Four games, four shutouts.
That's the feat the men's soccer team has accomplished so far this season. Its defensive success is the primary reason that Penn has gotten off to a 3-0-1 start and brought home trophies from tournaments at Marquette and Princeton.
The natural reaction would be to credit senior goalkeeper Drew Healy for the four goose eggs. He has, after all, minded the net for all 380 minutes and tallied 16 saves, including a career-high eight against Seton Hall -and its sixth-in-the-nation offense.
But Healy and coach Rudy Fuller are quick to give credit to the rest of the defensive unit. Using its mantra of having "11 defenders on the field," Penn is one of only two Division I teams to allow no goals this season.
"Everybody's playing for the team rather than for themselves," Fuller said. "When you get a group of 11 guys that are all playing really hard for each other, defensively it's a tough group to break down."
The Quakers have done it with a mix of youth and experience. The starting back line boasts three seniors - including three-year starters Ryan Porch and captain John Elicker - alongside freshman Jake Levin.
Healy also provides senior leadership on the back end. The Red and Blue aren't afraid to use him as a fifth defender, trusting his footwork and his vision to regularly feed him the ball in the box.
Fuller primarily credited center backs Porch and Levin for, on Friday, shutting down Seton Hall's Samuel Petrone, who came into the game with eight goals but was denied on all six of his shots.
Against American on Sunday, when Porch tired in the sweltering conditions, Fuller turned to another freshman, Tommy Brandt, who helped the Quakers cling to their one-goal lead and preserve the shutout. Eric Guo, the third defensive recruit this year, also saw his first minutes of the season against the Eagles.
Thus, as the freshmen and seniors merge, the defense has begun to take shape as one of the most formidable in the nation. Healy, however, is quick to point out that the season is still young, leaving plenty of room for improvement.
"It's not the finished product yet," he said.
