M. Soccer will end miracle season with Princeton, Penn State

M. Soccer will end miracle season with Princeton, Penn State M. Soccer will end miracle season with Princeton, Penn StatePenn has already clinched a winning record, but it wants more, like a win over archrival Princeton and ranked PSU. The men's soccer season is flying to an end. With a winning streak still going strong and a chance to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, the Quakers are not taking it easy this late in the season. Forget that they have secured a winning record which was a surprise in itself. Forget that its the first time since anybody can remember the exact year that the team has won this many Ivy League games. This year Penn wants more. The beginning of the season did not bode well for the Quakers. But a little change in lady luck has brought about a drastic change. "The boys have worked hard all season," said coach George O'Neill. "I honestly don't think that they're working any harder since their 1-5 beginning. They're doing a terrific job, they just weren't scoring goals." The Quakers have two away games to cap off the season this weekend. The first match is on Friday night against Princeton at 7:30. Penn is looking to continue their winning streak by beating the Tigers on their own turf. "Princeton is a very good, well coached, competitive team," said O'Neill. "There is a lot of pride up there at Princeton." The game is the last Ivy League game of the Quakers' season. The outcome will determine a little bit of where Penn stands at the end of their season in the Ivies. This Sunday, Penn will wrap up the regular season with a game against Penn State at Penn State. Although the Nittany Lions are nationally ranked, they have been struggling recently. P.S.U. has lost 4 of their 5 games and suffered numerous injuries in the last couple of weeks. "They've had seven injuries and some kids are struggling with some virus," said O'Neill. Not only is Penn State undermanned, they need to win their next two games to get a decent spot in their division and a bid in the tournament. The Quakers are a young team, but there are seniors among all the freshman and sophomore faces on the field. Seniors Read Goodwin, Pat Larco, Tim Rusche, Hanan Fishman and Justin Ramsay have all made their mark on this year's Quakers. "Read had a tremendous season," said O'Neill. "He has been a great leader. He's done more than I hoped for." Many of the other seniors like Larco and Rusche are returning from injuries for their last season's at Penn. This season was certainly a good way to end their years at Penn. "Its more fun. Its the best season because we're winning and everybody's got the right attitude." said Rusche. With only two games left, O'Neill is still taking them one at a time. "The boys are eating fire after beating St. Joe's," said O'Neill. "The best we can do in the Ivy League is 5-2. And we can only watch what's under our control." The youth of the team might have affected the Quakers' play early in the season, but they have obviously settled down at this point in the season. "The chemistry is right. They genuinely like each other. They run hard, cover for each other, they're like cheerleaders for each other on the sidelines." said O'Neill to sum up his boys before they head off to end this season of seasons.