Maier's first goal hands M. Soccer big win

Penn senior Ralph Maier netted his first career goal as the men's soccer team upset Maryland-Baltimore County. Four years down, three games to go. Senior captain Ralph Maier knew going into yesterday's game that his opportunities to score a collegiate goal before graduation were waning. He picked the perfect time to finally hit the back of the net. Maier's goal nine minutes into yesterday's game against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (10-6-2) shifted the momentum in Penn's favor, leading the men's soccer team to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Retrievers at Rhodes Field. "You're not going to see a better goal than that," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "Evan Anderson put a fantastic cross in the box. Then Ralph came streaking in and just banged the header home." "I didn't even know where it went," Maier said. "I've had my opportunities before -- against St. Francis I had two shots hit the post. I've been waiting for this forever. But now that one [goal] is under my belt, hopefully I can get a couple more." Despite Maier's heroics, the Quakers (4-9-1) did not take the lead until almost 12 minutes into the second half, when junior David Bonder kicked the ball past UMBC goalie Tom Wunk. "He had a great run forward out of the center midfield," Fuller said. "Ralph played a good ball through to him, and he finished it." The game did not start off as well for Penn though. Just over four minutes into the game, Ryan Lampton gave UMBC a 1-0 lead by beating Quakers goalie Michael O'Connor on a breakaway. "We came out pretty slow," O'Connor said, "but it says a lot about the guys, to be down after a really weak goal and be able to come back and score a really good one." UMBC Coach Pete Caringi noted that his team is not prone to scoring first. "We usually have to come back," Caringi said, "so our early lead gave us a false sense of security." That sense of security paved the way for Maier's tying goal and the Quakers' dominant second half. Coach Fuller -- usually calm in the locker room -- utilized a different halftime strategy in this game. "In the first half we got beat to some balls and really weren't playing at our best level. So at halftime, I really laid down a challenge to some of the upperclassmen who we were counting on, and man, did they step up to the plate," Fuller said. "It was beautiful. They really came out full throttle the second half and absolutely deserved to win the game." Penn's dominance in the second half may only have led to one goal, but several more chances were stifled by offsides penalties. Still, the game was in doubt until the last minute, as the Retrievers kept O'Connor busy with their attacking offense. "They worked the ball through," O'Connor said. "But they never got that amazing scoring chance. There were no defensive breakdowns." "We had opportunities, and we didn't capitalize on them," Caringi said. "They had opportunities, and they did. That's just the way soccer is." Caringi points to UMBC's hectic recent schedule as a hindrance for the Retrievers in yesterday's game. "This past weekend took a lot out of us emotionally and physically," he said. "We didn't have the energy to play and, well, you see what happened." What happened was Penn recorded its third victory in the last four games.

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