M. Soccer Looks for Ivy Icebreaker VS. Penn

The futility will end for either the Harvard men's soccer team or Penn tomorrow. One of them will win an Ivy game.

Both can claim they have the momentum because they are coming off their first wins of the season on Tuesday. Harvard (1-4-1, 0-2 Ivy) upset No. 17 B.U. 2-1, while Penn (1-5, 0-2 Ivy) beat Temple 1-0.

"I believe that the victory [against Boston University] was the turning point of our season; it's all uphill from here," said senior goalkeeper Jordan Dupuis.

In fact, the whole Crimson team seems to be undergoing an attitude adjustment.

"It feels like a big load has come off of our shoulders," freshman defender James Hutcherson said. "Our team chemistry is now starting to come together and we're all more confident."

Harvard hopes its emergence from an early-season offensive slump will continue during the trip to Penn. The key to the turnaround has been the re-emergence of junior midfielder Armando Petruccelli.

Petruccelli, The Crimson athlete of the week, has played three games since returning from a one-year sabbatical.

In those games, Petruccelli has scored three goals and added an assist while leading Harvard's attack from the center-midfield position.

Petruccelli has benefited from a freshman supporting cast. Jonathan Oslowski, Marko "the Croatian Sensation" Soldo, Nick Lenicheck, and Mike Peller have all contributed offensively. Peller scored the game-winning goal in Harvard's lone win this season, 2-1 against B.U.

Harvard will encounter a Penn team mired in the depths of mediocrity. They have tried to make up for their lesser talent level with hard work, but so far, they have not been very successful.

Sophomore goalkeeper and co-captain Mike O'Conner, who gained Ivy League Rookie of the Year, is probably Penn's best player. But the Quakers lack a true standout player, and thus they have nowhere to turn for a big play.

The Quakers feature an unconventional formation with five midfielders and only three defenders. The 3-5-2 is supposed to allow a team to control the midfield, but it can also mean that the defenders are stretched thin.

Harvard will try to take advantage of Penn's unique approach, but the Crimson has had its share of offensive difficulties this season.

"Most of our goals have been scored by our midfielders, and that's not good," Hutcherson said. "We've been experimenting with new combinations, and hopefully that will solve the problem."

Penn began the season with tough road games, losing to William and Mary, Old Dominion, Dartmouth, B.U., and Cornell by a combined score of 8-2. But the Quakers bounced back in its home debut against Temple. It was head coach Brian "Rudy" Fuller's first win.

Harvard is looking to avenge an opening-day shutout loss to Penn last year at Ohiri Field. Penn went on to finish 4-12-1.