Many teams have schedules that afford them either a break or a pushover opponent at some point in the season.
The Penn men's soccer team does not have this luxury.
Each game the Quakers (7-2) have played this season took the players to their limits and forced them to play their best soccer.
Tonight's game against Rutgers will surely follow this pattern.
Though their overall record of 5-5-3 may not be particularly impressive, the Scarlet Knights are dangerous.
Last week, Rutgers forced then-No. 11 South Carolina into an overtime game, only to fall 1-0 in the last few seconds. This game was the third this season in which the Scarlet Knights took a top-25 ranked team into overtime.
If the Quakers have anything to say about it, Rutgers will not be able to add another ranked team to this list.
The newly ranked No. 24 Quakers are coming off of a 1-0 win against Ivy rival Columbia last weekend. With the win, Penn tightened its hold on the top of the Ancient Eight.
"We certainly feel good about how we're playing and the results we're getting," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said.
As the Quakers' morale improves, so do their team statistics.
Penn junior goalkeeper Matt Haefner has recorded five shutouts this season and has only allowed four goals. Haefner has the third best goals-against average in the country, with a 0.43 average per game. Overall, Penn is ranked second in the country in this category.
But as Haefner has said all season, it is not only his individual efforts which have kept the ball out of the Quakers' net. Holding steady in front of Haefner is Penn's rock solid defense comprised of a trio of freshmen Erik Violante, Justin Estrada, Erik Hallenbeck and junior Robb Jankura.
In the game against Columbia, Hallenbeck made a goal-saving stop in net. Haefner, who was recovering from a previous shot, was out of position, leaving Hallenbeck as the last line of defense.
Hallenbeck's save became the difference maker in preserving Penn's 1-0 win.
Aside from individual strength in the defensive back four, the Quakers have also learned to work as a unit.
Given the largely inexperienced nature of the backline, the cohesiveness of the defense has been somewhat impressive.
"We try to stay compact," Violante said. "We don't allow gaps in between us where the ball can get through."
In order to thwart Rutgers' offensive prowess, Penn's defense plans to limit the amount of dribbles each player gets with the ball.
"They come out with a lot of energy," Violante said. "Our main focus is to contain them and not let them dribble, but to make them pass."
In last season's meeting, the then-No. 10 Scarlet Knights easily handled Penn, 3-1. Rutgers dominated in every aspect of the game.
This year, the Quakers vow, will be different.
The Red and Blue are a changed team, and tonight's game promises to be a battle between two squads that are hungry for success.
"It will be a good one," Fuller said.
