M. Soccer prepares for physical battle

the last time Penn met Old Dominion, it was not a pretty game. It might be appropriate for the Penn men's soccer team to change its colors on Saturday from red and blue to black and blue, as the Quakers' game against Old Dominion at Rhodes Field has all the makings of a physical battle. The two teams' only other meeting -- which took place last year -- was physical, highlighted by the ejection of Penn then-senior defender Jared Boggs for a takedown of an Old Dominion player. "They're fairly aggressive," Penn senior Jason Karageorge said. "Maybe kind of dirty." Rhodes Field is also tailor-made for a physical game, as last summer's drought has left the field in a worn-out condition that makes ball control nearly impossible. "It's not conducive to a pretty game," Penn senior Reggie Brown said. "It's not something where you're going to string 10, 15 passes together in the offensive third. It's bang, bang, bang, keep it clean defensively and pick your breaks offensively." And don't forget that Penn has committed an astounding 91 fouls and picked up four yellow cards in the past four games. "If we go in on a hard tackle and we end up getting a piece of the man unintentionally and we get a yellow [card], that's just the way it goes," Karageorge said. But, more than just an aggressive battle, this game will be the most difficult challenge Penn (3-4-2) has had to face this season. The Quakers are on a roll, having won three of their last four games, but they will run into an even hotter Old Dominion team on Saturday. The Monarchs, ranked fifth in the South Atlantic region, have won five games in a row and are 9-2 overall. Old Dominion, unlike Penn, sports a star scoring threat in forward Jimmy Tanner. The 6'1'', 180-pound senior, who has scored 13 goals in the Monarchs' 11 games, is expected to match up with Penn defenders John Salvucci and William Lee. "Jimmy Tanner's a great forward; we've got to keep a close eye on him," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "But I feel good about the matchup with either [Salvucci] or William." Old Dominion's success this season has been a result of more than just Tanner's play, however. Freshman midfielder Michael Tooley has also been an offensive threat, scoring seven goals and leading the team with four assists. The defense, meanwhile, has helped the Monarchs' goalies record six shutouts in the team's 11 games. The game, which starts at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, has the makings of a low-scoring affair, like all of the Quakers' games this season. "We're looking at close to another shutout," Brown said. "It's going to be tight, 1-0, 2-1, 2-0 maybe. I don't expect a big scoring outburst from either team. The field is not conducive to one team breaking away with the play."

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