Men's Soccer whitewashed by UConn

STORRS, Conn. -- Six inches of snow surrounded the field and the bleachers were covered with ice. The temperature dropped below 30 degrees as the winds picked up and the sun set. Very few fans braved the weather last Wednesday at Connecticut's Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.

After multiple delays and time changes that eventually led to a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, the Quakers were ready to continue in their quest for the NCAA College Cup.

But the elements and No. 8 UConn stood in the Quakers' way, defeating Penn 4-0.

The Quakers took the field against a highly experienced Connecticut squad, which included nine players from the Huskies' 2000 NCAA National Championship team.

While Penn entered the game as the obvious underdog, it embraced the opportunity to take on a team such as Connecticut.

"After a season like this, a game like tonight's is what we play for," senior defender and team captain Nate Kennedy said. "Games like this are why we train so hard and try to win games, so we can get to this point."

Penn coach Rudy Fuller reiterated Kennedy's thoughts.

"Anytime you can play in an environment like UConn has, you relish the opportunity," Fuller said.

After thirty minutes of back and forth play, the Huskies opened the day's scoring when senior forward Damani Ralph broke through the midfield in the 31st minute.

He fired a shot that deflected off Penn defender Erik Hallenbeck, then ricocheted off the goal post into the net, past the outstretched arms of Penn goalkeeper Matt Haefner.

Ralph has been UConn's major scoring threat all season, earning 38 points on 17 goals and four assists.

In addition to leading the team in scoring, Ralph was also selected as a Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy finalist for the 2002 season -- the Hermann Trophy is awarded to college soccer's most outstanding player.

The Huskies refused to let up their offensive attack, netting their second goal just two minutes later at 33:03.

This time, sophomore defender Shavar Thomas headed home a corner kick from freshman Leandro de Oliveira.

Haefner misjudged the corner kick and was unable to snare the cross, allowing an unmarked Thomas to head the ball into an empty net.

Despite the Quakers' auspicious beginning, the two quick UConn goals put the game out of reach for a defensive minded Red and Blue squad.

"We thought the game got off to a very good start for us," Fuller said. "Both teams were trying to put things together and it was fun to watch. The game definitely turned in the seven or eight- minute span after the 30 minute mark when Connecticut got three goals."

The Huskies' third goal of the half came off yet another breakdown in the midfield by the Red and Blue.

UConn junior Cesar Cuellar knocked home a low cross-field feed from Ralph at 37:32, after the Huskies broke through Penn's defense on a counterattack.

With UConn carrying the 3-0 lead into halftime, Penn walked off the field, shocked at having let up three goals in just 45 minutes.

In the games leading up to the UConn match, during which Penn amassed a 12-4-1 record, the Quakers allowed a meager seven goals.

"They did what good teams do when you give them opportunities -- they finished off their chances," Fuller said. "We felt that there were some uncharacteristically poor decisions and plays on our part that we haven't seen from our team this year, which led to the three goals."

Fuller attempted to rally his players at halftime by focusing on what they had done well at the outset of the game.

"We felt very good about how the game had started. At halftime, we did a lot of talking about tightening things up and getting back playing how we started the game," Fuller said. "We thought about trying to get that next goal to make it 3-1 and see where the game went from there."

The Quakers emerged from the half with more confidence, looking to engineer a comeback.

As the half wore on and the conditions worsened, however, Penn's play began to drag.

After two consecutive saves from Haefner, UConn senior forward Michael Mordocco chipped in a rebound in the 84th minute to finish the scoring, up 4-0.

While the Quakers were disapointed to end their season with such a tough loss, they acknowledged that they learned a good amount from playing a national power like UConn.

"I am not going to be here next year, but I know for this team getting this far and losing the way we did puts a bad taste in your mouth," Kennedy said. "It's going to make next year's team anxious to get back here next year and go even further."

Heading into the game, the Huskies didn't take the Quakers for granted.

"We talked to a lot of people about [Penn]. They were [12-4-1] coming in. They beat Rutgers and Seton Hall, scored 19 goals and only allowed seven," Connecticut coach Ray Reid said. "But some people would say they weren't very good. We didn't understand how they couldn't be good."

Reid emphasized Penn's defense and stressed the importance of scoring early.

"To get the first goal on them was critical," Reid said. "If they had gotten the first goal, we may be done right now because they are so good defensively."

While Penn is done for the season, the Quakers have reason to be anxiously looking forward to next season. The Red and Blue will return 10 starters from this year's Ivy League championship team.

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