The Penn men's soccer team ended its 2001 campaign the same way it began it -- with a loss.
Last Saturday, Dartmouth proved too much for a weary Quakers squad, beating the Red and Blue, 2-1, in sudden-death overtime.
The Quakers finished off their season on a six-game losing streak, ultimately ending up 6-9-1 overall and 2-4 in the Ivy League.
Saturday's contest was the last collegiate game for Penn seniors Evan Anderson, John Salvucci, Sam Chamovitz, Rocco Santangelo and Jeff Groeber. Groeber, out this season due to a knee injury, watched from the sidelines as his teammates folded in the last minutes of the contest.
The Red and Blue refused to go down without a fight, playing a 107-minute game of heated soccer.
"It's just when you see the clock, you see how much time is left in your career, you don't get tired and you put it all on the line," Penn tri-captain Salvucci said.
But the seniors would have preferred a drastically different ending.
"It's not how you dream about going out, but that's how it happened," Salvucci said.
The Quakers began the season with high aspirations, believing that this year would mark a turnaround in the Penn men's soccer program.
"I think our team as a whole is disappointed because we couldn't pull off a win for the seniors," Penn defender Will Lee said. "They have worked hard all season and they have, by far, the most heart. Not doing it for the seniors was the toughest part of [Saturday's] defeat."
Although Penn's record isn't much better than last year's, when it went 6-10-1 overall and 1-5-1 in the Ancient Eight, the Quakers believe this season has been one of improvement.
"I felt like the mentality of the team has changed a lot in the four years I've been here," Salvucci said. "Everyone is on the same page, doing all they can to win.... You've got to keep going in the right direction. We set the team up for another improved [season] next year."
The Red and Blue made significant strides in the right direction this fall, with victories over teams they haven't beaten often before, like Yale and Cornell.
Penn's trouble didn't begin until late October. After a series of wins -- at one point the Quakers won six of their eight games -- the squad seemed to run out of energy.
"Losing against teams like Georgetown, I think that really hurt our momentum as a team," Lee said. "Our team is very young and our inexperience hurt us. But it leaves us optimistic for next season."
Next year. The coaches, the players and the fans can't help but think about it.
The Quakers were largely spurred on this season by the breakout performances of numerous freshmen, and thus the future of the program looks extremely bright.
"The team has more talent than I've ever seen," Salvucci said. "The kids coming in next year, from what I've heard, are top recruits in the country. The team is changing for the better. It feels good to leave knowing that they are getting more successful."
