Penn men's soccer prepares for tough trip

Traditionally, a trip across the country doesn’t bring a team closer to home, but Penn men’s soccer isn’t like most teams.

When the Quakers (2-0) take their trip to Washington this weekend to face Seattle University (2-1) and No. 10 University of Washington (2-1), three members of the team — senior Lou Schott, sophomore Matt Poplawski and freshman Marc Kaizi-Lutu — will find themselves near their hometowns and playing against familiar foes.

As a senior, the trip holds special significance for Schott, a Medina, Wash., native, who looks forward to playing close to home and eating some home-cooked meals. But while the chance to play near home is definitely on his mind, Schott’s first thoughts were about the games themselves.

“I want to beat them. I want to play well against a bunch of kids I know,” Schott said of his reaction to hearing about the schedule. “It’s nice to be able to go home during the semester.”

In what will be the team’s longest and most-challenging road trip of the season, the team will benefit from the ability to have a home away from home with the families of their players. It should particularly provide comfort for Schott, Poplawski and Kaizi-Lutu.

“I think we’re going to get their best effort. They’re going to be very comfortable in the games because they’re familiar with a lot more players,” coach Rudy Fuller said of the Washington natives.

“It might be a little different if we were going to a different part of the country and playing similar teams.”

The Quakers go up against two of the strongest teams on their schedule in a three-day span, in a stretch that will likely play a large role in determining the team’s postseason fate. A win against either program would significantly boost Penn’s RPI and increase the chances of an NCAA Tournament bid, regardless of the outcome of Ivy League play.

Penn’s first game will come against a Seattle squad that swept through its first two games of the season before facing off against Washington last weekend in a game the Huskies won handily, 4-1.

While Seattle appeared strong to start the season, the loss to Washington was enough to drop them out of the rankings. Meanwhile, the Huskies showed off the dominant offense that propelled them to the No. 2 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament and a No. 4 preseason ranking.

Penn will have to go up against that offensive attack — one that has generated 34 shots on goal through three games — on Sunday.

“Keep the ball. It’s really important for us to not give the ball away easily,” Fuller said.

“We’ve got to make them defend. We’re good enough to create chances, but if we’re giving the ball away casually, they will punish us.”

The Quakers benefitted last weekend from strong offensive play that led to six goals and two wins. However, the Red and Blue defense faltered at times, and a renewed focus this week may help to work out some early-season kinks.

“It’s a position we want to be in, we consider ourselves one of the top teams in the country, and we have high aspirations for this season,” Fuller said.

“In order to reach those [goals], you need to be able to beat teams like Seattle and Washington.”

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