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Men's Soccer vs Columbia game Credit: Freda Zhao , Freda Zhao

With its back against the wall in a must-win Ivy League contest, Penn men’s soccer found a way to take down Dartmouth.

On Saturday, the Red and Blue scored two unanswered goals after going down by one on an early penalty kick for the 2-1 victory. The win boosted the Quakers (6-6, 2-1 Ivy) into a tie for second in the league, keeping them in the hunt for a repeat Ivy title.

With so much motivation on Penn’s part, a fast start was imperative for the team. However, a handball by the Quakers in the seventh minute gave Dartmouth (7-4-1, 2-1) an early penalty kick which the Big Green capitalized on to take the early lead.

Coach Rudy Fuller was not happy with the decision by the referee.

“It was a generous call, ” he said. “I give the team full credit for continuing to keep their head down and play through it.”

Both teams had several chances throughout the half until a corner from junior midfielder Forrest Clancy connected with freshman Sam Wancowicz right by the net, who was able to score his first goal of the season and tie the game for Penn.

“It was a very simple play but [was] executed very well, ” Fuller said.

Overall, the first half saw a rather balanced match between the two squads. Neither team was able to take a commanding lead, which ultimately helped the Quakers in the second half, but Penn still let up plenty of chances to Dartmouth’s forwards.

“Dartmouth has a fantastic team,” Fuller said. “I think we’re a pretty good team so I think it was just a really good soccer game in the first half. I can’t say we did that much better.

“We probably deserved to be up 1-0 just by virtue of the [handball] call but the play was very even. We made some adjustments at the half because we thought we were playing too much in front of them.”

It only took a few minutes in the second half before Penn would take the lead for the first time in the night. After a string of five crisp passes, freshman midfielder Austin Kuhn was able to bury it.

For the next 35 minutes, the match was dominated by Penn’s defensive performance. Thanks to a superb second-half effort from junior goalkeeper Max Polkinhorne — in addition to a more concerted effort by the defense — Penn would not allow another goal and seal the victory.

“I think we have a talented team, good leadership, a lot of experience around the field, ” Fuller said. “I don’t view the losses as letting the game get away late, it’s just we didn’t defend well.

“When we’re able to focus on it, stay in tune and connected, we’re very difficult to break down.”

Penn faces last-place Yale on Saturday in New Haven.

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