Soccer's great expectations

Following an hour and a half of practice on a scorching hot August morning, men’s soccer coach Rudy Fuller blew his whistle, and his team began to run.

Twenty minutes. No stopping.

Each individual ran at a different pace, but the team fought through the fatigue together. They run together to win together.

Throughout the offseason, individuals on the team have been recognized for various honors. Senior Thomas Brandt, a two-time captain, was nominated as a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award and named as a second-team Preseason All-American, while seniors Jake Levin and Christian Barreiro were ranked as MLS draft prospects.

But in their minds, the team still comes first.

“It’s good recognition for our individual performances so far, but as far as the season goes, it doesn’t win us any games and that’s our primary focus right now,” Brandt said.

While Penn failed to claim the Ivy League title last year, the Red and Blue went 13-6, playing well enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Though the Quakers lost to Maryland in the second round of the NCAAs, the team’s first-round win against Bucknell “was something we needed to get us to the next level, and now it’s the standard,” Brandt said.

“Our sights are set a lot higher this year,” Levin said. “Making it out of the first round of the tournament isn’t going to be a success for us.”

In addition to last season’s accomplishments, the highly touted freshman class — ranked ninth best in the nation — is another reason the bar for this year’s team is that much higher.

“We never put too much expectation on the freshmen right away,” Fuller said. “We feel like we have a very talented and competitive group of returners … but I think there’s a place for all of the new players.”

The biggest question mark going into the season is who will fill the void left by goalkeeper Ben Berg, who started all 19 games last season.

Sophomore Steven Hellstern competed for the starting position last year, while freshman Max Kurtzman joins the team ranked as the nation’s No. 2 goalkeeper prospect.

“It’s a good problem for the coach to have multiple keepers that can start a game,” Fuller said. “We’re going to see how it plays out, and I don’t know how it will.”

Whoever is in net, expectations will be sky high.

“Last year still leaves a bitter taste in all of our mouths, so anything less than an Ivy title would be a disappointment,” Brandt said.

Levin expressed more confidence.

“We’re going to win the Ivy.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.