There's bad luck - and then there's Columbia luck. The Lions' football program is certainly no stranger to losing streaks. Its 44-game skid in the 1980s is the second-longest in Division I history. But now, trying to ride out a 12-game tumble - the second-longest active rut in the Football Championship Subdivision - Columbia(0-4, 0-1 Ivy) seems to be getting the short end of every stick and the raw end of every deal.

By ANDY KUHN Contributing Writer dpsports@dailypennsylvanian.com The seven-hour ride to New Hampshire will be almost as challenging for the men's soccer team as the actual game with Dartmouth. That's because of what the ride home might mean. The fear of departing with an "L" to an Ivy League opponent is motivation enough for the Quakers to play at the top of their game.

The men's soccer team returned to early-season form Saturday night with a 1-0 victory over host Dartmouth. Goalkeeper Drew Healy notched nine saves en route to his eighth shutout of the season, bringing the Quakers' to 8-2-3 overall. The lone goal came off the foot of senior midfielder Alex Grendi in the 33rd minute.

Goalkeeper Sara Rose has posted four shutouts for the women's soccer team this season, including blank slates over Harvard and Cornell - and there is nothing to stop her from thinking that Dartmouth will struggle to put one past her tomorrow in Hanover, N.

At this weekend's National Tennis Center Invite, the Quakers got to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium and use the same locker rooms as the pros. But even with a behind-the-scenes tour of U.S. Open facilities, the women couldn't quite channel their inner Maria Sharapova.

After a poor showing in Friday's first half against Columbia, in which the Penn women's soccer team was outshot, 7-3, and outscored, 1-0, coach Darren Ambrose had a message for his players. "Darren talked to us at halftime and basically asked, 'Why are you so scared? You don't have anything to be afraid of.

In early September, volleyball coach Kerry Carr was planning her season, making note of tough opponents like Princeton, exhausting trips to Florida and California and the "Dig Pink" breast cancer awareness event for Penn's home match against Dartmouth on Oct.

With the chance to give her team a commanding three-point lead late in the second set, Penn's Julia Swanson made a critical error blocking Columbia sophomore Colleen McNutt, allowing the Lions to close the gap to 21-20. On the next play, Swanson exacted her revenge.

By BRANDON MOYSE Senior Sports Editor bmoyse@dailypennsylvanian.com The margin for error in soccer is perhaps the narrowest of any team sport. One shot, one bounce or one penalty can make all the difference. "It's a funny game in that regard," Penn men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller likes to say, something he repeated after last Saturday's match with Columbia.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 11 On 1st and 10 from the Georgetown 47 late in the first quarter, running back Mike DiMaggio sprinted right on an off-tackle run. As the sophomore tried to hurdle, defensive back Sean McNally hit his legs from underneath, and with a thud he landed square on his left shoulder, in visible pain.

By RICKY KATZ Contributing Writer dpsports@dailypennsylvanian.com Through 30 minutes last night, the Penn field hockey team hung tight with No. 16 Drexel. Then came the second half. After the break, upfield pressure prevented the Quakers from moving the ball into Dragons territory.

With its fall season nearing an end, the Penn men's tennis team descended upon New York City along with 11 other schools for the Columbia Classic. But in the 'B' singles final, only Quakers took center stage, as freshman Phil Law beat classmate and teammate Jason Lin to take the championship.

It's official: Brian Fitzpatrick, a 6-foot-8 forward from Northfield, Mass., committed to Penn on Tuesday, his father confirmed last night. He's the second recruit for coach Glen Miller's Class of 2013, joining guard Carson Sullivan, who committed in early October.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 11 - Junior Chris Wynn caught the opening kickoff, burst through what he called an "enormous hole" and in only 13 seconds, gave the Quakers a 7-0 lead. Fifty-nine minutes and 47 seconds of dominating play later, Penn left the nation's capital with a 27-7 win over Georgetown.

Men's tennis coach Nik DeVore likes winning - but he sees an advantage to losing, too. "Losing matches is not such a bad thing because then we get to play consolation games," DeVore said. Consolation matches, and the experience that comes with them, should not be hard to come by for the Quakers today at the Columbia Invitational in New York.

As the women's tennis team heads to Flushing Meadows - the annual site of the U.S. Open - coach Mike Dowd hopes his players will be able to enjoy New York City. But he also has moderately lofty goals for this weekend's National Tennis Center Invite, which he hopes will give his young team some valuable experience.

Penn men's soccer captain John Elicker has a chip on his shoulder. That may be surprising, considering his 7-1-3 Quakers just lost their first match of the season and reeled off seven straight shutouts to open their schedule. But heading into tomorrow night's match at Rhodes Field against Columbia (2-6-1), Penn's previously impregnable defense has looked very vulnerable, surrendering eight goals in its last four games.