Senior Kamar Saint-Louis lying sprawled out with his head buried in the turf after the final whistle — a visual encapsulation of Penn men’s soccer’s final game.
On a night honoring Penn’s five seniors, the Quakers (6-9-2, 2-3-2 Ivy) fell victim once again to a late goal, losing at home to Harvard, 1-0. However, despite the disappointing defeat, the Quakers and their outgoing seniors have plenty of reason to hold their heads high.
Penn was able to put Harvard (11-4-2, 4-1-2) under considerable pressure throughout the match, accumulating 20 shots in the process. However, a few bad touches by Penn in the final third and several diving saves by Harvard keeper Evan Mendez prevented the Quakers from getting on the board.
Defensively, Penn looked considerably more solid at the back than it had for many games this season, and the unit was able to handle Harvard’s strong attacking presence in the box for the first 88 minutes of the match. Unfortunately for the Quakers, their old demons came back to haunt them, as a failed clearance in the box lead to a Penn own goal with 1:25 left to play.
“The tough part about tonight is that I thought it was one of our best overall performances,” coach Rudy Fuller said. “I thought we were dangerous and dynamic going forward and generally strong in our box. I thought we deserved more but that’s just been the story of the year.”
“We put a winning performance down on paper, but it just didn’t end up that way on the scoreboard,” senior captain Duke Lacroix said. “I just want to thank the guys on the team for putting forward such a valiant effort for the seniors today, and even though it wasn’t a winning one they left it all out on the field.”
Those five seniors — Lacroix, Saint-Louis, Jason deFaria, Mariano Gonzalez-Guerineau and Louis Scott — were all honored before their last match wearing the Red and Blue in what was a surreal moment, according to Lacroix.
“Building up to this day I really didn’t think about it, but it sort of just hit me when I was out there,” Lacroix said. “Being with all the seniors and the parents and Coach at the beginning of the game was truly special and it was a great honor.”
Lacroix, who amassed 65 career points as well as Ivy Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors, had six shots in his final game as a Quaker and will graduate in the top five all time for Penn in minutes played and points.
The senior class, all of whom played integral parts in Penn’s Ivy Championship last season, will be sorely missed — not only for their talent on the field, but also for their leadership and commitment to their program off of it.
“Coach always says that we carry the flag for all those who came before us and carry it forward for all who come after,” Lacroix said. “I think we have done a good job carrying the flag for Penn, and I feel great about my time here.”
“These five guys sacrificed for the program so that we could move forward, and this is a different program than the one they entered,” Fuller said of his players. “They deserve all the credit in the world.”
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