"It could have been worse."
Penn soccer optimists - and senior captain Dan Cepero - were reduced to that phrase after Monday's 2-0 defeat to Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.
The game was a rematch from last year's clash at Rhodes Field, which Penn won, 2-1.
This time around, the Quakers were never a threat to the Mountainhawks, who outshot Penn 17-6. Jim Taranto scored the opening goal in the 25th minute, and Kyle Evans tacked on the insurance tally 20 minutes from the final whistle.
"Lehigh deserved to win the game," coach Rudy Fuller said. "We weren't good enough or sharp enough on the day to win.
"We had some relatively basic breakdowns that led to some chances for Lehigh."
Penn came out in the second half with more firepower after going down 1-0 but couldn't dig itself out of the early hole. Cepero had three saves in the loss.
"We came out flat, [and] they came out flying," Cepero said.
Lehigh played as a crisp, efficient team that had been game-tested, while Penn looked like a team that had only been playing together for eight days. And the impact on the game was indisputable.
"The more surprising end was how poor we were defensively, because we do have a lot of experience in the back," Fuller added. "But it's things that should be easy enough to tighten up going ahead.
"But [today], we just weren't sharp enough."
Fuller had his players studying game video and practicing on the field yesterday afternoon in hopes of plugging some of those holes. Still, the players thought that Penn's faults on Monday ran deeper than its inexperience playing together.
"In reality, it probably does matter," Cepero said. "But we try not to use it as a crutch."
Senior defender Andy Howard was also reluctant to make excuses. "Seventeen of our 19 players were here last year," he said.
The Quakers have two days to resolve their issues before facing even stiffer competition in the Mayor's Cup. Penn will face Marist and Hartwick colleges - both of whom played in the NCAA College Cup last year. The event will take place at Hartwick in Oneonta, N.Y.
"To play Hartwick at Hartwick . is one of the most difficult places to play in the country," Fuller said, referencing the team's substantial fan base. "It's one of the more intense atmospheres you're going to find around the country."
"I think it's going to be a great soccer experience for our guys, and I would expect that they'd be ready to go."
