W. Soccer wary of letdown as Lehigh invades

The Penn women's soccer team, coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Dartmouth on Saturday, looks to get back on track today against Lehigh at Rhodes Field at 4 p.m. The Quakers (2-3-1), who played their best soccer of the year against nationally-ranked Dartmouth, know that now is not the time to let up. It is all too common for a team playing on an emotional high to have a let down in the following game. Penn Coach Patrick Baker is certainly aware of this, and will make sure that his team is prepared both physically and mentally for the match against Lehigh. "We prepare for every team we play with the same intensity, so a letdown should not be a problem," Baker said. The intense preparation was heightened by the fact the Quakers had only one day of practice to get ready for Lehigh. Therefore, Baker worked his team hard yesterday to improve the aspect of the game that has plagued the team all season -- defending the lead. In three of the last four matches, including the loss to Dartmouth, the Quakers have jumped out to a one-goal lead only to let it slip away in the waning moments of regulation. To deal with this problem, Baker ran drills with two full teams simulating game situations. When one team scored it lost two players and consequently had to tighten its defense and play with more aggressiveness. Baker believes drills like this will improve the team's ability to deal with the pressure of defending a lead. Baker also realizes the Quakers need to keep possession of the ball to be successful against Lehigh. Dartmouth dominated the time of possession and outshot the Quakers 16-8. However, Baker is confident in his team's ability to make the adjustments necessary to improve on Saturday's performance. "If we can play the same type of inspired soccer for the first 45 minutes, we should have a comfortable lead," he added. The trick now is to get there.