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msoccer-touche

Sophomore defender Alex Touche was all over the field for the Quakers this season, anchoring one of the best defenses in the league while also contributing five goals and three game-winners. 

Credit: Borna Saeednia

The season might be over, but Alex Touche is still making his name heard. 

The sophomore defender for Penn men’s soccer was named first-team All-Ivy on Wednesday, marking the culmination of an extremely successful year on the field. Touche was a consistent force on both sides of the pitch, contributing to each of the Quakers’ five wins in a significant way. 

On offense, Touche was Penn’s most productive scorer throughout the season, finding the net for five of the team’s 12 total goals. Three of those were game-winners in overtime against Monmouth, Marquette, and Harvard, proving that he could come up big for the Quakers when they needed him the most. 

Touche was a reliable presence on the other side of the field as well, spending just three minutes on the sidelines all season. This consistency helped the Red and Blue record seven shutouts and allow the third-fewest goals in the Ivy League for the year. 

However, Touche wasn’t the only Quaker receiving recognition on Wednesday, as junior midfielder and captain Brandon Bartel was awarded All-Ivy honorable mention. Bartel was key for the Red and Blue on set pieces all season, taking most of the team’s corner and free kicks and recording six assists to lead the Ivy League. 

One notable omission from the postseason awards is senior goalkeeper Scott Forbes, who led the conference in save percentage (82 percent) and shutouts (seven). 

While Penn's two award winners were each successful in their own right, they also had a unique bond on the field all year, as Bartel assisted Touche on each of his game-winning goals. If the Quakers can continue to utilize that connection next season, they might be able to find even more success.