M. Soccer falls 2-1 in finale

Their names were called out to a standing ovation at Rhodes Field Saturday. After the National Anthem, nine seniors led the men's soccer team into their final game of the year, the last of most of their careers. "Go out and enjoy yourselves," Penn coach George O'Neill told his team before it took the field against Dartmouth. Dartmouth intended to spoil the Quakers' celebration. And not even the desire of Penn seniors could stop forward Hunter Paschall and the Big Green (5-10, 3-3 Ivy League), which came away with a 2-1 win. "It was disappointing," O'Neill said. The game followed the usual Penn pattern, with numerous shots going just wide. Dartmouth goalie Matt Nyman needed every inch of his 6-foot-3 frame to block rockets from midfielders Brendan Sullivan and Austin Root, and even from defender Matt Stern. On the opposite end of the field, Penn goalie Andrew Kralik displayed his acrobatic skill, twisting and spinning to make nine saves. The Quakers (5-11-1, 1-6) jumped in front early in the second half. Sullivan took the ball 30 yards inside Penn territory and ran up the left wing unmolested. From the corner, he passed to Root, in front of the goal, who drew in the Dartmouth defense before returning the ball. Sullivan then launched a shot towards the Dartmouth net, which was headed in by freshman forward Steve Cohen. Cohen's goal imbued the Quakers with new life. The seniors congratulated him, and each other. That spirit, however, was short-lived. Six minutes, 23 seconds after Cohen's score, the Quakers' dreams of a final-game win came to a crashing halt beneath the spikes of Dartmouth forward August Lopez. He played through a crowd in the Penn backfield before defeating Kralik one-on-one. "They played well in spells," O'Neill said. "There were times when our concentration wasn't quite there." Dartmouth continued to pound the ball into the Quakers' end. Penn's defense -- already missing sophomore Brad Copeland, who had to sit out because of accumulated yellow cards -- was worn down throughout the contest. Despite pulling forward Morgan Blackwell back to help out the fatigued defense, Kralik still felt the need to take chances in the Penn goal to preserve the tie. But Kralik's daring cost the Quakers dearly midway through the second half. Paschall drew Kralik 20 yards out of the goal, then blew past him to score. Penn's seniors entered the game with mixed emotions. After losing their chance at a winning season last weekend, the team was playing solely for pride. Even that had diminished after the Quakers' third-straight defeat. "The season didn't go as I planned," Sullivan said. "I don't really feel like analyzing it. It's over. That's it."