Penn dominates second half, beats Leopards

Blackwell recordsBlackwell recordsteam-best ninth goalBlackwell recordsteam-best ninth goalof season beforeBlackwell recordsteam-best ninth goalof season beforeleaving with injury The Penn men's soccer team overcame several injuries and rainy weather yesterday to defeat Lafayette, 3-2. This is the second win in a row for the Quakers, who beat 18th ranked Cornell last week. Penn (3-5-1, 1-2 Ivy) has struggled all season to piece together two straight wins, but were able to take advantage of Lafayette on their home turf. Lafayette struck first when Leopard midfielder Nick Chrisanthon rocketed a shot through the center of the goal that was misjudged by freshman goalie Michael O' Connor The Quakers responded later in the half, but failed to score, with a shot by freshman midfielder Brian Foote that bounced off the top of the crossbar. The Quakers finally found the back of the net when sophomore forward Morgan Blackwell kicked a short, powerful shot from about five feet out. The goal, which came with 8 minutes, 9 seconds left in the half, was Blackwell's team-leading sixth goal of the season. Those were all the points the teams would score in the first half, with the halftime score knotted 1-1. The threat of the Leopard attack caused coach George O'Neill to make some tactical switches before the second half. "Lafayette is a good team that is very organized. We needed to get organized to win. Several players were switched around." O'Neill said. One player who was moved forward was Gregg Kroll, who had an outstanding game, with one goal in the first half and two assists in the second for the Quaker offense. Freshman defender Thomas Hughes was also moved to the advantage of the team, better utilizing his lanky, 6-foot-6 frame. "We were upset about the original 1-0 lead Lafayette had, but once the offense began to shine, it took a lot of pressure off the defense," he said. The team also shone defensively, allowing for only one goal from Lafayette. The second point by Leopard midfielder Daniel Highes was made off a penalty kick with 11:20 left in the game, after Penn's 3-1 lead for most of the second half. "The defense never got down after the first goal. The defense played a great game, they showed a lot of character," Penn goalkeeper Michael O'Conner said. Although Lafayette was 3-9 overall this season, the game was important to the Quakers. The second half was continually delayed due to injuries, one of which was Penn's scoring leader, Blackwell. Although it was not serious, it kept him out of the second half. His condition for the upcoming game is unknown, but it was basically a cut knee which needed stitches. "This was another great victory for us," O'Neill said.