Men's Soccer vies for Soccer 7 title

One title down, one to go.

Having attained at least a share of the Ivy League title last weekend at Princeton, the Penn men's soccer team has an opportunity to claim another title tonight.

A victory this evening at St. Joseph's (8-10) would give the No.16 Quakers (10-2-1) their second-consecutive Philadelphia Soccer 7 title.

This would be the first time for the Quakers to hold the title two years in a row.

Last season they held the title outright, but this year, Penn would share the honor with both Drexel and La Salle.

Though the Quakers defeated both of these teams this season, a cancellation of their game against Philadelphia University bars them from claiming the solo spot at the top of the standings.

"If we would have beaten Philadelphia University and beat St. Joe's, we would have held the title outright," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "Unfortunately the weather and the schedule conspired against us. But we don't know if we would have won that game anyway."

Sharing the title would be nothing new to the Red and Blue. Since the league's inception in 1979, Penn has shared the title three times -- in 1981, 1984 and 1986.

Though they may be sharing the honor, this title is still important to the Quakers.

"They want to win," Fuller said. "We certainly have a lot to play for."

Clinching a share of the title tonight would do nothing for Penn in the national rankings, nor would it earn the Quakers an NCAA tournament bid.

However, winning the Philadelphia Soccer 7 title is something to which all Philadelphia teams aspire.

"It's important to us," Fuller said.

Although the statistics and national rankings indicate that Penn is the superior team in tonight's game, the Quakers know that the game will be as difficult as any other they have played this season.

The Quakers will also be challenged by the Hawks' home-field advantage. St. Joe's plays on a turf surface, a rarity in college soccer.

"They understand the challenge tonight will be," Fuller said. "[St. Joe's has] got some players on the attack that will be challenging."

Leading the Hawks' attack is junior midfielder Adam Duffy with 6 goals on 36 shots this season.

Other players to watch out for on the St. Joe's attack are junior forward Andrew Kulinski and freshman forward Mike Guglielmucci.

The Quakers will be spared the task of defending junior midfielder Matt James. After receiving a red card in the Hawks' last game against Richmond, he will be forced to sit out tonight's match. However, Penn is still weary of the Hawks' attack.

"They've got some guys that can put the ball in the net," Fuller said.

St. Joe's is coming into the game after a 1-0 loss at Richmond last week. This is their last game of the season, and they are looking to go out with a win.

The Quakers have one regular season game remaining after tonight's game.

The Red and Blue face Ivy League rival Harvard this Saturday at Rhodes Field. A win against Harvard will help the Quakers earn a higher seed in the NCAA tournament and give Penn bragging rights as the lone Ivy League champions.

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