Penn coach Rudy Fuller has added new blood to his defending Ivy League Champion men's soccer squad. Sophomore transfer Arthur Bartholomew, along with freshmen Andy Howard and Charles Snyder have all provided the Quakers with solid play in their first season in West Philadelphia.
Bartholomew comes to Penn (1-2-1) from a PAC-10 soccer power, the University of Washington. The former Husky has added solid play in the midfield, while also contributing on a number of free kick opportunities.
"Artie is obviously a very competitive and determined kid," Fuller said. "He's eager to succeed and do well and he wants to win, he's a very athletic kid who covers a lot of ground and he can be fairly dangerous when he has the ball on the attack."
Howard is an all-state defender from Portland, Ore., who has provided solid defensive play for the Quakers, filling a void left by the graduation of All-Ivy defender Nathan Kennedy.
"He's a very hard-nosed defender. He's a good marking back," Fuller said. "I think it's been a pleasant surprise with his ability coming out of the back and passing out of the back. He's done very well for us."
Snyder, a San Diego native, started the season as a central midfielder, but was moved to defense as Fuller modified the team's formation over the weekend at the Princeton Soccer Classic.
"He's just a pit bull," Fuller said. "He's a very skillful player, but he's a very competitive kid and has been a great addition to the team."
Penn employed a 3-5-2 formation, which features an extra midfielder and one fewer defender, in the first two games of the season, both overtime losses to Lehigh and Villanova.
At the Princeton Soccer Classic, Fuller returned his squad to a 4-4-2 formation, one which Penn used significantly in last year's championship season.
The change in formation saw increased offensive opportunities as Penn gained its first win of the season over Towson, 1-0, and their first tie of the season against Loyola, 2-2.
The Quakers will stick to the 4-4-2 formation as they travel to Temple for a Philadelphia Soccer 7 matchup this afternoon.
"They've gotten off to a very good start this year," Fuller said. "I told our guys that they're licking their chops for the opportunity to play us at their place."
Temple (4-1-1) features senior goalkeeper Patrick Hannigan who has solidified the Owls' net with shutouts in Temple's past two games. Hannigan's impressive play has earned him Philadelphia Soccer 7 co-Player of the Week honors.
The Quakers and their new blood are eager to continue their recent success and hope to notch their first victory in Soccer 7 play.
"Right now we're looking to get a good win and get our season back on track after a good weekend," Bartholomew said. "We feel this is a game we can win, and a game we should win.
"We feel if we stay organized and really establish a good defensive presence, that will help us in establishing possession and we think we can really take it to Temple if we do that."
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