M. Soccer takes hard hit below the belt

A blown two-goal lead takes the Quakers out of the Ivy League title hunt. "Get a rope, get a tree, hang the [stinking] referee," one angry Penn parent shouted from the sideline. Not only was the Penn men's soccer team (4-9, 1-4 Ivy League) victimized by Brown's second-half comeback in its 3-2 loss on Saturday, but according to many in attendance, including Penn coach George O'Neill, poor officiating also played a large role. The Quakers, a team which has struggled offensively all season, had a commanding 2-0 lead midway through the second half. Penn dominated play in the first half, keeping pressure deep in the Bears' end while thwarting every Brown offensive rush. Sophomore goalie Michael O'Connor was rarely tested at all in the first 45 minutes. Penn's first goal came with nine minutes remaining in the first half. Junior Steve Cohen's corner kick wreaked havoc in the Brown box. Bears keeper Patrick Rea collided with Quakers defender Ted Lehman while going for the loose ball. With Rea down, the ball came to Penn junior Morgan Blackwell, who buried the ball in the open net. The Quakers added to their lead when a blistering shot by Cohen was tipped by Rea to a charging Blackwell, who netted his second goal of the game 10 minutes into the second half. "I really thought we were going to win," Penn defender Tom Hughes said. "We outplayed them, but we were a little lackadaisical in the back. But with the two-goal lead, I thought we were going to win." However, the bottom fell out once again for the Quakers. Less than one minute later, Brown answered with the first of its three goals. On a free kick from 20 yards out, the Bears capitalized on an designed play, setting up Brown's Chris Dodson. "There were a couple of deep free kicks," O'Neill said. "Their free kick set up a goal. It was a set piece. It wasn't as if they got through us. We beat them by playing balls in there behind them. It was a free kick, a set piece, and their guy obviously got in behind for a shot." After the Bears first goal, the momentum was clearly shifted in their favor. They had several free kicks deep in Penn's end, and the equalizer came 15 minutes later. O'Connor came far out of his net to grab a loose ball and collided with Lehman, who was injured on the play. Neither was able to control or clear the ball after the miscommunication, and the ball scooted to Brown midfielder Ryan Smith, who easily put the ball in the open net. The Quakers seemed rattled by the Brown comeback and could not generate any offensive pressure. Dodson then took over the game with his speed and physical play, keeping the ball deep near the Penn net. With just more than three minutes remaining in regulation, Dodson netted the game winner. Brown's Scott Powers crossed the ball to Mike Rudy, whose shot was saved by O'Connor. But O'Connor gave up the rebound to Dodson, who converted from 10 yards out. Neither O'Neill nor his players have been known to make excuses for losses. O'Neill will not divulge players' injuries even when they have severely limit his team's performance. So when he makes comments about officiating, you know he's serious. "I thought the referee had an off day, to tell you the truth," O'Neill said. "I don't think the referee called it equally both ways." A physical tone was set early in the game, resulting in minor skirmishes and altercations throughout the contest. Penn sophomore Tom Hughes was given a yellow card after kicking the Brown goalie. Hughes and several other Quakers were later involved in a shoving match with several Brown players, resulting in yellow cards for several players on both teams. Hughes was later given a red card after he knocked the ball away from a Brown player late in the game. As a result, he must sit out Wednesday's game against Villanova. "On the first yellow card, I was just going for the ball," Hughes said. "But on the last play, the guy was just holding the ball, taunting me. So I just snapped the ball out of his hands to play it quicker because there were only 20 seconds left. I was very frustrated and upset." The referee was quick to penalize in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent tempers from getting out of hand. "The referee definitely played a part in the game," Penn assistant coach David Cardie said. "He allowed [Dodson] to play. He used his body and didn't allow us to defend him. That's the only thing I can complain about."