After another trying road trip and another two losses against conference opponents-a 1-0 squeaker to Carnegie Mellon on Friday, followed by a 7-0 blowout loss to Emory on Sunday-the men's soccer team sunk to a 6-6-1 overall record and a 0-3-1 UAA record.Emory, ranked No. 17 in the nation, pestered the Judges' defense with 16 shots on Sunday. The Eagles opened up the scoring parade in the sixth minute when senior Karl Dix assisted rookie Patrick Carver to find the net. After allowing only one more goal in the first half to trail 2-0 at halftime, the Judges allowed a flood of five goals in the second half to punctuate the victory.

"The effort level has to improve," midfielder Charles Goodhue '06 said. "After the first couple goals, the effort level kind of dropped off."

On Friday against Carnegie Mellon, goalie Matt Kaplan '06 made three saves and the Judges took 10 shots but fell 1-0 off a late-game penalty kick. The key play took place in the 73rd minute when Kaplan recieved a penalty just outside the box and Carnegie Mellon senior Daniel Mastalski converted the free kick into the left corner of the goal.

The Judges pressured the Tartans' defense the entire game, but were unable to score as Carnegie Mellon rookie goalie Matthew Bazin rose to the task with six saves.

Despite the loss, Stewart said that the team played well.

"That game might be our best game of the season," he said. "We were very unlucky to come out on the losing end. Offensively, we had a lot of chances to put them away, but the goal didn't come."

Kaplan started in goal for both games this week in place of injured goalie Jake Knoll '08, who broke his leg while making a save against MIT on Oct 5.

While Kaplan said that he is gaining experience, he acknowledged that he needs to improve his play.

"The biggest thing that I can improve is my footwork," he said.

After a strong start, the offense has struggled immensely in recent games against tougher conference competition, only scoring one goal in the last three contests.

Stewart said young front -ine players such as Premo and Ed Colburn '09 are talented but will need more experience.

"They're coming around and they're showing some heart, but, at this level, you don't really expect freshmen to jump in and make a big impact," Stewart said. "They're holding their own, but they don't have the experience just yet."

The Judges have a chance to bounce back when they take a break from their UAA schedule to take on regional rival Springfield College on Wednesday at 7 p.m on the road.

"We need to try to score some goals," Stewart said. "We have a lot better chance if we score early, because our defense can step it up with the lead."

Goodhue agreed, saying, "We really need to come out and try to pop one in the net real early.