Columbia is next up for M. Soccer

Most Penn students are leaving campus this weekend for fall break. But the Quakers men's soccer team is staying behind with the hope of improving its record by beating Columbia. The match will take place on Rhodes Field tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. The Quakers beat the Lions last year, 3-2. Penn's last scheduled game was rained out on Tuesday, which should have given the black-and-blue Quakers some time to heal their wounds. But that was not the case. "Some key players are injured, but I think we can work past it," Penn's J.P. Pollak said. Quakers coach George O'Neill is not worried about the injuries, though. "There are 40 hours left before the game," O'Neill said. "I'm sure a lot of the guys will make recoveries before [tomorrow]." Even though Penn beat Columbia last season, the Lions are not the same team they were last season. "There was a turn over of players," O'Neill said. "They've been up and down a wee bit lately. But they scored seven goals in the last couple of games. They scored four against one team and I think three against another. Columbia's always a very good team." The Lions are 4-3-1 this season, but only 0-1-1 in the Ivy League. However, Columbia's tie was against Cornell, which is ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League. Even with the new players on Columbia's roster, the Quakers have to be wary of the Lions. Good coaching has their has been their strength for many years. The coach, Deter Ficken, is well respected in his field. "Deter Ficken was a very good player himself," O'Neill said. "He's done a very good job coaching for Columbia." Still, it is the players on the field that will ultimately decide the outcome. "If we can put the ball in the net early, it will build our confidence," Pollak said.