M. Soccer hosts Bears

They're 9-0. They're ranked seventh in the nation and first in New England. They've scored 28 goals. And now they're coming to Penn. Penn's slumping men's soccer squad will face the Brown Bears at Rhodes Field tomorrow at 2 p.m. It could be ugly. The Quakers haven't won a game since Sept. 30 and don't seem to have recovered from an emotionally draining loss to Harvard two weeks ago. Frustration has led to an inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. The Quakers have been getting behind early and scrambling to catch up. The pressure to score has been affecting Penn's defense. During Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Lafayette, the Quakers kept pushing players up to score, leaving opponents unmarked. "In order to get a goal, we were giving up goals," said senior Brendan Sullivan after the game. However, the Quakers (3-6-1, 1-1-1 Ivy League) have shown that they can hold their own in the Ivy League. Earlier this season, the team upset favored Columbia and tied Cornell. The Ivy League title is not yet out of reach. With three league games remaining, Penn can challenge for the crown. "If they can beat an undefeated team, that will set them up for the second half of the season," Penn coach George O'Neill said. "They've shown they are capable of tremendous performances. They just need to concentrate." The Bears have no such problems. Brown has been perfect so far this season, despite losing several players that propelled the 1994 team to the NCAA Final Eight. Led by seniors Tim Webb, Gary Hughes and Ted Foster, the Bears always manage to find a way to win. Brown has emerged victorious three times this season when pushed to overtime. "One of the strengths of this team this season has been its single-minded sense of purpose," Brown coach Mike Noonan said. "And if we continue to focus and prepare for one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves, we will continue to be successful." Last year, this well-oiled Bears machine mangled the Quakers 9-0. Penn cannot expect any mistakes from this opponent. "Our guys are very resourceful and they've held their heads high throughout this slump," O'Neill said. "It was just three mental mistakes that cost us the game against St. Joe's. They've shown that they can play as well as anyone in the rest of the league. The season isn't over yet."