After leading the Quakers in scoring in each of the last two seasons, junior forward Mike Klein came into Saturday night's matchup against Columbia with no goals and only one assist through eight games.
All of that changed in a hurry in the second half against the Lions. With the game tied, Klein broke through with two goals in a five-minute span to lead the Quakers to a 3-2 road victory over Columbia (2-6-1, 0-1 Ivy) in their first Ivy League game this season.
"It's been a little bit of a frustrating year for me, but now I feel I'm back on track," Klein said.
Coming into the match, goals looked like they would be at a premium for both sides. The Lions had scored a meager four in eight games, while the Columbia defense had recorded three straight shutouts.
"Goals are always hard to come by," Quakers coach Rudy Fuller said. "With that said, our guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now. We were feeling good about how we were playing."
In the first half, Columbia goalkeeper Michael Testa recorded four saves, and Lions freshman Bayo Adafin scored his first goal on a long run down the left side to give Columbia a 1-0 lead at the break.
"We gave [Adafin] an opportunity," Fuller said. "He got behind us."
But Columbia's lead lasted only five minutes longer. Testa extended his shutout streak to 355 minutes before junior midfielder Alex Grendi pounded home the equalizer from 20 yards out.
Then in the 65th minute, freshman Loukas Tasigianis crossed the ball into the middle, and Klein knocked the ball in during a goalmouth scramble for the first of his two goals.
Less than five minutes later, junior forward Andrew Ferry and Klein connected on a give-and-go down the right side. Klein buried his shot off the crossbar to give the Quakers (3-4-2, 1-0) some insurance and a 3-1 cushion.
"Our offense played great," said Ferry, who leads the team with three goals this season. "Everyone on the field contributed and obviously Mike finishing those goals to give us the lead was huge."
The insurance goal proved vital for the Quakers, since Columbia forward Tom Heinbockel cut the led in half less than a minute later with a shot from the top of the box.
Junior goalkeeper Drew Healy recorded only one save on the night for the Quakers, but that was all the team would need. They limited Columbia to three shots on goal.
"Overall the defending was good," Fuller said. "All 10 guys in front of Drew Healy were committed tonight. We felt good that [Columbia] didn't break us down at any point in the game."
The strategy of playing a tough nonconference schedule seems to be paying off for the Quakers, as they have started off on the right foot in the Ivy League schedule.
"This league is all about momentum," Fuller said. "You want to get off to a good start and carry the momentum into each game."
It didn't happen right away, but Penn found it soon enough.
