By Molin Zhong
Staff Writer
molin@wharton.upenn.edu
With only a 6-2 whooping by Seton Hall on its record so far, now's a good time for the men's soccer team to make a statement.
Penn (0-1-0) will get its chance when it heads to the West Coast to knock heads with No. 7 Cal (0-0-0) today and Stanford (1-1-1) on Sunday in the adidas Cal Legacy Classic.
Cal has "historically been a very strong program," as Fuller put it, and Stanford tied preseason No. 1 UC Santa Barbara, last season's national champions, in its first contest of the season.
Both programs "[have] similar styles, [and] both are big-time competitors," senior Keith Vereb said.
"Good players want to test themselves against the best, and that is what we're trying to do," Fuller said.
But the bottom line, as Fuller put it, is that "it doesn't matter what Cal is like, we need to worry about . playing the way we think we're capable of playing."
The team has its own problems to sort out, particularly defending the ball. Against Seton Hall, sophomore Kevin Sweetland got the start between the pipes, but allowed five goals in just over 62 minutes.
Freshman Ben Berg replaced him. Fuller selected Berg over junior Drew Healy for the backup spot in that game. Berg gave up the sixth goal in the Quakers' loss.
The defense was not blameless, either, according to Fuller.
And if they wanted a cakewalk road trip, this wasn't the choice - the logistics are almost as daunting as the opposition.
The team woke up at 4:30 a.m. yesterday to catch their plane - setting the stage for a new meaning to the phrase 'sluggish start.'
Fuller, however, is certain that his team can handle at least that latter concern.
"We haven't really even talked about the distractions of the road trip," he said. "I think everyone is just excited to play Cal."
Vereb echoed similar sentiments, mentioning that the "veteran team . should be able to handle it all right."
And the surplus of players that presents conundrums - like the clouded goalie race - to Fuller can also pay dividends.
"I think one of our strengths is going to be the depth we have on the team," Vereb added.
"We're a pretty solid all-around team," Fuller said. "I think we've got some dangerous players on the attack and we have got a lot of experience in the back."
That will come in handy this weekend, as Penn will step on the field for the first time since it was swept off it by the Pirates.
Vereb even thinks the drubbing could have its advantages.
He feels that just having played for a full 90 minutes and getting out of the preseason mentality will help the Quakers a lot in these next two games.
"If we can put a full game together, I think we can play with any team in the country," Fuller said.
If the Quakers can put together two straight games against top-notch teams, they might get a boost of confidence that will last the length of the season.
