Time to settle down.
No more road trips out west, no more Penn Soccer Classic. No more goalie waffling. No excuses.
The men's soccer team (1-3-1) begins the main stretch of its season at Rhodes Field on Saturday night against Lehigh. There are only three more matches until the short Ivy League season begins, and coach Rudy Fuller laments that his team "is not as far along as we want to be at this point."
Unfortunately for the Quakers, it won't be easy to find footing against the Mountain Hawks (4-1). Last year, their RPI was 10th-best in the nation, and they ride a four-game winning streak into Philly.
The two teams clashed in Penn's season-opener last year, with Lehigh taking it 2-0. But Fuller shrugs off mention of the result.
"The opening game is always a crapshoot," he said.
"Nevertheless," he added, "Lehigh was really strong in the defense last year and it seems they've become a very dangerous team in the attack, too. From front to back, they're a handful."
Mountain Hawks forward Kyle Evans leads the attack with five goals and an impressive 31.2 percent shooting percentage.
The high-octane offense has doubled up its opponents in shots and corner kicks this year, thanks in part to attacking midfielder Jim Taranto's field vision and deft passing touch.
Fuller said the Lehigh offense "should be a good challenge" for a Quakers defense that has been very solid since the season opener.
Quakers defender Ryan Porch's height (6-foot-4) will be especially important in this game, as he'll likely have to defend more than one corner kick from the Mountain Hawks.
Luckily for the Quakers' defense, the team's offense has shown signs of life in recent matches. However, Penn has found that getting the ball to the net and getting the ball into the net are two completely different things.
Last Sunday against La Salle, the Red and Blue came away with a disappointing 1-1 draw despite outshooting the Explorers 21-7
Not surprisingly, Fuller said that the team has spent time working on finishing in practice this week.
And with the Ivy season creeping up, the art of finishing - on the field and high in the standings - will be important if the Quakers hope to turn around a middling start and claim the postseason berth that eluded them last year.
