Despite dropping six consecutive matches to conclude its 2001 season, the Penn men's soccer team did not fall short when it came to claiming postseason honors.
Earlier this month, Penn claimed the Philadelphia Soccer 7 title outright for the first time ever with a 3-0-1 intra-city record. And yesterday, two Quakers, senior defender John Salvucci and sophomore goalkeeper Matt Haefner, were named Philadelphia Soccer Seven All-Stars.
Salvucci, Penn's fiery red-headed tri-captain, served as both defensive anchor and vocal general in Penn's back-four.
"Salvucci was our best player all year," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "He was our leader all year long. He came to play every day."
After supplanting injured senior goalie Jeff Groeber in the starting lineup, Haefner's career as starting Penn netminder got off to a shaky start. In his first two games, the 6-foot-4 keeper gave up five goals.
Once Philadelphia Soccer Seven play began, however, Haefner's early struggles ceased.
The Penn goalie recorded a .917 save percentage in Philadelphia Soccer Seven play, including shutouts against Temple and Philadelphia University.
"Matt definitely deserved the award," Fuller said. "But he has just scratched the surface with what he is capable of doing."
Fuller also collected his share of Philadelphia Soccer Seven hardware. He was named co-winner of the Bill Harris Coach of the Year Award, along with St. Joseph's coach Tom Turner.
"It's a product of the players playing well," said Fuller, whose team finished 6-9-1 overall, and 2-5 in the Ivy League. "The guys on the team played tough against the Philadelphia rivals. They were all gunning for us."
Besides Penn's Philadelphia Soccer 7 honorees, the Quakers also had three players selected as All-Ivy choices.
Salvucci was named to All-Ivy second team squad, while fellow senior tri-captain Sam Chamovitz and freshman midfielder Stephen Kroculick both earned All-Ivy honorable mention.
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