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The Quakers took on Villanova's soccer team on Friday, resulting in a 0-1 loss despite a good effort by Penn. Credit: Pete Lodato

Sophomore Travis Cantrell may not have a singular position on the field, but he has found his home in the men’s soccer team’s starting lineup.

A jack-of-all-trades, he has the skill set to play in the middle of the field, out wide or up top, which gives Penn coach Rudy Fuller plenty of options.

As a result, Cantrell’s specific role at any given moment is determined by the day’s game plan, the team’s injury report and the game situation.

“On certain days, his feet are really good and clean, and he’s pulling off plays,” Fuller said. “But every day, his work ethic, his athleticism and his ability to get up and down the field is a plus.”

Cantrell, for one, said he’d rather be a distributor than a scorer, but even so, he’s tied for second on the team with two goals in six games.

“I like to pass more than I do to shoot,” he said. “I think naturally, I’m more of a midfielder, but when called upon, I can go up top.”

The Downingtown, Pa., native carved out a spot in the rotation as a freshman last season, playing in all 17 games — starting in nine of them — and scoring the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Yale.

In just six games this year, Cantrell has already surpassed his points total from last season. He currently sits at second on the team with six.

Even so, the midfield/forward humbly attributes his rise up the stat sheet to the dramatic improvement of this year’s Quakers as a whole.

“I’ve matured, I’ve grown a little stronger,” Cantrell conceded, “but mostly it’s just the team has created many more opportunities.”

Cantrell will look to cause matchup problems when the Quakers travel to the Princeton Tournament this weekend to face Adelphi and Richmond, Penn’s final tune-ups before the beginning of Ivy League play.

Friday’s opponent Adelphi, which competes in the six-team Atlantic Soccer Conference, should prove to be a challenge, as the Panthers (4-2-0) received 12 votes in the most recent national rankings.

The Spiders, meanwhile, have stumbled to a 1-4-1 record and are coming off four consecutive losses by a combined 11-2 margin.

Cantrell said the Quakers’ biggest focus will be to keep its composure and put together a full 90 minutes, as opposed to its current tendency to mix one impressive half with stretches of uninspired play.

Despite facing 1-0 first-half deficits in three consecutive matches, No. 25 Penn (5-1-0) won two of those games — including a 3-1 win over Georgetown last Sunday — to remain in the national rankings for the second straight week.

Although Cantrell said the national recognition is “very exciting” and that the team is looking to climb up the list, Fuller cautioned that the polls have limited meaning this early in the season.

“The rankings are a beauty contest for the past week,” Fuller said. “It’s great for our alums, and it’s great for our program, but it doesn’t win you games.”

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