Page 12
The Behrend Beacon
Women's soccer team
looking for fuel to gain speed
by Kevin Fiorenzo
staff writer
The Behrend women's
soccer team has hit a
rough patch. The Lions
were hut out in Brockport
4-0 on Saturday and then
lost on Wednesday at
home to Wooster by the
same score, dropping
their record to a disap
pointing 3-5.
[he Behrend women
play a very tough non
conference schedule and
SUNY Brockport was no
exception
- The women competed
very well and played
hard hut Brockport was
just the better team, - said
coach Dan Perritano.
In the end, the Lions
were just not quick and
athletic enough to keep
up with their opponents.
In terms of passing.
we just need to he
quicker, - sophomore
Carrie Smock said.
The women had high hopes that their game on
Wednesday against undefeated Wooster would
give them a chance to turn it around.
That was not meant to be. Once again the Li
ons competed and held the talented Wooster team
to only one goal in the first half.
In the second half, though, the Wooster squad
exploded for three unanswered goals. Afterwards
the girls were having a tough time coming
up with some reasons for the scoring drought.
"I really don't know what our problem is.
Maybe we need to change the offense a bit," said
sophomore Maria Gahagen.
Whatever the problem is, the Lions know they
will have to fix it fast as they are faced with an
other tough non-conference game against
Carnegie Mellon on Friday.
" They're a really good team. They beat us in
overtime last year, so we're looking to bounce
hack with that one," said Gahagen.
The season is still young, though. It hasn't yet
reached the halfway point and conference play
has yet to begin for the squad. The Lions begin
conference play on Wednesday against Pitt-
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Bradford. Freshman Stephanie Bowen said, " I
feel like every game we are improving and I think
we have a definite shot to make NCAAs."
Communication is going to be a key because
with only six upperclassmen on the team, the re
turnees will need to help the new players along
the way. The returning players don't see that as a
problem, though.
"The team chemistry is very good. We all get
along really well," says Smock.
The women know that there is room for im
provement, though.
"We've got to be quicker, moving from the de
fense to the forwards," said Bowen.
Along with their speed of play, the team is go
ing to have to have a lot of intensity to play well.
" To win our games, we are going to have to
play at a very high level," said Perritano.
Although, the last few games have had their
bumps, the women and their coach remain opti
mistic. Everyone gets along very well and works
well together.
" Everyone has their own individual skills, but
we all really bond well together," said Bowen.
[thition].
SORTS
tI E.
-,,44
Friday, September 20, 2002
your
I Senior Profile: Brian Wheeler 1
1 1
by Jen Henderson
associate editor
Brian Wheeler transferred to Penn
State Behrend last year after first
attending University Park. He is a
Computer Engineer major and can't
think of anything else he'd rather work
this hard for.
He began running cross country this
year and joining the team has been a
very rewarding experience for him.
"There is a special camaraderie
between the cross country runners
because we all have the same event,"
Wheeler said.
After starting out at University Park,
Wheeler realized he needed a change.
"After a few years of less than stellar
academic performance, I transferred
and got my act together. Behrend is
challenging, but more personable. I
liked the switch."
Wheeler did not join cross country or
track while at University Park, but last
semester he did run track here, where
he performed above average. He was
part of the team that ran the 4xBoo
event and set a new Behrend best with
a time of 8:09.56. When asked why he
didn't run for a college team before he
stated, "I never ran there,
but some of my high school
teammates did run there. I
mostly ran from Pollock
Halls to the Electrical
Engineering Building east
to get my homework in by
five o'clock."
He actually did run in
high school when in ninth
grade the coach approached
him and told him he should
run distance. He then
began to run cross country
during his junior year in
high school.
J
! ! FREE Pi:II2ES
Attend the nth- letic contests this week , an
d
receive free prizes!
WOMEN'S SOCCER
v►s.
College c•fVVocrster, 5 PM
Wednesday, September 18th
Behrend Fields
F - • c-r 67E
Carnegie Mellon University, 3 PM
Friday, September 20th
Behrerld Fields
Drawl s for FREE Max & Ernia t s Gift
Certificates
I 1) 0 . vs. Grove City College, 10 AM
and Washington and Je ff erson C o ll ege
I PM
Saturday, September 21st
Jtinker Center Natatorium
LETS SHOW 'EM YOUR BEHREND
LION SPIRIT!
SEE YOU THER
~..~
vir- '
WOMEN'S SOCCER
vs.
'''',IVIEN!SVATER.POLO,
According to Wheeler the great
benefits of the sport are "time manage
ment and physical fitness." He thinks
that running actually is helping his
school work too.
"I didn't think I would have the time
to run cross country last year, so I
didn't. When i ran track I realized that I
actually did better in school and had
time to run. The physical fitness aspect
has made me the beefcake I am today."
The highlight in his time here at
Behrend occurred last fall when he
received a 3.42 GPA.
"That was the highest I ever received
in college while taking my hardest
classes and finding my way into the
Behrend track and field record book".
Wheeler isn't always running.
"I'm trying to maximize my time with
friends and make as many new ones as I
can. Unfortunately, it took me five
years to get the hang of college and I'll
have to leave when I graduate next
spring."
When asked about the team's chance
heading into the Allegheny Invitational
he said, "Definitely! Most of the guys
are healthy and we've all been working
our hardest at practice."
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