Both Penn and Brown come into tomorrow's matchup at Franklin Field with something to prove.
Brown (7-2, 1-1 Ivy) lost only its second game of the season on Tuesday to a Harvard team that had yet to win a game in Ivy League play. The 10th-ranked Bears were dominated by the Crimson and will be looking to bounce back against the Quakers.
Penn (5-5, 2-3) is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Princeton in a game that the Quakers feel they should have won. The Red and Blue played with the Tigers for three quarters and led early in the final frame. But Princeton scored four goals in the final 10 minutes to take the game.
Penn is also looking to avenge a 10-9 loss to the Bears last year, in which Brown scored the final four goals of the game, including the game winner in overtime.
"At this point in the season there are a lot of motivating factors," Penn coach Brian Voelker said. "I'm hoping a lot of our guys remember the way we lost to them last year. They have a lot of motivation and we have a lot of motivation."
The Bears present multiple problems for the Quakers both offensively and defensively. As of April 12, Brown had the most goals per game in the Ivy League, 11, while also allowing the fewest average goals, 7.12. Over their last three games, however, the Bears have allowed at least 12 goals per game.
Brown senior goalie Mike Levin allows one less goal per game than his closest Ivy competitor at his position. His 62.6 save percentage also places him at the top of the Ivies and ninth in the nation.
"The last couple of games they have given up a couple more than they're used to," Voelker said. "I think the first thing on their defense you notice is their goalie. Defensively, they have a lot of good players but there is not one of them that you really look at and are afraid of."
Brown's offense will also present trouble, as the Bears have four players with 10 or more goals and 10 players with double-digit point totals. Penn has only five players with double-digit point totals on the season.
Chazz Woodson, Brown's best attackman, is one of the best in the Ivy League and is second in the Ivies with 2.70 goals per game.
"The first guy you notice on them is the kid Woodson -- we have to at least contain him," Voelker said. "It's going back to the things we like to do and playing tough team defense and letting [Penn goalie] Ryan [Kelly] see good shots."
The game will be the last for the Quakers at Franklin Field, where they are still undefeated this season. However, the Quakers are 0-5 on the road and are glad to be back home before setting out for two tough road contests against No. 19 Loyola and No. 3 Maryland.
"It's great to play in Franklin Field and I think we're all fired up to play," senior co-captain Will Phillips said. "This unbeaten thing we have going on at home is something that would be great to finish."
The Quakers' game against Brown starts a string of three games to end the season, all of which are against top 20 teams. With an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament still a possibility, the fate of the Red and Blue's season rests on their performance down the stretch.
"It's just one game, but it is a crucial game," Phillips said. "The range of how good a season we have kind of depends on the last three games. We could have an 8-5 or a 5-8 record, and that's a big difference."
