The Penn men's soccer team doesn't play the most exciting brand of the sport.
The Quakers hold the ball for long stretches. They pass the ball, they don't attempt that many shots and only once this year have they scored more than two goals.
The kick, though, is that Penn's most boring team this fall might also be its best.
The Quakers, who enter tonight's game at Rutgers with a 7-2 record, are enjoying their best season in recent memory. While they don't score much, the Red and Blue also don't give up much -- they've only allowed four goals this year.
Penn is currently ranked second in the nation behind St. John's in goals-against average, allowing only 0.43 per game. Penn has shutout 56 percent of its opponents this year.
Penn coach Rudy Fuller has always preached a possession-style game, and this year's squad is just the right mix of players for the system. It may be a boring style of soccer, but it gets results.
"We're always trying to keep the ball and make the other team defend for long periods," Fuller said. "If they don't have the ball, they can't score."
Last year, the Quakers had a staunch defense as well, but nothing to this extent. Junior goaltender Matt Haefner's GAA last season was 1.38 last season -- still a respectable number.
But this year, combined with a stalwart defensive front, Haefner has been even more effective.
"Haefner is really in the zone right now," Fuller said. "He's made a lot of fine saves this season that has kept us in games.
"He's certainly playing very well. I think everybody knows that."
It's not just Haefner, though. Last year, the Quakers gave up an average of 6.4 shots on goal per game, whereas this season Penn's opponents are only averaging 3.4 per contest. A young defensive line has bolstered the already staunch defense.
True, the ball control system has its drawbacks -- most notably when the Quakers dropped a 1-0 double overtime decision to Lehigh on Oct. 9, as the Engineers were able to take advantage of a Penn miscue, scoring with just over a minute to play in the contest.
For the most part, however, the Quakers have been able to wear down their opponents, as 10 of their 12 goals have come in the second half or overtime.
"I think if you ask the guys on the team," Fuller said. "We spend more time [practicing] trying to break down the other teams than how we're going to defend."
Regardless of how the Quakers are winning games, they are winning them -- and Penn has already won more games in the Ivy League this year than they did all of last season.
The Quakers are currently 3-0, with Harvard the only other undefeated team (2-0-1). Last season, the Quakers were 2-1 in the Ivy League and finished 2-5. This season, however, such a collapse seems very unlikely.
Winning the Ivy title "was the goal coming into the season," Fuller said. "The guys put in a lot of hard work.... there's still a lot of soccer to be played, though."
The Quakers haven't won an Ivy League title since 1980. They haven't been to the post-season since 1977.
At the start of the season, this year's team set a goal of getting to the NCAA College Cup. With the way the Quakers' defense has been playing so far this season, those goals could be within reach.
