When the Penn men's soccer team hosted American last year, Eagles head coach Todd West rested some of his key players for a crucial conference tilt three days afterward.
Yesterday, Penn coach Rudy Fuller saw for himself the potential benefits of that decision.
The Quakers lost to American in overtime, 2-1, but also lost sophomore Josh Baugh for the rest of the year to a broken leg.
With about 30 minutes to go in the second half and Penn trailing, Baugh fractured his leg reaching for a ball.
Normally a reserve player, Baugh started in place of senior defender Andy Howard. Without Howard or Baugh, little-used freshman Lee Rubenstein saw crucial minutes.
It appeared that the Quakers (7-4-1, 3-1 Ivy) might be able to overcome the missing pieces when Rubenstein saw his team get the equalizer 15 minutes from the end of regulation.
But American's Sal Caccavale eventually sent the Red and Blue's undermanned defense home empty-handed. The senior received a through ball from Justin Turco five minutes into the extra period and slotted it past senior goalkeeper Dan Cepero.
"We felt like we were on the way to getting the 'W,'" Fuller said. "But they were able to catch us in overtime."
If the first half had been any indication, a win would never have entered Fuller's mind. Penn was outshot, 9-3, and American (5-8-3) got a deserved goal after 22 minutes.
Larry Mark took a through pass and found the bottom right corner of the net to give American a 1-0 lead, which it held comfortably until the halftime whistle.
"We didn't come out particularly strong at the start - I don't think we defended well," Fuller said.
Things perked up for the Quakers in the second half even after Baugh's injury. When Omid Shokoufandeh's driven cross found the head of Keith Vereb and the junior tied the score at 1-1, there was every indication that Penn's first comeback win of the year might be attainable.
"From halftime on, I felt like we played much better," Fuller said. "We were in control of the game. . At that point, it seemed like the second goal was only a matter of time."
But it wasn't to be for Penn, as Caccavale's breakaway solidified the Eagles' perfect record on Reeves Field.
Given American's recent luck in the extra periods, Penn was probably the favorite. The Eagles hadn't picked up a win in their last six overtime matches.
But ultimately, Penn's sluggish start was too much to overcome, and even Fuller conceded that his opponent's first overtime win in its last six extra time matches was justified.
"We might have gotten what we deserved there," he said.
Deserved or not, the Quakers' recent results - and now, their injury woes - are a cause for concern at an inopportune time.
After a promising stretch during the early part of the Ivy League schedule, Penn now finds itself without anything to show from its last two matches going into a crucial clash on Saturday against Yale.
Still, Fuller showed confidence that his team would be able to recover - from Baugh's injury, at least.
"I don't think one guy is going to make a big difference," he said. "We'll be a little bit lighter, but missing one guy isn't going to make or break us."
