Penn men's soccer working on its endgame

Of Penn men’s soccer’s six losses, two have come in overtime, and two more have come in the final 20 minutes of play.

With so many close finishes, one must ask, why can’t the Red and Blue finish?

The problem seems to be their endgame. The Quakers (2-6-0) don’t seem to have the stamina or drive to finish a game strong. But coach Rudy Fuller disagrees with this interpretation.

“I don’t think it’s the end of games as much as it is breakdowns at certain points,” Fuller said.

“Everyone is kind of latching onto this late game idea, but it has nothing to do with the timing of the game. It is more at guys doing their job well each and every time.

Fuller thinks that the solution to winning games will come in each individual becoming more consistent and producing every time, thereby avoiding the breakdowns that seem to be plaguing the Quakers.

“It’s not complicated issues we are dealing with,” Fuller said. “It’s individual defending. It’s losing track of a runner. It’s not putting proper pressure on the ball. It’s more in the individual side of it than anything as a team.”

Senior midfielder Austin Kinn doesn’t see it the same way as Fuller.

“I think we just have to put in a full 90 minutes and stay focused,” Kinn said. “We tend to lose focus, and it’s everyone on the team not just a single person.

Whatever the reasons may be for the Quakers’ lack of success, they will have one last game to try and build momentum before league games begin on Saturday.

Tonight’s match against neighbor Drexel (5-2-1) is a team favorite.

“We are going in to win it,” Fuller said. “City Derby. It’s an important game for us because Drexel is one of our bigger rivals in the city being that they are so close to us so we are looking forward to it.”

“It’s always a great rivalry,” Kinn said. “We have strong belief in ourselves, and really this is a warmup, you could say, for the Ivy League schedule.”

This will be the Red and Blue’s third game in six days. The multitude of games combined with Ivy play beginning on Saturday will lead the Quakers to go deep into the bench and play some new faces.

Maybe a change in the lineup will bring Penn the energy needed to rack up a win going into Saturday’s game against Cornell.

If not, the Quakers might be looking at a season very similar to 2012’s 3-13 debacle.

SEE ALSO

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Penn men’s soccer runs out of gas in overtime, 3-2

Sunshine state slate on tap for Penn men’s soccer

Late goals end Penn men’s soccer’s chances versus Cats

Penn men’s soccer thrashed by Georgetown

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