W. Soccer looks to rebound

Quakers set to face tough American squad Coming off its worst defeat of the season last weekend at Harvard, the Penn women's soccer team will be seeking to recapture its form when it travels to the nation's capital for this afternoon's match against American. The Quakers (4-4-1) clearly were not looking backward in practice yesterday, considering the 6-2 setback a detour on their successful road in 1995. A win against the Eagles (8-4-1) would set a new school record for victories in a season with six games left to play. Don't expect American, one of two Colonial Athletic Association schools the Quakers will meet, to be a pushover. The Eagles' only loss at home so far this season was to nationally ranked William & Mary, and victims have included perennial power George Mason. The Quakers defense, which had been consistently good until Saturday, will have to contend with several talented American forwards, notably Lisa Herndon, who is scoring just under one goal per match. The focus was on a few key fundamentals yesterday afternoon. "We concentrated on passing balls to feet, in hopes of maintaining possession," Penn coach Patrick Baker said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to move the ball to players," freshman defender Katrina Borisjuk said. Another area of concern is keeping the team's shape when being attacked. Disarray in the defense was a central cause of the Crimson's five-goal first half. Today's opponents have earned the reputation of an emotional team. Will they be fired up for today's match against Penn? "I would doubt it," Baker said. The match may come down to a familiar theme: finishing in front of goal. The Quakers have been models at times, as in their five-goal performance against Lehigh. On other occasions close games have slipped away. The same feast-or-famine story applies to American, which has scored as many as nine goals in one match, but was shut out Sunday at UNC-Wilmington, not to be confused with a soccer power in Chapel Hill. "We have to come ready to play after our loss to Harvard," senior co-captain Heike Krippendorff said. Expect the Quakers to be ready, as they start the stretch run of this campaign and try to test the uncharted waters of a winning season.