M. Soccer plays Owls for pride

Pain is temporary. Pride is forever. But right now the Penn men's soccer team is hurting a lot. "It's a lot more a mental than a physical incapability to do the things we need to do," defenseman Matt Stern said. "If we get our heads on straight we can go out, score goals, win games. We can't come out slow. We can't come out flat." The Quakers (4-8-1) have fallen into the Ivy cellar with their loss at Yale over the weekend. Penn will try to rebound when it travels across town to face city-rival Temple today at 2 p.m. This is a matchup of teams bound for nowhere. The Owls (4-7-2) are rebuilding in their first year under coach Hugh McInaw. Penn, who returned to Soccer Seven play this year, has not been treated well by its city rivals. Despite their 2-2-1 record against Philly teams, the Quakers remain enthusiastic. "Temple is a team our guys think we should beat," Stern said. "We're at a point in the season when we're down, so we don't want to let a game like this slip away. I hope we come out and play like we can play." The Quakers need to correct mistakes, particularly on defense. Last Friday the Quakers allowed Yale to equal their total goals in Ivy play this season. The Quakers have also given up several late scores. The backfield challenge will be even tougher today, because Penn will be without the services of sweeper Brendan Sullivan and goalie Andrew Kralik due to multiple yellow cards. While the Quakers feel they will be able to compensate for their absent teammates, it will be an uphill battle. Shawn Vogel, Temple's leading scorer last year, and newcomer Ray DeStephanis lead the Owls with 13 goals apiece. Temple goalie Tim Keddie leads the Soccer Seven with a .827 save percentage. "We can't take anyone for granted, no matter who they are," forward Steve Cohen said. "Everybody just wants to play solid and safe, to make the easy passes." The quest for neighborhood bragging rights remains strong. Soccer Seven games are always hard-fought, but there is a camaraderie between opposing players that continues off the field. In most cases, the teams facing off include old friends and rivals. "I grew up and played club ball with a lot of their guys," Stern said. "This is the last time I'm going to play some of these guys. I'd like to get that last W." To be effective, the Penn offense needs to diversify. Co-captain Steve Marcinkiewicz has scored three-quarters of the team's total points by himself. Opponents are well aware of this by now, and, though they have not been able to neutralize Penn's big scorer, they have been able to quiet him down somewhat. "We've had some hard luck," Kralik said. "It shows the character of the team. We've gone through some tough times and made some mistakes, but we're still here. We haven't given up at all. We keep coming out and giving it our best." After losing their chance at a winning season at Yale, the Quakers have nothing left to lose. With familiar faces on the other side of the field, Penn is energized to win at least some measure of revenge. "This is completely a personal thing and a pride thing," Stern said. "I have four games left in my college career. I expect to win all of them."