The Penn women's soccer team has found itself in an unprecedented position. The Quakers, who have served as the hunters in seasons past, will now have to protect their record as the hunted.
Penn is 4-0 in the Ivy League for the first time in school history and alone at the top of the Ivy League standings with only three games to go.
Coming into Sunday's game at Brown (5-8-1), Jessica Fuccello said she feels there is now a target squarely on her team's back.
"But I think if we keep on playing the way we have been then we can win any game we go into," the sophomore forward added. "We just have to be more aware now of people trying to beat us."
Sunday's game offers an interesting reversal of roles. When Penn faced Brown last season, the Quakers played the role of spoiler by overcoming a 2-0 advantage and gaining a draw, knocking Brown out of contention for the title.
Now the Quakers are only three games away from gaining their own title, but with games against perennial favorites Princeton and Harvard looming, the team must be careful not to overlook their game against Brown.
Captain Natalie Capuano said it is difficult to not look ahead because the title chase is in the back of the players' minds, but added, "we're going to stay focused on Brown and worry about the next game after that."
Coach Darren Ambrose pointed to Tuesday's 4-0 win over UMBC, a team with only two wins this year, as evidence that the team is taking "one game at a time."
"It would have been very easy to look past a team like that in a game that meant nothing, but we played very well," Ambrose said. "The girls realize that if you look past one team, that's the team that will bite you."
The Bears, despite only managing to score one goal in their first six games, come into the match against Penn playing their best soccer all season. They have won three of their last four games, including a big victory against Harvard and two straight 4-0 whitewashes.
Sunday, Penn will not only have to face a competitive team, but also a hostile environment, meaning that establishing momentum early will be key.
"The first fifteen minutes it's important we come out and play well," Ambrose said. "Fifteen minutes in, hopefully by then we'll establish ourselves in the game and make them worry about us."
The key player in establishing this early momentum for Penn will likely be Fuccello once again, the team's leading scorer.
For five straight contests, Fuccello has energized her teammates by scoring the first goal of each match.
Challenging Fuccello will be key for the Bears if they hope to hand Penn its first league loss. The forward leads the league in both goals (10) and points (24).
A Penn win would put the team significantly closer to earning the championship. But Ambrose insists "we haven't talked about winning the league all year."
But if Penn comes home with a win on Sunday, it may be time to start.
