Mano-a-Mano: Will Penn men's soccer finish over .500 this season?

Sports Editor John Phillips: While anyone who thinks that we can crown the Quakers after just one weekend of solid play is jumping the gun, this Red and Blue squad was different than the one we saw last year. The impetus was put on defense and the results of that mentality are obvious.

Tyler Kinn was asked to make just seven saves over the course of the weekend, a big change from the number of saves that he and former keeper Max Kurtzman were asked to make all of last season. Fuller has always said that when the defense plays well, the offense will come in turn and that's exactly what happened.

Senior Staff Writer Mars Jacobson: You are spot on that this Penn team is far improved from last season, especially on defense. In the team's opening weekend, the back line looked calm and in control as compared to last year. After the game on Sunday, goalkeeper Tyler Kinn told me how he barely had to do anything the entire game because the defense in front of him was so strong - an extremely positive sign. A year of maturation and familiarity across the defense has done wonders and will be the difference between winning and losing close games this year.

JP: I think the big thing going forward is seeing Kinn challenged. He played fine last year, but when the defense didn't have it, he looked human the same way that Kurtzman did. His save percentage was .679 in four starts, lower than Kurtzman's already disappointing percentage.

Let's see what happens when he has to make seven saves and the ball just isn’t going in the net for Penn. The keeping wasn't the problem last year, but then again, Kurtzman entered as a more heralded goalie than Kinn, and numbers-wise, was still stronger.

MJ: And you have to remember that the Quakers were up against less-than-stellar opponents this past weekend in Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. This upcoming weekend, the Red and Blue travel to California to play Cal Poly, who knocked off No. 6 UCLA this past Thursday, and UC Santa Barbara, who are currently ranked 16th nationally. These teams will be stronger, faster and more skilled than most teams Penn will play this season and will give us a better indicator of just how far this team can go.

JP: Sure, the Quakers are going to lose a good number of games this season, especially non-conference. The schedule is brutal before the Red and Blue enter into the Ivy slate and that's by design.

The Ancient Eight is what matters and the tough schedule will prepare the Quakers for that.

MJ: Also, there is some concern about the spine of the team through the middle. Center defender Griffin Heffner adds some much needed size and strength in the back that the Quakers were missing in the first half of last season. Fast strikers, however, could expose his lack of pace. In center midfield, Louis Schott and Austin Kinn are technically gifted and hard workers, but will they have enough of a physical presence to shield Penn's back line? In Ivy play, games can go either way based on the smallest of margins, so winning battles in the middle of the park will be vital to Penn's success.

The Ancient Eight is what matters and the tough schedule will prepare the Quakers for that.