Goals hard to find for Penn, 'Nova

Missed opportunities were the theme of the Penn men's soccer game yesterday at home against Villanova. After 120 minutes of tough, aggressive and often violent play, the Quakers had to settle for a draw in overtime against their Philadelphia Soccer 7 opponents, making for a disappointing, scoreless afternoon. "I think we are a far better team," Penn coach George O'Neill said. "We played well and had lots of chances, but we couldn't finish." The Quakers were visibly frustrated in the game's early minutes, as offensive breaks eluded them amidst midfield chaos. Senior Steve Cohen mustered the occasional attack but it was typically solo, thus non-threatening to the Wildcats' defense. A physical match from the start, the frequent hard hits and tackles resulted in an injured Villanova player and several minor scuffs and penalties. Midway through the first half, Villanova's Conor Porter was carried off the field after a collision with Penn's Jared Boggs. As the half progressed, the Penn offense put together more organized attacks. By the final minutes, it looked as if they would surely score as junior Matt Huebner's skilled footwork led to a close shot and a Cohen follow-up. But neither found its way to the net, and Penn finished the half without a goal. Fortunately for the Quakers, defensive efforts of Austin Deng, Brad Copeland and Marc Schwartz kept Villanova scoreless as well. Challenged by Penn at every turn, the Wildcats were forced to take difficult shots from long ranges and odd angles. "He defended really well," O'Neill said of Deng who was playing in a new position. Deng was quick to acknowledge the teammates who assisted him. "I was nervous, but Copeland and Schwartz helped me a lot," the freshman defender said. As the second half began, the Quakers picked up the aggressive offense initiated just before the close of the first. Shots by junior Ralph Maier, Steve Cohen and Read Goodwin kept the Wildcats on their toes. Perhaps the Quakers best scoring opportunity came with 33 minutes remaining when the Villanova goalkeeper, Matthew Westfall, in a position where he could not use his hands, was forced to kick the ball directly to Blackwell in the center of the field. "He kicked me the ball and I shot it too early," Blackwell said. "I should have held it but I tried to put it over his head and I shot it too high." The last two minutes of regulation gave rise to two Villanova corner kicks and a shot that deflected off the goal post. Fortunately for the Quakers, tough defense and the time's expiration precluded a Wildcats goal that would have decided the game. Still scoreless, the match instead went to overtime. Penn dominated the 30 overtime minutes with its organized passing, teamwork and defense. Whereas Villanova did not get a single shot off, Penn had several scoring opportunities. But despite their efforts, they still could not put together a goal. As time ran out, several offsides calls hurt the Quakers while in scoring position.

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