A new Navy commander tries to right the ship

When Navy hired Dave Brandt as men's soccer coach after a 4-11-3 season, the Midshipmen expected results.

That's because Brandt's .888 winning percentage at Division III Messiah College over the last 12 years is the highest in any NCAA Division.

Yet it's still somewhat of a surprise that when the Midshipmen (3-2-0) take on Penn (1-1-2) Sunday they could equal or even surpass their win total from 2008, depending on the result of tonight's Temple game.

"They're feeling really good about how they're playing," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said.

The Quakers are feeling pretty good themselves after last weekend's 3-2 victory over San Diego gave them a share of the San Diego State tournament crown. They'll get a chance to increase their positive attitude when they face winless Albany (1-4-1) tonight.

"I thought we had a lot of effort, a lot of team spirit, a lot of morale," sophomore Christian Barreiro said of last weekend. "We really worked hard, not only after we scored, but also when we got scored on."

Fuller was pleased with his team's performance in San Diego but still thinks that the Red and Blue have a lot of work.

"All of us feel like we still have a ways to go," Fuller said. "However, we did make some good strides … on and off the field."

Fuller was most concerned that his team let in two goals in each of the last two games.

"We have a reputation of being a pretty difficult team to play against," he said. "Right now, we're giving up a few more goals than we would like.

"We're pleased with the number of goals we scored, but we would like to tighten things up on defense."

Fuller did not attribute last weekend's defensive lapse to a back line that features three new starters, but instead insisted that Penn has to do a better job of keeping track of an opponent's key offensive players.

On the positive side, the return of junior forward Tobi Olopade last weekend was a nice boost for Penn. Olopade, who stands at 6-foot-4, was also a long jumper on Penn's track team before committing all of his time to soccer.

"Tobi has a tremendous impact in a lot of different ways," Fuller said. "He's a handful for teams to deal with."

This weekend will be another good test for the Quakers. The Great Danes and the Midshipmen should pose a challenge to the gelling Penn team.

"Albany had a very good team last year, and many of those guys are back," Fuller said. "We expect that to be another stiff test at home."

The Quakers look to improve from each practice and game before the Ivy League season begins in October. So playing challenging teams before Ancient Eight play is a big plus.

"We always try to schedule a really strong non-conference schedule," Fuller said. "And I think Albany and Navy are good opponents for us."

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