Hawks dominate M. Soccer

It's been an up and down season for the Penn men's soccer team and it looks like it's down again after last night's 3-0 loss at St. Joseph's. After losing their first three games by a combined score of 13-4, the Quakers looked like they were on their way up, turning in impressive performances in wins over the likes of Columbia, Lehigh and La Salle. Just when they were about to reach the .500-mark, they ran into Harvard and lost in double overtime. And yesterday they succumbed the Hawks. "It was a very disappointing loss," Penn coach George O'Neill said. The game was only six minutes old when Hawks forward John Sharp's kick sailed a shot past a diving Andrew Kralik to put St. Joe's ahead 1-0. The Quakers defense managed to hold off the Hawks until early in the second half, when John Gallagher found the net for his seventh goal of the season. Ten minutes later, Sharp maneuvered past Kralik once again, scoring the final goal of the contest. The Hawks improved their record to 4-6-2, while Penn dropped to 3-5-1 and out of contention for the Soccer Seven title. "The goalie was exceptionally good tonight," O'Neill said. "Unfortunately, we pushed forward when we started to get frustrated and left space in the back." Frustration has been a problem for the Quakers this season, as has a failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Sloppy defense and concentration lapses have cost Penn the last two contests. "A little more discipline and we'll be fine," said sophomore midfielder Jared Boggs. On paper, Penn should have won this game. Until yesterday, the Hawks hadn't won a single Soccer Seven match. But St. Joe's seems to always find a way to win against the Quakers. Last year, the Hawks scored three goals in the closing minutes against a clearly superior Penn squad to win 3-1. One of the advantages the Hawks had going into the game was their home field. St Joe's plays on artificial turf similar to Franklin Field. Although most of the Quakers were not used to this surface, they agreed it wouldn't be a problem. "It won't be a problem," junior midfielder Read Goodwin said before the game. "There are no bad bounces, so it'll make the game more consistent." Consistency is something the Quakers will have to start showing if they have any hopes of contending for the Ivy League title. Penn is 1-2 against Ivy opponents, with the bulk of league play still to come.