M. Soccer records fourth straight Ivy shutout

For the first time in 15 years,For the first time in 15 years,the Quakers have won fourFor the first time in 15 years,the Quakers have won fourconsecutive league matches. How 'bout them Quakers! The Penn men's soccer team shut down the explosive offense of Yale on Saturday, scoring a 2-0 victory. The win marks the first time since 1981 that the Quakers (7-5-1, 4-2 Ivy League) have won four conference games in a single season. The shutout was especially impressive against an Elis team known primarily for its strong, fast-paced offense and high-scoring forwards. Yale (7-6-1, 2-3) had averaged three goals per game in its four Ivy League contests heading into Saturday. Penn coach George O'Neill insists that execution was the key in shutting down an offense that no one had managed to contain all year. "There's no trick to shutting them down," O'Neill said. "It just takes good defensive play. We beat them downfield and cut off their passing. We had our midfielders pressure the ball as much as possible to make them make passes they didn't want to. "We tried to compact our defenders to cut down their passing lanes. Then, when we got the ball, we opened it up and spread the ball around. Judging from the score, it must have worked." Once again, goalkeeper Michael O'Connor was one of the bright spots for a Quakers team playing its best soccer since the coaching reign of Bob Seddon, who's final season was 1986. The freshman goalie was, as usual, an impenetrable wall, making several excellent saves to frustrate the Yale forwards. O'Connor recorded his fourth straight Ivy League shutout. The game was scoreless at halftime, as Yale's David Boehmer matched O'Connor save for save. The tie was broken five minutes into the second half, when Quakers midfielder Greg Kroll scored on a cross-pattern from forward Morgan Blackwell. With the job its defense was doing, that goal was all Penn would need. Seventeen minutes later, though, the Quakers scored again. This time, defenseman Ralph Maier set up forward Matt Huebner for the goal. "It was very exciting," Penn coach George O'Neill said. "The boys worked very hard. They're really getting the job done now. The whole defense is doing the job. With every game you win, you get more confidence." Penn's next test comes this afternoon at 2 p.m. at Rhodes Field as the Quakers take on Soccer Seven rival St. Joseph's. The game is a make-up of the contest that was rained out on October 8. "St. Joe's is a hard-working team," O'Neill said. "I've known their coach, Tommy Turner, for years. It's always a good rivalry when we play them. Those guys are going to come in here playing to win."