M. Soccer ventures into the Lions' den

"Dutch Total Football?" Men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller laughed when his team was compared to the 1970s Netherlands teams with their flowing soccer styles, where players were versatile enough to play any position on the field.

But it's no joke - for the Quakers, no positions are set in stone. A midfielder one day might be a defender or forward the next, and a 4-3-3 formation can turn into a 4-5-1 at the blow of a whistle.

"If only we were as good" as the Dutch, he said. "I just try to put guys in parts of the field that highlight our strengths."

And versatility - mixed with lots of determination and some luck - has helped the team recover from an 0-3 start. Somehow, the Quakers have continued to show plenty of toughness as they slog through a grueling non-conference schedule to open the season.

That resilience will be tested once again tonight, as Penn (1-3-2) travels west to Penn State (2-4-1) for a 7 p.m. match. This marks the first meeting on the pitch between the in-state schools in 10 years, to the day.

In their last outing, the Quakers gritted out a late comeback to tie Lehigh, 1-1, on Saturday.

According to Fuller, "we weren't particularly sharp last week and the guys are disappointed with the result, . but we feel good about having battled back."

With a relatively young team, the Nittany Lions have stumbled out of the gate this year. But in Fuller's estimation, they bring a lot to the field.

"They play a 4-4-2 and they are very good at collectively defending," he said. "They're loaded with talented international players" from Canada, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain and Iceland.

There are similarities between Lehigh's defensive style and Penn State's, but Fuller warns that the Nittany Lions are better offensively and have more playmakers than the Mountain Hawks.

So while Lehigh was content to play a counterattacking game and get the ball up to their dangerous strikers, Penn State has a much greater ability to control the flow of a match.

"We're going to have to really capitalize on the opportunities we get," Fuller said.

Even when those opportunities come around, tickling the twine will not be easy. Senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor plays bigger than his five-foot-eight frame - he's a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection.

Featured on the attack for Penn State are junior forward Jason Yeisley and midfielders Frank Costigliola and Treavor Gelsinger. They are three of the more dangerous weapons the Lions possess.

The Quakers' back line has been excellent as of late and it will need to do a good job of containing Yeisley, who has scored 44 percent of his team's goals.

His bench has been a surprise boon as well - particularly freshmen Tobi Olopade and Loukas Tasigianis - and Fuller is quick to credit them with a hand in the team's improving play the last couple of weeks.

"As a coach and as a team, you want to be peaking at the conference schedule," he said. "We're getting better as each week passes, and we want to hit our stride then and into the post-season."

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