The Quakers women's soccer team is taking its undefeated act on the road this weekend.
Leaving Rhodes Field for the first time this fall, Penn (2-0-1) will travel south to North Carolina to challenge UNC-Greensboro and East Carolina.
Even after tying Rice Sept. 4 and sweeping Hofstra and Richmond in the Penn Invitational last weekend, the Quakers' current task at hand may be their toughest yet.
Invisible in the box scores is the subpar fitness Penn has displayed in all three of its matches. An obviously worn down Penn only narrowly won its last match, looking sluggish late in the game.
Now, Penn must endure another two-match series within a 48-hour window - without a home crowd and against no easier competition.
UNC-Greensboro's 1-7-0 record is deceiving. Four of those losses came against top-25 teams, most recently dropping a 1-0 contest to No. 11 Wake Forest. Only seniors will remember their last clash with Penn, when the teams tied 3-3 at the 2003 Princeton Invitational.
East Carolina, meanwhile, will be capping off its parents' weekend with its Sunday afternoon match against Penn. The team's 4-2 record is made more impressive by the fact that it has played at home just once. The Quakers won the only other matchup 2-0 - but that was in 1998, before any girl on either roster had entered high school.
Making matters more challenging is the fact that Penn brings 10 freshmen on its roster, none of whom have played as visitors in a collegiate atmosphere. Highlighting the freshman class is goalie Cailly Carroll, who has allowed just one goal so far this season.
Meanwhile, the offense will be reliant on players such as Rachel Fletcher, with one goal and six shots so far for the season, and Jess Rothenheber, who leads the Quakers with seven shots.
Penn was recently ranked 13th in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Soccerbuzz.com. The team's Friday night match at UNC-Greensboro starts at 7 p.m.
