M. Soccer finishes 1997 season in usual fashion

The Penn men's soccer team has struggled all season long, so it wasn't at all surprising to see them go out with a crash instead of a bang. The Quakers started their 1997 campaign full of hope with two straight victories, including a 1-0 win against defending Ivy League champion Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. The Quakers' dreams of a title soon turned to nightmares, as they lost their next seven, scoring only four goals during that stretch. "Not scoring is the crux of the matter," Penn coach George O'Neill said. "You can see everyone is trying their best. We are creating some chances." Penn hoped to wrap up its season on Saturday with a win against Ivy rival Princeton at Rhodes Field, but it was betrayed by its offense. The Quakers' 1-0 loss, on a second half goal by Kevin Griffin, dropped their record to 4-12-1 on the season (1-6 Ivy League), as the Tigers improved to 7-8-1, 2-3-1 in the league. The game was the eighth time this season the Quakers were shut out and their 10th consecutive loss to the Tigers. The game was particularly emotional for the four seniors on the team, Brad Copeland, Read Goodwin, Marc Schwartz and Jason Smoke, who were playing their last game at the collegiate level. "It was emotional, but not because it was the last game," Smoke said. "We just wanted to beat those guys and we came so close. They spoiled our run last year. It didn't really matter as far as the [NCAA] tournament, but it still kind of deflated us, so we wanted to get them back." Last year, Princeton defeated Penn 5-1, ending the Quakers' season and their six-game winning streak. Unlike last year, however, this season's game was a close one the entire way. Penn came out running hard and dominated the first few minutes of play with its clean passes to open men. Smoke had a good opportunity when he drove up the right side and sent a cross in front of the wide open net, but no one was there to convert. Freshman Henry Chen countered seconds later, but he headed the ball directly into the hands of the Tigers goalkeeper Ethan Bing. Princeton quickly battled back with strong offensive efforts of its own, led by forward Matt Streibel. The Tigers dominated the ball, keeping it in the Quakers half of the field. As the first half wound down, substitutions gave Penn fresh legs, producing more scoring opportunities. Goodwin maneuvered through two defensemen, but substitute forward Matt Huebner was unable to put his pass in the back of the net. Penn banged one more shot off the crossbar before the half came to a close tied at zero. "It was no one person's fault," Copeland said. "We struggled a lot, had good chances, but just couldn't put it in the back of the net." The second half opened with aggressive play by both teams. After several changes of possession, Princeton took control and began firing shots at the Quakers' net. The lone goal of the game occurred with 31 minutes remaining in the second half when a Princeton shot was deflected by Penn goalkeeper Michael O'Connor right to Tigers forward Kevin Griffin in the center of the field. With O'Connor out of position, Griffin was able to drive the ball into the net for the score. Princeton kept the pressure up, nearly scoring twice in the final 10 minutes. A miss wide right and a diving stop by O'Connor kept the Quakers within range. The last five minutes were spent primarily in the Princeton box, as Penn desperately sought an equalizer. The best chance was a header from junior forward Steve Cohen with three minutes to play. "They continued to fight to the last seconds of the game," O'Neill said. "All season long they've been doing that. The ball just hasn't gone the way we want it and that's going to happen sometimes. As frustrating as it is, that's part of the game of soccer." While the season didn't live up to the Quakers' expectations, not all was lost. "I'm only disappointed in the results," O'Neill said. "I'm not disappointed in the effort that the guys put forth. They never quit at any time. They kept fighting, but it's disappointing to lose." "It was fun," Smoke said. "We wished out record would have been better, but to play on the team no matter what happens to the season, it's still fun."