Penn men's soccer adds former women's assistant coach

Men’s soccer coach Rudy Fuller described the relationship between the men’s and women’s teams at Penn as being “one program.”

Perhaps no one knows this better than the newest men’s soccer assistant coach Pete Pososki, who previously served in the same role on the women’s side from 2005-10. After spending one season on staff for the Virginia Tech women’s team that reached the Sweet 16, he’s back with the Red and Blue.

“Obviously I know Penn really well and I had a great time here in the past,” Pososki said.

And his familiarity with the school has its advantages.

“To get somebody of his caliber as a coach, but also with a fine knowledge of how Penn worked from an admissions standpoint, a financial aid standpoint and with a pretty good idea of our program and our team, was a no-brainer,” Fuller said.

Pososki, who had long been interested in coaching on the men’s side, said he would have liked to spend more than a year at Virginia Tech, but he could not pass on Penn’s offer.

“To get an opportunity to work with Rudy and [assistant] Rob [Irvine] and an institution like Penn was too good to pass up,” he said. “It was a difficult decision [to leave Virginia Tech], but it was one I felt that at this point in my career, would be a great move for me.”

Pososki was certainly no stranger to the men’s staff before becoming a part of it.

“I felt that I was joining something where I already knew what it was all about,” he said.

Senior Bryan Yasukochi indicated the transition.

“Pete fits in really well,” he said. “He seemed like he’s been one of the guys from day one.”

Fuller said the two were “very close” when Pososki worked with the women’s team, and Pososki called Fuller a “good friend.”

The open position arose when the men’s team decided to add a “meaningful” second assistant for the first time, according to Fuller. Pososki joins Irvine, who has been with the Quakers for seven years.

Though Fuller said assistant coaches in soccer do not have explicit areas of focus as in football, Yasukochi said having an extra assistant has allowed for a degree of greater specialization.

Thus far, Fuller said Pososki “has been a tremendous addition and a very positive impact on the program overall.”

Pososki chuckled when asked about the differences between coaching on the men’s side versus the women’s side.

“Tactically and technically, you ask the same things of your players for the most part,” he said, also adding that communicating with players can be different.

“Sometimes you have to be a little bit more direct with the guys,” he said. “The girls are probably a little bit more willing to do what you ask right away. The guys maybe take a little more convincing or a little bit more trust is needed from them.”

Pososki said he still sees the women he coached and recruited around the facility and he’s made it out to two of their games this year.

“I’m a huge fan,” Pososki said. “I’ll always follow them and hope the best for them.”

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