Oh, those second-half woes.
They've plagued the men's soccer team as of late. Consequently, coach Rudy Fuller's squad - which went undefeated through the first 10 games of the season - is just 2-2 over its last four matches. (The losses came against Lehigh and Columbia while the wins were over Dartmouth and Yale.)
The problem is three-pronged: The Quakers have not capitalized enough on their chances and have been unable to sustain their momentum into the second half. At the same time, they've failed to counter opponents who come out of the half energized and desperate.
It happened last Saturday against Yale, and though Penn won, 2-1, the inability to finish opportunities in the first half and the fact it came out sluggish in the second almost cost the Quakers the match.
"We made it more difficult than it needed to be," Fuller said.
The coach and players have tried to diagnose the problem. However, it seems as if they've either had no success or have been unwilling to abandon the blueprint that up until now has brought them great success.
"We need to figure out what's going on in the second half," senior midfielder Kevin Unger said. "It could be that we focus so much on coming out in the first half with so much energy that it's hard to duplicate that after the halftime break."
It hasn't just been the Red and Blue's lack of zip on the field in the final 45 minutes, though. They're failing to adjust to increased on- and off-the-ball pressure from opposing defenses.
Against Columbia, Penn outshot the Lions, 6-2, in the first half and also had a 2-0 advantage in corner kicks. However, Fuller's squad couldn't convert and went into halftime down 1-0.
When second-half play started, the Lions began to close down and gave the Quakers less room to operate. The added pressure led to more Penn mistakes and a second Columbia goal, which put the game out of reach.
"It's frustrating because it's a game we should have won," senior midfielder Alex Grendi said of the missed first-half opportunities against the Lions.
With Ivy powers Brown and Harvard coming up on the schedule, and every match a must-win, Fuller & Co. will need to solve their second half problems if they hope to punch a ticket to the NCAA tournament.
