M. Soccer's streak is ova' - next up: 'Nova

After Sunday's draw with Temple, Penn men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller noted, "When two Philadelphia teams meet, everything goes out the window."

Unfortunately for the Quakers, it was their seven-game shutout streak that went out the window against the Owls.

But the Red and Blue salvaged their unbeaten record and only needed to wait three days before meeting their next Philadelphia rival, Villanova.

Tonight, the Quakers (5-0-3) are back at Rhodes Field, where they have outscored their opponents, 11-2, in four games this season. The visiting Wildcats (4-3-2) are winless in their last two contests, tying Georgetown last Sunday.

Penn has history on its side, boasting a 13-4-4 all-time series record. The last meeting between the two schools was a 2-0 Quakers' victory in 2005 under the lights at Rhodes Field.

Villanova is Penn's fourth Big East foe so far, after Marquette, DePaul and Seton Hall. The Red and Blue have picked up two wins and one draw against the conference this season.

"We try to put together a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare us for Ivy League games and give ourselves a chance - if we're successful - to get an at-large bid" to the NCAA tournament, Fuller said.

With the postseason still over six weeks away, the Quakers are emphasizing preparations for their own conference games. The Wildcats will be their final tune-up before heading to Ithaca, N.Y., this weekend to face Cornell.

Thanks to another week without a loss, the Quakers moved from No. 30 to No. 29 in the CollegeSoccerNews.com national poll.

Penn is one of three Ancient Eight teams to make the top 30, though it is still looking up at No. 26 Dartmouth and No. 20 Brown.

Although Villanova isn't ranked, five other members of the Big East have made their way into the top 15, and a win against the Wildcats could only mean good things for the Quakers come tournament time.

But for now, the Red and Blue can play without the shutout streak on their conscience and focus on getting their first Philly Soccer Seven win of the year.

"Every team in Philly takes a lot of pride in trying to be the best team in the city," Fuller said.

"[Villanova] will certainly be ready, and I hope after [our game against Temple], our guys are going to be ready to play as well."

- Eli Cohen contributed reporting to this article.

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