Penn factors out past

Even though the Penn men’s soccer team has not lost to Yale since 2004, the No. 15 Quakers (10-2-0, 3-0-0 Ivy) prefer not to think about the past.

“We’re a different team than we were last year or in 2008 or in 2007, and Yale’s changed tremendously as well. All we can really worry about is who we’re playing now and who we are now,” said goalkeeper Ben Berg.

Penn head coach Rudy Fuller echoed a similar indifference to his team’s dominant history against Yale. “It is probably more a coincidence than anything,” Fuller said. “There haven’t been any easy games against Yale. Nothing is ever easy in the Ivy League, and playing Yale is no different.”

In fact, the year the Quakers lost to Yale was also the last time the Quakers were undefeated in the Ivy League this late in the season.

The 2004 Quakers were ranked No. 14 in the country at the time and their loss to Yale was part of a six-game losing streak that cost the Red and Blue an Ivy League title and a bid to the NCAA tournament.

However, history is not the only reason that the Quakers should fear what sports analysts often call a “trap game.”

Yale has a notoriously strong home-field advantage because it uses a synthetic turf field instead of a grass field.

“Yale is comfortable with [the turf field], and they play very well on it so we’re expecting a very challenging Ivy League game on the road,” Fuller said.

The Red and Blue have been preparing for the game by practicing on Franklin Field, which has the same turf surface, all week.

“The synthetic surface is faster, so we want to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible,” Fuller said.

Although the Quakers stand alone at the top of conference, Fuller sees the squad’s top position as a disadvantage moving forward as opponents come out with extra motivation to top the conference leaders.

“I’d much rather be on top than anywhere else, but with that comes a lot of responsibility,” he said. “We definitely have a bull’s-eye on our backs.”

What is working in the Red and Blue’s favor is its stellar defense, which has posted four consecutive shutouts that will be pitted against the least productive offense in the Ivy League. Yale’s offense is last in goals and shots.

“In order to win, we will need to maintain the mentality that we’ve had throughout the season and just keep doing what we’re doing defensively,” Berg said.

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