Soccer blanks La Salle

With 17 returning players, including the legs behind 16 of the team’s 22 goals last season, the Penn men’s soccer team had a lot to be optimistic about as it entered the 2010 season.

And after dominant victories against Big 5 rivals Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, it is clear that the optimism was not unfounded — though it might have been a bit misguided.

The Red and Blue swept its first weekend, with a 2-0 victory over St. Joe’s on Friday, and a 5-0 win over La Salle that featured a breakout performance from freshman Stephen Baker.

Despite playing in only half of the La Salle game (due to a mandatory freshman orientation event), Baker scored two goals and assisted another. He also netted a goal two days earlier against St. Joe’s (0-2).

Baker’s performance in the first two games earned him both Ivy League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week awards for the first week of the season.

Although the Quakers (2-0) expected to win these two games, it was the dominant fashion in which they did so that is encouraging for the team.

In addition to leaving both of its opponents scoreless, Penn out shot St. Joe’s, 23-8, and La Salle, 26-11.

In his postgame interview with Penn Athletics, head coach Rudy Fuller said that he was very pleased with the weekend’s results.

“Five-nothing is a convincing result against a challenging La Salle opponent,” he said.

Part of the coach’s enthusiasm comes from the team’s budding chemistry, which was sparked largely by the Quakers’ two-week preseason camp, where the team can practice without the distraction of schoolwork.

“In practice, we really try and push the envelope, make things as fast as possible, put each other under pressure and I think that goes a long way,” said senior forward Tobi Olopade.

Fuller told Penn Athletics that “the preseason is a huge plus” but also acknowledged that bringing a big team together during that short period can be difficult.

According to Olopade, the integration of the freshmen into the team dynamic was a major emphasis in camp.

He also expects the freshmen to play a big role in determining the team’s success this year.

“Each freshman is unique they each bring something to they table,” Olopade said. “They’ve all done pretty well getting acclimated to the pace of the college game.”

The Red and Blue will face their first big test against George Mason in Friday’s Penn Soccer Classic. The Quakers will be looking to get some long revenge against the Patriots, who eliminated Penn from the 2008 NCAA soccer tournament.

Sports editor Lauren Plotnick contributed reporting to this article.

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