Penn men's soccer falls to No. 12 American, 2-1

In a match where the Quakers did just about everything right, Penn men’s soccer just couldn’t come away with a result.

In a heartbreaking loss, the Red and Blue outshot No. 12 American, but a late goal by American forward Jake Garcia ultimately sealed Penn’s fate, giving the Eagles a 2-1 win.

The first half primarily consisted of conservative cycling in the middle fifty by both teams with Penn (2-3) taking shots from all over the field. Neither team scored but both teams put up a few quality chances.

“We think the game is all about creating chances and we want to get as many shots as we can,” coach Rudy Fuller said. “I thought it was a fairly evenly played first half. I don’t think anybody had real significant chances”

On the other hand, the second half saw a different side of both Penn and American (6-1). After Penn blocked a direct kick, the Quakers began to control possession in the second half, spending the majority of that time on American’s side of the field.

“In the second half, I thought we were the better team,” Fuller said. “That’s a game we need to come away with.”

After 72 minutes of play, American started the scoring with a goal from 25 yards out. But the Quakers would respond five minutes later.

Penn continued to barrage the Eagles goalie until it finally broke through with just fifteen minutes left on a give-and-go between senior forward Duke Lacroix and sophomore forward Alec Neumann. Neumann scored high towards the left corner, a play that Neumann said the two forwards rehearse.

“I turned and Duke was checking in,” he said. “We actually worked on that after practice; we combine and make sure we’re sharpening up our relationship. He checked in, laid a perfect ball just outside of my right foot and it went to the far post.”

Penn, with the game’s momentum in hand, would continue to flood American with shots on goal, but in the end it was Jake Garcia during one of the team’s few chances in the last ten minutes that stole the lead and victory for the Eagles.

“It’s tough, pretty heartbreaking to go down so late in the game, but that’s something we need to sharpen up if we want to be a great team,” Neumann said.

However, the sophomore forward thought there were some positive takeaways for the Red and Blue.

“I think we played really well,” Neumann said. “We looked aggressive. We looked sharp. I think we deserved to win the game. I think we really need to focus in the last five minutes to turn these 2-1 losses into wins.

“We matched their effort if not exceeded it. We were more technical. At the end, we really wanted it but it doesn’t always go your way.”

“I think we showed in the second half we can be pretty good when we’re on and we’re sharp and everyone’s into it,” Fuller said, “but at the same time there’s a defensive side and we have to win those individual battles.”

For Penn, the team is not looking toward Ivy League play just yet, instead they are focusing on picking up as many wins as possible before then and have their sights set on Temple this Sunday.

“We’re not even thinking about Ivy league,” Fuller said. “We’re thinking about Temple and then once we’re done with Temple we’re thinking about Penn State. It’s about us being better every time we step on the field. We’ve gotten better with each game, but again, it’s all about those results. We’ve got to be a team that gets those wins.”

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