PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- There aren't too many soccer teams out there that would travel to an away game with just 13 players.
The Penn men's soccer team did just that Saturday night against Brown.
The Quakers (4-7-2, 1-4 Ivy) took on the undefeated, Ivy League-leading Bears without nine of their players -- seven of whom were serving the first game of a two-game suspension for violating a team rule that Penn coach Rudy Fuller would not specify. Sophomore Erik Violante was injured and freshman Andy Howard received a red card last weekend.
Penn gave up the game's only goal in the 38th minute when Brown freshman Brian Joyce fired a low ball into the Penn net past a diving Dan Cepero, who played in place of senior goalkeeper Matt Haefner.
While the Quakers took control of the game in the second half, they were unable to convert their opportunities, falling 1-0.
"It was a tale of two halves," Fuller said. "We had a little heart-to-heart at halftime about playing to win the game and not looking for any excuses about why we weren't going to get a result, instead of going out and getting the result."
The Quakers struggled in the first half, allowing 15 shots by the Bears (9-3-1, 5-0), while mustering only four.
The most drastic changes due to lack of players were made in Penn's defensive corps.
Freshman goalkeeper Cepero played between the pipes for Penn, making 10 saves on the night, six of which came in the first half.
Cepero "stepped in and played great. He looked confident," Fuller said. "He was beaten by a good shot, but I think he had command of his box. I think he did well dealing with shots and crosses and corners."
In front of Cepero, the Penn defense was missing usual starters in Howard and Violante.
Junior Josh Duyan and sophomore Richard Brushett -- both midfielders -- stepped in for Violante and Howard. In addition, sophomore Artie Bartholomew played in the back for the Red and Blue out of his normal midfield position.
"I think they did a great job," junior co-captain and defender Erik Hallenbeck said. "I think at first it was tough because it was three guys that never play in the back. In the second half we played the way we should play every game.
"We need to come out with a chip on our shoulder, expecting to win and taking the game to them and not coming in and letting a team like that take the game to us."
Fuller agreed with Hallenbeck's assessment of Penn's play in the second half.
"In the second half we played the game the way it should have been played," he said. "These 13 guys that traveled with the team -- my hat goes off to them."
Brown coach Mike Noonan didn't think that his side had really taken it to the Quakers.
"We knew they were going to be the defending champion and we had to beat them," he said. "I thought they were a better team tonight, at least in the second half."
The loss dropped the Quakers to 1-4 in Ivy competition and eliminated the small chance they still had of defending their Ivy crown, while the Bears improved to 5-0 and continued their quest for the Ivy League title.
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