Men's Soccer vies to stand alone

For the Penn men's soccer squad, which hasn't won an Ivy League championship in 22 years, just clinching a share of the title isn't enough.

On Saturday, when Harvard suits up at Rhodes Field, the Crimson will be the only obstacle between the No. 16 Quakers (11-2-1, 5-0-1 Ivy) and sole possession of the league crown.

The Crimson (8-6-1, 2-3-1 Ivy) are coming off a disappointing 2-1 loss to Columbia and are fighting to finish with a .500 record in the Ivies.

The Quakers are not taking the Crimson for granted.

"All the Ivy League games are battles," Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. "On paper, Harvard is clearly one of the best teams in the league."

Harvard sports a potent, well-balanced offense led by juniors Kevin Ara and Ladd Fritz. Ara leads the team with nine goals, while Fritz trails just behind him with eight.

However, it is highly doubtful that this tandem will be able to light up the scoreboard against the Quakers.

Penn junior Matt Haefner has been turning heads around the nation with his phenomenal goalkeeping.

Haefner has a goals-against average of 0.34 and could earn his 10th shutout of the season against Harvard.

The Quakers are standing behind their netminder in his quest for an incredible double-digit shutout season.

"There's a very good chance that he'll do it," junior Nick Severini said. "Haefner's playing very well, and there is no reason why he wouldn't."

Outside of statistical incentives, the Quakers insist that there are many factors to motivate them for this upcoming game.

To the casual fan this may be hard to understand since the Red and Blue have already secured at least a share of the Ivy title and the Philadelphia Soccer 7. In addition, they are guaranteed a bid to the NCAA College Cup.

However, sole possession of the Ivy crown is something else entirely.

"If I would offer you a full cookie, or I offered you half -- I think you'd want to have it all," Fuller said.

It's that simple.

The Quakers feel they are the best team in the Ivy League right now and winning the championship outright is the only way to validate their belief.

If the Quakers are able to chalk up a win this Saturday, the momentum will also be helpful for a team that is entering the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years and will likely face a perennial contender.

"Getting a win shows everyone that we're not messing around," Haefner said. "It will be better going into the NCAA playing well."

The seniors may want the victory more than anyone else since it will be their last regular season game on Rhodes Field.

"The seniors are probably sentimental," Haefner said. "But at least we have more games to play, and they won't be done after this one."

Technically, the Quakers will win the Ivy title outright if they tie or if Dartmouth ties or loses. The Big Green play at home this weekend against Brown.

But the Quakers aren't counting on any help.

"We're not thinking about what Dartmouth does," Fuller said. "We control our destiny."

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