If you like high-scoring games, stay far away from Dartmouth’s soccer field tomorrow.
“They are very difficult to score on,” Penn men’s soccer coach Rudy Fuller said. “I expect a tight, hard fought Ivy League game.”
The Quakers (5-1-0, 1-0 Ivy League), who journey up to Hanover, N.H., this weekend, know that the game will likely be decided by a single goal.
The Big Green (2-4-1, 1-0) will not be lighting up the scoreboard. In fact, they were unable to net a goal for the first 466 minutes of the season.
Though they are not known for their offensive prowess, Dartmouth will present a challenge to the Quakers.
“They are not outstanding offensively,” senior tri-captain Alex Maasry said. “But they are strong defensively and could be dangerous.”
Dangerous indeed. After all, three of Dartmouth’s four losses were by a score of 1-0. The fourth loss was to No. 1 Stanford.
The Quakers are no strangers to tight contests — coming off of a double overtime thriller against Cornell.
In addition, the Red and Blue have a defense that is just as daunting as Dartmouth’s.
Led by junior goalkeeper Matt Haefner, the Quakers have a team GAA of 0.49, which is sixth best in the country.
Haefner is playing the best soccer of his career and he has just been named the Philadelphia Soccer 7 co-player of the week.
“Matt has been the MVP of our team,” Maasry said. “In our last game his saves were unbelievable — he’s the best goalie in the league.”
With Haefner’s help, the Quakers have ascended to the top of both the Ivy League and the Philadelphia Soccer 7. They are also now ranked fourth in the Mid-Atlantic region.
These high rankings give the Quakers a certain degree of confidence.
“On paper, Penn is the favorite,” freshman Justin Estrada said. “Based on how hard we work and how much we want it, we could make it a high scoring game.”
Though it is a possibility, the Quakers know that it is not likely.
The match will be particularly challenging since it will follow a tiring seven hour bus ride and the fans will not be hospitable.
Another obstacle for the Quakers, is that Dartmouth is returning 18 returning letterwinners.
As a result, the Big Green is very similar to last year’s team, which handed the Quakers a season-ending defeat.
But the Quakers, who last year went 2-5 in the Ivy League, look like a much stronger squad than last season’s team.
Said Fuller, “This is a very different Penn team.”
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