It will be no day at the beach for W. Soccer

Penn will have work cut outPenn will have work cut outagainst No. 10 team in region Headed to the Jersey shore this weekend? You just might run into the Penn women's soccer team as the Quakers travel to West Long Branch, N.J., for some fun in the sun. Far from a beach outing, however, Penn (1-3-1) will visit Kessler Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday, home of the Monmouth Hawks. Monmouth University? Well, formerly known as Monmouth College, the Hawks (5-2) have been making big strides in more ways than one. Three years ago, one big step toward improvement was taken when the Monmouth athletic department hired coach Ken Van Schaack. A former high school coach and standout at Rowan (formerly known as Glassboro State -- noticing a theme here?), Van Schaack has compiled a 45-13-1 mark since taking over the reins for the Hawks. Last season, Monmouth amassed an impressive 17-3 record with wins over Cincinnati, Princeton and nationally ranked Harvard. Although half of the starting 11 graduated, the Hawks are certainly deep enough to compensate. As reigning champions of the Northeast Conference and the current No. 10 team in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Hawks will be another difficult obstacle for a young Penn team, eager to build on last year's success. After a slow 1-3-1 start, it would seem the Quakers could really use a walk-over. Not so, says coach Patrick Baker. "When I took over the program, we still had some contractual agreements with other schools," Baker said. "But we needed to step up our schedule, so we added some regionally ranked teams, like Monmouth and William & Mary. I think it's important that we play ranked teams." First and foremost, Quaker Jill Brown will have her hands full with senior forward and regional All-American Christie Pearce. It may be a rebuilding year for the Hawks, but the sheriff is still in town. Pearce, the team co-captain who has already scored 10 goals in seven games, became Monmouth's all-time leading scorer after recording a hat trick in a 7-1 drubbing of Wagner a week ago. Compared with Brown's defensive assignment last Wednesday, Bucknell striker Liz Woodrow, Pearce is double the threat. With 70 career goals and a current ranking as the fourth-leading scorer in the country, she is certainly the Quakers' biggest worry. For the Red and Blue, eyes will be resting on freshman keeper Amy Jodoin. As the Quakers offense has struggled to finish scoring chances, an undue amount of pressure has fallen on the defense thus far this season. Although a critical eye might question the quality of a keeper who has conceded 19 goals in 5 games, Baker knows better. "If anyone else was in that goal, we'd be losing by a lot more," Baker said. "She's made some phenomenal saves, and, at Dartmouth, she kept us in the game. If it had been someone else in there, it would have been a lot worse than a 5-1 loss." In the Dartmouth loss, Jodoin may have given up five, but she saved 13. Against Bucknell, Jodoin came up aces for the Quakers with two huge saves in the final minutes of overtime, preserving an otherwise Penn-dominated draw. "We make her look bad back there because we're not paying attention to the details that make us go," Baker said. "We're not defending well as a team." In the past, the goalkeeping slot has perennially been a difficult position to fill. For the '95 season, keeper Perry Cohen was replaced by Amy Urban, who decided not to try out for the '96 squad. This year, with both reserve goalies recovering from injuries, a lot is resting on Jodoin's shoulders. "She's a great player," Penn sophomore midfielder Tina Cooper said. "She may not be very tall, but she makes up for it in other respects, like quickness and reflexes." Quakers reserve keeper Anne Kluetmeier, who is currently out with an elbow injury, also weighed in. "She's so good," Kluetmeier said. "She's got the skills you need to be in there. She knows how to judge situations and isn't afraid to come out of the box and challenge or make a save." When asked about the dangers of coming out to make a save, Kluetmeier smiled and gestured at her head. "Anyone who plays in goal is missing a little up here. You've got to be a little crazy." With that in mind, let's hope Jodoin brings the soccer balls and leaves the beach balls at home.