Penn men's soccer 'satisfied' with tie

In the third minute of the second overtime, senior Austin Kinn lined up with the hopes of leading Penn to victory with a decisive penalty kick.

But a timely save by Columbia goalkeeper Kyle Jackson effectively ended any hope for the Quakers to leave New York with a victory.

In a matchup of the Ivy League’s best offenses, Penn’s men’s soccer (4- 6-1, 1-0-1 Ivy) couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net and ended the night in a scoreless draw with Columbia (5- 2-2, 0-0-2) after two overtimes.

In a match where the Red and Blue outshot the Lions, 19-11, both squads’ inability to get quality shots on goal proved costly as neither side found the back of the net.

After the match, the Quakers were adamant that the reason behind their offensive struggles wasn’t due to Columbia’s defense but their own failure to convert.

“We couldn’t execute on our opportunities and couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” junior forward Duke Lacroix said.

Coming off an upset of defending Ivy League champion Cornell, the Quakers set their sights on a rising Lions squad which had yet to lose at home this season. Early on in the matchup, neither team could gain an upper hand offensively.

In the first half, both teams were able to get plenty of shots off, but they struggled to get shots on goal. While Columbia struggled on the offensive end, its defense gave Penn plenty of problems with tough physical play that led to plenty of fouls for the Lions. The first half also saw coach Rudy Fuller utilize his bench to change the pace of the game.

Lacroix was subbed out early in the first half in an attempt to confuse the defense.

“It was to give the defense different looks and kind of change the pace of the game,” Lacroix said.

The second half proved to be more of the same as neither team could produce any significant offense. The fouls continued to mount on both sides and led to an astonishing five yellow cards called between the two teams.

With neither side scoring in regulation, it was on to overtime.

The Red and Blue started to dominate the match at the onset of the first overtime. Columbia couldn’t even muster a shot on goal, but the Quakers couldn’t finish the many chances they were afforded in the matchup.

The scoring opportunities were plentiful, but the Red and Blue couldn’t quite get the ball past Jackson.

Early in the second overtime, a hard tackle by a Columbia defender set up Kinn’s penalty kick with a chance to win the game. Kinn was unable to convert, and the game finished with no goals for either squad.

It was a tough result for Penn, but the team was content with the outcome.

“It was too bad that we couldn’t come away with the victory, but the main goal is not to come out empty handed,” Fuller said.

“It would’ve been nice to get the three points,” Kinn said. “But we’re satisfied with one.”

SEE ALSO

Penn men’s soccer trumps defending Ivy champ Cornell

Backups help Penn men’s soccer snap streak at six

Penn men’s soccer working on its endgame

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.