How steady is Max Kurtzman in net? Exactly the same as last year

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This weekend’s 1-0 loss to Columbia notwithstanding, the disappointing start to the season for men’s soccer can be traced back to one number: 65.

Last year, in 14 games of action, then-freshman goalie Max Kurtzman made 41 saves out of 58 shots to tout a .707 save percentage. Recall, even with Kurtzman giving up only 1.17 goals per game, the Quakers still finished 6th in the Ivy race.

While much focus has been spent on the Quakers’ inability to put the ball into the net consistently, it has been their defense that has kept them from being able to work with a lead much at all this season.

Through eight games, Kurtzman has faced 65 save opportunities, making 46 of them. Kurtzman has allowed goals at essentially the same exact rate, .708, this season — but it's come in only the eight contests in which he's appeared — and his defense hasn’t provided much support.

At the beginning of the season, people questioned how this team would rebound following the losses of Jake Levin and Thomas Brandt, who served as the crux down the middle upon which the Quakers often stood on balls in the air, as well as on set pieces. The good news for the Quakers is they’ve only played two Ivy League contests, and they’ve been in both until the end. If the young defensive unit is able to gel, they have a chance to get back into the race.