Soccer teams look to score in '99

Co-captain O'Connor seeks to return to his all-star form of '96. And that's exactly what Mike O'Connor thought. As a freshman goalie on the Penn men's soccer team in 1996, O'Connor led the way with a 1.36 goals against average for a Quakers squad that finished 7-1-1 in its last nine games and tied for second in the Ivy standings. But then something happened that made that bright future look extremely hazy. During a club practice in the spring of 1997, O'Connor tore his meniscus while diving for a ball, putting his young career in jeopardy. After surgery and extensive rehab, O'Connor was able to play his sophomore year, but his knee hadn't fully recovered. That year, Penn finished a disappointing 4-12-1 overall and 1-6 in the Ivy League. O'Connor had corrective surgery following sophomore year, but throughout his junior season, he still had not regained the form that had won him so many accolades in 1996. This year, however, should be different. O'Connor, now a senior, has completely healed. A returning co-captain, the fully recovered netminder leads a revamped team that hopes to make a big splash in the Ivy League. "I was actually frustrated it took so long to get back," said O'Connor, who hails from Springfield, Pa. "I knew I would always get back to full strength but I just kept working on building up the muscle and finally last spring I started feeling 100 percent again." Without O'Connor at his best, the team clearly struggled. After a tough 1997 season, the new-look Quakers -- under first-year coach Rudy Fuller -- were 4-11-1 overall last year, with an 0-6-1 mark in the Ivies. O'Connor's individual statistics were also markedly worse, with his GAA shooting up to 1.8 in 1997 and 1.95 in 1998. His save percentage also dropped .092 off the .842 he posted in Ivy play in '96. "It was tough to see Mike go through the rehab and have things not go well for him," senior co-captain Reggie Brown said. "Having him at full strength is wonderful. His size leadership, presence and reputation makes his return a big plus for us." All agree that a healthy O'Connor -- along with a good mix of veterans and a strong freshman class -- could mean the end of Penn's recent losing trend. The Red and Blue have not won an Ivy title since 1980. "For the past eight or nine years, Penn has struggled overall as a program," Fuller said. "We've put the team through a rigorous overhaul and we have a drastically different team compared with previous years. Mike is obviously a tremendously important player with this changed team." Last year's struggles can not be pinned solely on O'Connor and the team's defense. In fact, the offense was more of a concern to the coaching staff. "Mike was certainly not a weak link last year," Fuller said. "Overall our team defending could have been better but the goal scoring was more the issue." Last season the team had a lot of players who were not used to having the pressure of scoring. Most of the Quakers had grown accustomed to having played the role of feeding the ball to the scorers. Thus, Penn struggled early, scoring just three goals in its first 10 games. As the season wore on, however, there was some improvement -- Penn won two of its last three road games and outshot Ivy champion Brown on the road. Often, O'Connor and the backfield kept Penn in the game when the offense struggled. The Quakers hope this late-season success will continue into this year. "We are not going to be a scoring dynamo, but we will put the ball in the net," Fuller said. With a better offense and O'Connor anchoring the defense, the team believes that there is no telling what they can accomplish. "Mike is clearly a different keeper than I have seen in the past," Fuller said. "This fall he's stepped it up another level and he's playing the best soccer of his life right now. With a keeper like that, anything is possible." O'Connor also believes his return will bring bring good fortune to the Quakers. "I think I can bring a lot of experience to the back, but the biggest thing I can bring is confidence and stability too," O'Connor said. "That along with a strong senior core providing leadership makes me ecstatic about the team." If O'Connor should struggle, however, sophomore Jeff Groeber is a more-than-capable backup. He started one game last year and recorded a 1.08 GAA in three games. "Jeff pushed Mike hard, but Mike is still the starter," Fuller said. "Jeff has improved along with Mike, so they're good for each other and they'll both get positive effects from the competition." Despite the promise Groeber has shown, Penn will need a strong performance from O'Connor in his final year if the Quakers are to make any impact in the always-tough Ivy League. But Brown is confident that his teammate has this ability. "People respect him throughout the league and even outside the league," he said. "He'll have a great year, even better than his freshman year." Brown's prediction is a bold one. But if O'Connor can return to, and even improve upon, his pre-injury form, the promise of a bright future -- and a winning record for the Quakers -- could become a reality.