Notebook: New-found success loosens M. Soccer

Winning two of its last three has made practice more fun for Penn. John Salvucci was fired up. A sophomore defender on the Penn men's soccer team, Salvucci had just nailed a shot past goalie Jeff Groeber from 12 yards out. And now Salvucci, his curly red hair bouncing as he jumped up and down, was screaming and pointing as teammate Mike McElwain congratulated him. So when did this spectacle of celebration happen? Yesterday at practice. The Quakers have won two out of their last three games after starting out 0-3-2. And the wins have made the team a lot looser in practice. "There's a more relaxed atmosphere, which I think is good for the team," Groeber said. "We were worried about getting the win but now we feel like there's a little pressure off." So with the pressure having subsided, the team can enjoy practices -- and the five-on-five scrimmages on a 40-yard field yesterday certainly demonstrated that. The team, however -- still focused on a one-touch game -- had no shortage of trash-talking in the scrimmages. "You can trash-talk with a more kidding-around light-heartedness," Salvucci said. "If you trash-talk when you lose, you take it more to heart." · The Quakers' recent success has been accomplished without the services of two of their opening-day starters. Senior defender Ted Lehman and freshman midfielder Alex Maasry, both injured in practice last month, may miss the remainder of the season. Lehman suffered a concussion after a collision and has not competed since. Because the Holtwood, Pa., native has suffered several concussions in the past, doctors are worried of the long-term effects of another head injury. "We will re-evaluate things when we get more reports back," Lehman said. As of now, the senior is out indefinitely. Maasry, meanwhile, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after injuring it in practice two weeks ago. "I cut at a different direction, put weight on my right knee and I came down funny," Maasry said. "It didn't even hurt that bad but I couldn't straighten my leg out." Recovery time is usually six to eight weeks and Maasry suffered his injury six weeks prior to the end of the season. So while there is an outside shot the freshman could return for the last few games of the season, Maasry considers a 1999 return "unlikely." "It's been frustrating because I was playing with a bruised hip and I just returned to full health when I injured my knee," Maasry said. "It's frustrating because I started to feel good again and I got put out for the season." Junior Austin Deng has been the primary replacement for Maasry in the midfield, while freshman William Lee has stepped into Lehman's backfield spot. · Through eight games last year, Penn had scored just three times but the Quakers have nearly tripled their offensive output with eight goals in their first eight games this year. However, the change has not come directly from the returning players; veterans have scored only three times this season. Instead it has been the freshmen providing the offensive punch, as the first-year players have combined for five of the Quakers' eight goals. "Twelve of 27 players on the roster are freshmen," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "So, if you're a betting man, pretty good money would be on the freshmen scoring." William Libby has scored twice and is leading the team in scoring, while freshmen Robb Jankura, Nathan Kennedy and Niko Vittas have also netted goals for Penn this season.

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