The Penn men's soccer team will look to make Philadelphia University its rebound game after a weekend heartbreaker against Cornell in its Ivy League opener.
While Philadelphia Soccer 7 teams like Phila. U. are always grudge matches, the Ivy League games -- like Penn's 1-0 loss to the Big Red -- are usually the closest played and the ones that stick out in players' minds.
For this reason, sophomore midfielder John Rhodes said that Saturday's game "definitely" changed the team's mindset entering today's match.
"It will have a little angle on it," Rhodes said. "We have something to prove against Philadelphia U."
"They are certainly going to come in very hungry and determined to get a good convincing result," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said.
When asked if the non-Ivy game could be used to release some frustration from the weekend, Rhodes replied with a resounding affirmative.
"We hope to do some of that Saturday against Columbia as well, but right now we have to focus on" Philadelphia U., he said.
While last year's game against the Rams (4-5) was canceled, the Quakers (2-3-2) are familiar with Philadelphia University's head coach, Greg Wilson, who was a Penn assistant coach last year.
"I'm sure they are still trying to find themselves," Fuller said. "Greg is a good coach and I'm sure he has them playing well."
Rhodes said they assume the Rams are "a typical Philadelphia team," a reference to the hard-nosed playing style of teams such as Temple and La Salle, who Penn beat and tied, respectively, last month.
The only common opponent the Quakers have to judge the Rams against this season is their result against another Philadelphia area team, Villanova. Penn lost to the Wildcats, 2-1, Phila. U. was shut out by 'Nova, 4-0.
Even though the Red and Blue hoped to start the Ivy League season with a win, players and coaches are generally satisfied with their performance against the Big Red -- with the exception of the goal scored against them.
"While the guys were disappointed with the end result, we feel very good about the way we're playing," Fuller said.
With that in mind, the Quakers have not altered their playing style during practice, and are looking at this week's games with fresh eyes.
"Everybody is pretty lighthearted," Rhodes said after practice. "I thought we got a good practice in and that's what's important."
Even with the optimism, Penn is still wary of getting shut out for the third time this season -- the Quakers have only scored six goals in seven games.
"It's all about finishing," Rhodes said. "We have learned to work together a lot and the passing is coming together, but every single person on the team has to finish more."
"I think with each game we play, we're buckling down more and going into each game with more intensity," sophomore defender Justin Estrada said.
"We are still improving, and there's a long season left."
