Taking his chances

Although his "Games Played" is still only in the single digits for his college career, Penn goalkeeper Drew Healy is quick becoming known for his aggressive play.

Lucky for him and the rest of the Quakers, it seems to have paid off.

His latest display of quick-thinking came against Penn State last night. A counterattack led to a breakaway against the Quakers and Healy came out of the box to haul an attacker down, saving an almost sure goal (as a free kick given outside the box was blocked) but earning himself a red card and one-match ban in the process. It's something that almost any keeper would have done, and Healy showed that despite his relative inexperience in actual play, he still has the instincts of a seasoned veteran.

Against La Salle two weeks ago, he also almost saved (or lost) the game with some aggressive play. With Penn up 1-0 midway through the second half, La Salle earned themselves a one-on-one on the counterattack. An Explorers forward was rushing downfield with the ball, chased by the Quakers' defense. Healy ran out of his crease to meet the forward and cut off the angles, and dove on the ground toward the ball to stop the La Salle player from even getting a shot off. He got there cleanly, but the ball squirted over him and bounced slowly to the empty net -- slow enough that a Penn defender was able to get back and clear it off the line.

According to coach Rudy Fuller, in both cases "Healy did what he had to to save the team"