As quickly as the spring season began, it seemed to end for the members of the Penn men's soccer team.
This fall, the Quakers captured the program's first Ivy League Championship in 22 years and secured an automatic berth to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in 25 years.
Turning around a program that was just 6-9-1 and 2-5 in Ancient Eight play during its 2001 campaign, Penn coach Rudy Fuller guided the Red and Blue to an impressive 12-4-1 finish in 2002, which included a 5-1-1 mark in Ivy League play and a trip to the second round of the College Cup.
The spring season has laid the groundwork for the Quakers' attempt to defend their Ivy League crown next fall.
"I think the most important part of the spring is that the guys continue the standard of play and work ethic we started this past year," Fuller said. "As I told them earlier in the spring, we have a different challenge in front of us."
Besides being restricted to an Ivy League-regulated 10 spring practices, Penn was also allowed two play-days, which it took full advantage of by scheduling five abbreviated games.
The spring season gives the players an opportunity to get back together and play as a team, instead of just lifting weights and working on conditioning.
The Quakers' new challenge will be entering the 2003 season with the prefix "defending Ivy League Champions" attached to their name.
Last year Penn entered almost every game as the underdog. Come next fall things will be different, and Fuller understands that.
"It's a new challenge, and we are going to have to work harder coming into this year to win than we did last year," he said.
Spring practice sessions and competition allow the Quakers the opportunity to take on its new challenge well in advance.
"The spring is the first step to next season," sophomore forward Stephen Kroculick said. "Playing in the spring helps us on the way to getting where we need to be in the fall."
Fuller also pointed out the significance spring play has for the following fall, while emphasizing the limited amount of time the Quakers have to practice due to Ivy League rules.
"We don't have enough time to be concerned with fitness. It falls upon the players' shoulders to remain fit outside of scheduled practices," Fuller said. "We spend our 10 practices playing full-sided games, and getting the guys playing in bigger numbers. We like to create situations we can't take advantage of during small individual sessions during the winter."
Kroculick echoed Fuller's idea about concentrating on team play and not individual fitness.
"This spring it's based more on getting outdoors and playing outdoors as a team," he said. "If you're not playing as much, then it's on you to take care of your fitness and be in shape when you need to be."
In Penn's five games this spring, the Quakers amassed a record of 3-2. Penn knocked off Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland Baltimore County in its first weekend of play.
The Quakers wrapped up their spring season April 12 with two abbreviated 70 minute games against American and Ivy League-rival Princeton in Washington, D.C.
Penn dropped both games, losing to American, 1-0, and Princeton, 3-1.
"I think the teams were a lot better the last weekend. They were faster and in better shape overall than the teams we played first," said junior goalkeeper and 2002 Ivy League Player of the Year, Matthew Haefner. "Also, playing two 70 minute games in a row is pretty difficult."
While the Quakers were pleased with the progress they made during the spring season, they also see a disadvantage in the limited number of practices allowed by the Ivy League.
"I definitely think the [regulations] hurt because there's so much less team oriented things during the spring," Kroculick said. "When we played American, you could tell they had played together much more during the spring. I wish we could do that."
Haefner emphasized the importance of fully exploiting the limited practice minutes.
"It's a pretty laid back atmosphere. We definitely still want the hard work to be there though," he said. "We need to get better in the small amount of time we have and make every practice as solid as possible."
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