Rudy Fuller has every reason to be excited about the 2002 fall season.
His men's soccer squad is set to move into its newly renovated home -- Rhodes Field -- by the first home game.
Fuller's team returns all but three starters and will be boosted by a strong recruiting class.
The expectations for the season are steadily climbing.
Off the field, the anticipation is growing as well.
On Aug. 27 the Quakers tallied the most points in a preseason Philadelphia Soccer 7 poll.
The Philadelphia Soccer 7 league is made up of seven Philadelphia area universities. The teams in the league are only scheduled to play four other Soccer 7 schools each season.
The Red and Blue captured the Philly Soccer 7 Championship outright last season for the first time in the 23 year history of the league.
Although Penn had never previously been in sole possession of the title, the Quakers took a share of the championship in 1981, 1984 and 1986.
In terms of this year's voting, Penn garnered 36 number one votes, five ahead of runner-up St. Joseph's.
Drexel and Villanova grabbed the same amount of votes with 27 at the third slot. Philadelphia University fell in at fourth, followed by Temple and La Salle.
The Quakers, who return 10 starters from last season, have five games scheduled against Soccer 7 teams this season.
However, only the first four games will count toward the regional title.
At the first-ever Penn Soccer Classic on Sept. 20-22, the Quakers will play host to their first two Philadelphia opponents.
On Sept. 20 the Quakers face off against La Salle in their home opener. La Salle, which was picked to finish last in the preseason poll, may not be the Quakers' most daunting opponent of the season, but will still be a test for Penn nonetheless.
Last fall, the Red and Blue tied La Salle in a hard fought battle.
It was their 2-1 victory over Drexel, however, that set the Quakers on the path for the Philadelphia Soccer 7 title.
On Sept. 22, the Quakers take on Drexel in the second game of the Penn Classic.
La Salle bucked the preseason rankings with a win 3-2 over city-rival Drexel on Aug. 31.
Last week Drexel easily beat Philadelphia University, ending in a 4-0 victory for the Dragons.
The Quakers' last two games in the Philadelphia Soccer 7 series will take place on Sept. 25 against Temple and on Oct. 12 against Philadelphia University.
If Penn hopes to win the title outright again, the Quakers cannot afford to lose any games.
Depending on the outcome of the Ivy League season, the Quakers may also be seeking an at-large bid to the NCAA College Cup.
Any wins outside of the league can help boost Penn's status in the eyes of the selection committee.
"Every game is a big game," coach Fuller told The Daily Pennsylvanian last week. "We have two chances to get into the tournament -- an automatic or an at-large bid."
The Penn women's soccer team can attest to the difficulty of preseason rankings.
The Quakers were ranked 22nd in the nation heading into their first games last weekend.
Unfortunately, the Red and Blue lost both games at the James Madison Invitational and will most likely drop in next week's updated rankings.
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