M. Soccer begins quest for .500 at St. Joseph's

Only by winning all of its remaining games can the team finish at .500. The clock is still ticking. This time, however, the Penn men's soccer team is not hoping for the game-tying goal, but rather hoping to salvage what has turned out to be a disappointing season. With the Ivy League title out of reach, the Quakers are looking for one thing -- respect. Having lost eight of their last nine games, including being shut out five times, the Quakers (3-8, 1-0 Philadelphia Soccer 7) would need to win all of their remaining games just to finish the season at .500. The Quakers hope to turn things around when they battle struggling Soccer 7 team St. Joseph's (2-10-2, 0-4-1) tonight at 7:30 p.m. at United German Hungarian Field. Penn coach George O'Neill has confidence in his team, but knows the Hawks' Aleksander Peev is always a threat. Peev is responsible for seven of the team's 12 goals scored this season. "Alek is a very good player," said O'Neill. "An excellent goal scorer. But, we can defend just as well as he can attack." The Quakers need another quality game like last Wednesday's performance against Delaware, in which they defeated the Blue Hens, 1-0, snapping a seven-game losing streak. However, the team did not keep any momentum, losing to Columbia, 3-0, last Saturday in New York. "It's a big game because we've got to get some wins under our belt to gain some respect," Quakers sophomore defender Tom Hughes said. The Quakers are going to focus on stepping out on the field and playing their game. Hughes is keeping a positive attitude. "Right now, we're just going to go out there and have some fun," Hughes said. "We're not going to worry about anything." O'Neill blames this season's struggles on mental errors rather than inadequate play. He attributes the lack of scoring to bad luck and missed opportunities, not poor shot selection. "When we get to the field we're just not mentally ready," said O'Neill. "The game has started before we realize it. "Saturday we spoke about it before the game, we spoke about it in the dressing room, we spoke about it on the field. Today, we will speak about it again." Nothing seems to help the Quakers, who are just unable to find the back of the net. "Our record doesn't really exemplify the way we play," said forward Steve Cohen. "It's frustrating." With three tough Ancient Eight matchups remaining, the Quakers' schedule isn't getting any easier. If they are to have any chance of equaling last year's 4-3 Ivy record, they are going to have to get their offense started immediately. "We've been trying to figure out all season what the problem is," said Cohen. "We'd be happy now to net a couple and disrupt the flow of other teams." Last season, the Red and Blue knocked off the Hawks 4-2 during their remarkable late-season comeback in which they won or tied eight of their last nine games. The Quakers hopes of repeating that performance have all but disappeared. But O'Neill has no plans of giving up. "Our goal for the rest of the season is to win every game we play," said O'Neill. "We're a good enough team." "We have no pressure on us," said Cohen. "Now it's a matter of respect for us. And pride."