging injuries and a long road trip could have been excuses to lose, but the Quakers did not back down this time. "After [Cornell] scored again the guys were walking around saying, 'There is no way we are going to lose our last game,'E" Larco said. The Quakers were determined not to send seniors Brian Brown and Keith Amen off with a loss. Their desire paid off and they tied the game at 2. But when it came time to finish and take the victory, the Quakers could not pull through and initiate a score. Fortunately for Penn, the Big Red couldn't either. Until the last moments of regulation time, both teams had their chances, but neither side could complete a scoring opportunity. The game went into one overtime and then another. Both sides were gunning for the win, but none of the shots were landing. Kralik was key to the Quakers' defense. He was drilled by Cornell's power forwards, but repeatedly came up with important saves. The Quakers have been playing up or down to their opposition's ability all season. They beat top-ranked Columbia this season, but lost to struggling teams like LaESalle and Lafayette. Cornell did not win an Ivy game this season, and the Quakers couldn't pull out a win against it. Only when the Big Red turned up the heat, the Quakers checked their own thermostat. With the season over, Penn will have the chance to recover its strength. The Quakers contended in the league despite being plagued by injuries to starting players. Next year they are hoping to be full force. "We have the core of the team coming back," Larco said. "We are just going to have to look somewhere else for leadership." The senior leadership of Brown and Amen was a large part of the fact this was the winningest season for Penn since 1987. But the season is now over, and the Quakers have played up to everyone's potential but their own.