M. Soccer to test offense against Lions

After netting two goals in their first win Tuesday, the Quakers will see if they can score their first Ivy goals of the year. It may have taken almost almost six games, 539 minutes and 103 shots on goal. But senior midfielder David Bonder's last-minute goal to edge out Temple on Tuesday could not have come at a better time for the Penn men's soccer team, which is riding the success of its first victory this season all the way to the Big Apple. The Quakers (1-3-2, 0-1-1 Ivy League) will square off tomorrow in a hotly contested match against Ivy rival Columbia (5-2, 0-2). According to Penn coach Rudy Fuller, the goal may have been a turning point. For the second straight year, Penn was winless in its first five games. But Bonder's goal just might be the beginning of a winning streak. "We are obviously feeling good about ourselves right now," Fuller said. "The guys have done a tremendous job bouncing from a tough week and have stayed level-headed." Freshman midfielder William Libby, who scored in the first-half of Penn's 2-1 victory Tuesday, said that win has boosted the young team's comfort and its overall level of play. "We were definitely more dangerous in the Temple game," Libby said. "[The goal] gave us confidence which should be a real advantage against Columbia." Facing the hard-nosed, physically aggressive Lions, Penn certainly has its work cut out. Last year, a hard-fought battle with Columbia resulted in a 0-0 tie, and this year both teams are better and more experienced. But whether Penn -- which has not scored a goal in Ivy competition since a September '98 loss to Dartmouth -- will be able to score against Columbia remains a key question. "Goals are at a premium for any team in the Ivy League," Fuller said, pointing out the need to create scoring opportunities. "We need to be as sharp as we were Tuesday and then fight a little harder against Columbia." Solid play from a core of freshmen -- including Libby, forward Justin Litterelle, midfielders Eric Mandel and Nathan Kennedy and fullback William Lee -- will be critical for success against a highly skilled Lions team. While 19 out of 27 Quakers are either freshmen or sophomores, Fuller said the large amount of playing time his young players have received have enabled them to quickly adjust to the intense Ivy competition. "By now, our freshman are no longer freshman," Fuller said, pointing out that his bench is considerably deeper this year. "[The freshmen] have faced two Ivy League teams and are now ready to go against Columbia." In order to win this weekend, Fuller said his team must come out hard again and take it to Columbia for the full 90 minutes. He also said the team has to remain organized in the backfield and will need strong play from senior co-captain Michael O'Connor in net, who will likely see more action than he did against the Owls, when he needed to make just five saves.

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