The Hawk

Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Sports

Rebounding from a poor start begins with Benedict in net.

When universities are close in proximity, their sports teams tend to always fight that much harder to demonstrate their superiority. It's the same for the city of Philadelphia; if anything, it applies more. This week there is a Big 5 battle on Finnesey Field, the Saint Joseph's Hawks Men's soccer team hosts city rival, University of Pennsylvania.

The Hawks don't enter this match-up in very good shape, coming off four straight losses. Most recently, they dropped both games of a two game road trip: a heartbreaker to Pittsburgh in overtime, and a loss at LaSalle.

The Hawks have struggled to find a balance between the defense and offense simultaneously; when one is working, the other is not. The Hawks have been in close battles and have just been getting edged out. This week, they look to buck that trend versus Penn. The Hawks will be hosting Penn this Saturday in the second Big 5 match for the Quakers and third for the Hawks. UPenn, like the Hawks, hasn't fared too well in the past few games either, or the entire season, for that matter. The past two games for the Quakers have been two of their better outings. Both have been double overtime ties against Lehigh and LaSalle. The games prior to those resulted in one win and three losses, most of them to tough teams on the road.

The Hawks will try to use their home-field advantage this weekend to pull out of their recent funk and get back on the winning track. Good offensive play from the forwards will be one key to victory this weekend. St. Joe's has scored quickly this season, but has lacked that offensive prowess in the latter stages of games. Protecting their goaltender from shots on goal will be another concern for the Hawks. Lately, they have been letting up an uncanny amount of shots, which in turn have allowed for more scoring opportunities for their opponents. A tight defensive unit combined with an aggressive offensive force will lead to good team play for St. Joe's.

Another concern for the Hawks is that they enter this game after a little break from action. The last official game for St. Joe's was last Saturday, Sept. 22nd. The lack of game play could be both a positive and negative for the team. The time off gives the team a chance to rest their legs and get back to full strength. On the other hand it allows for rust. The Hawks may not be as sharp out of the gate, which could be cause for worry.

Working for the Hawks is the fact that the Penn Quakers have had trouble scoring this year. The Hawks must try to call upon players, young and old, to keep pouring on the offense. If St. Joe's midfielders and forwards can keep the pressure on Penn's defense, they will be successful and come away with the win.

The Hawks will do everything they can to prepare for the game, and stay fresh and focused so that they are completely ready for the Quakers.

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