With a 5-3-1 start overall and a 3-0-1 record in the Philadelphia Soccer Seven, the Penn men's soccer team leads the league standings by one point over Drexel (3-1-0).
Having completed their matches against intra-city opponents, the Quakers now must hope that their record will be enough to win the crown.
If Villanova (1-0-0) wins twice and draws one of its matches, or if La Salle (1-0-1) wins its next two contests -- Penn tied the Explorers 1-1 on Sept. 23 at La Salle -- the Red and Blue will tie for the Philly Soccer Seven title.
If Villanova wins its remaining three matches, the Wildcats will finish on top of the seven-team group.
However, if either the Wildcats or the Explorers falter, the Quakers will claim sole possession of the championship.
Although the Quakers have never won the Philly Soccer Seven outright, they have finished in a tie for first place in 1981, 1984 and 1986.
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Penn midfielder Alexander Maasry was named co-Player of the Week in the Philly Soccer Seven for the period concluding Oct. 14.
Maasry was instrumental in the scoring of both Quakers goals last week. He netted the game-winning tally in Penn's 1-0 victory over Philadelphia University on Oct. 10.
In addition, the midfielder assisted on the Quakers lone score against Columbia in Penn's 3-1 defeat last Saturday.
Maasry shared the Player of the Week honor with La Salle forward Bobby Buonocristiano.
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Penn goalkeeper Matthew Haefner has emerged as the leading netminder in the Philadelphia Soccer Seven.
Haefner has conceded the fewest goals in the league, 10, and he is currently in the lead with his 1.12 goals against average.
The Penn goalie has blanked three opponents this season, tying him for first in Philly Soccer Seven shutouts with Kevin Dougher (St. Joseph's), Scott Nixon (Philadelphia) and Stash Graham (La Salle).
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The Quakers notched their first Ivy League victory this season in their first league contest with a 1-0 defeat of Cornell on Oct. 5.
From Sept. 13, 1997, until Nov. 11, 2000 -- a streak extending 26 matches in total--the Quakers failed to win a single Ancient Eight match.
The Red and Blue finally snapped their three-year drought in last season's final match, with a 2-1 victory over Harvard at Rhodes Field.
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