"It has certainly been one of the best classes that I have had at my time at Penn," Penn men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller said about his graduating seniors.
The eight members of the class of 2005 will compete in their last match for the Red and Blue this Saturday afternoon against Harvard at Rhodes Field.
"Any time you have eight guys graduating, it says a lot about that group," Fuller said.
"The success they had, the commitment, the determination to stick with it for the four years" are elements that Fuller said make this class special.
Led by co-captains Erik Hallenbeck and Stephen Kroculick, the class of 2005 was part of the Penn team that won the Ivy League as sophomores in 2002.
The senior class is not only full of brilliant individual talents, but also key reserves who have held the team together.
The unheralded work of reserves such as Brandon Harwood, who spent his career as a "tremendous squad player," has been key to Penn's success over these years.
"His passion for the game and our program is stronger than anyone else on the team," Fuller said.
Brian Candler is a different kind of reserve. After starting 13 games as a freshman, he had double shoulder surgery in 2003.
"He's brought a lot to the table that might not show up on the stat sheet," Fuller said.
"But to come back from the type of surgery he had to deal with and to be as productive as he has says a lot about the kind of kid he is."
Candler saw time off the bench along with fellow senior reserves Joe Klein and Matthew Waddell.
Klein has been playing with a torn achilles tendon this season, after tearing it early in the year.
"The fact that he's been able to play with that type of injury all season long is a testament to his determination and character," Fuller said.
Josh Duyan, a starter on Penn's vaunted defensive backfield, consistently started from his sophomore year on, and this year had the arduous task of learning a new position.
Luckily for the Quakers, Duyan has filled his role admirably and was awarded Ivy League Player of the Week after scoring a goal and an assist against No. 18 South Carolina in September.
Duyan's partner in the back four this year has been the team's most vocal on-field leader, Hallenbeck.
The outstanding defender walked onto the team in the spring of his freshman year after playing a year with the Quakers football team. He certainly made the right decision, as he was named to the first-team All-Ivy League and the Philadelphia Soccer Seven All-Star team last year, as well as the first-team All-Ivy Defense his sophomore year.
"He's been a two-year captain and a main player on the team that did so well two years ago," Fuller said.
The Quakers have had trouble scoring this year, and will graduate their two most dangerous offensive players in David Maier and Stephen Kroculick.
His coach says Kroculick has a "knack for the goal," which may be an understatement. Kroculick has collected 16 goals over his career, and has been Penn's leading scorer the last three years.
With the Quakers, Kroculick also garnered numerous regional and league awards, including Penn's Most Valuable Freshman award.
Maier, his partner in crime during their time at Penn, is simply nasty with the ball at his feet. He was named a PS7 All-Star as a sophomore, and Fuller says he is "one of the most skillful players I have ever coached."
Despite disparities in playing time or statistical prowess, one constant among all these seniors is that Fuller ended talking about each by saying, "he will certainly be tough to replace."
