M. Soccer earns recruiting buzz

Soccer isn't often discussed on this blog, but recently College Soccer News released its top 40 incoming classes on the men's side. Penn came in at 36, as its five-member class is considered "a difference maker." The ranking was tops for the Ivy League, and only one of Penn's 2008 opponents made the list, as Villanova placed just two spots ahead of the Quakers at 34. The Wildcats visit Rhodes Field Wednesday Oct. 1.

The Quakers are coming off of a 6-9-2 (3-4-0 Ivy) season, which was a let down after the team went 9-4-2 in 2006, just missing an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. So a strong incoming class is just what the Quakers could use this fall, especially after losing three starters to graduation.

Fortunately the two most-touted incoming freshmen, Christian Barreiro and Thomas Brandt, play midfielder and defender respectively, the two positions that Penn lost starters. Nick Unger, another incoming midfielder, is the brother of current Quaker midfielder Kevin who scored twice last year. The final two incoming freshmen are Eric Guo (midfield) and Jake Levin (defense).