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09-02-22-msoccer-vs-rider-ben-stitz-anna-vazhaeparambil
Graduate student Ben Stitz looks to pass the ball around a Rider defender during the game at Rhodes Field on Sept. 2. Credit: Anna Vazhaeparambil

Penn men's soccer is currently ablaze on a seven-game win streak, and graduate student midfielder Ben Stitz has scored in each to a total of nine goals.

Ever since opening the scoring for Penn at Colgate in September, which marked the beginning of Penn's win streak, Stitz has scored in each game since, including the team's first two conference matchups against Yale and Dartmouth. 

With a robust eye for goals inside the box, and precise touches even in the midst of high-pressure defenses, Stitz is becoming a critical quick converter on chances crossed in by his teammates.

"Just being able to directly contribute to the scoresheet is something that obviously you want to do [when] playing as more of an attacking midfielder," Stitz told The Daily Pennsylvanian in 2019. "Hopefully I will get a couple more goals and assists later on in the season."

But beyond his aptitude for finishing on opportunities, Stitz has been a dependable ball-carrier ever since last season. His talents in guarding the ball have only improved through this fall, featured in his second goal in a brace against DePaul this season after outwitting a defender to the ground.



Stitz now leads the team in shots on goal with 21, and goals scored with nine; his last score coming against the Quakers' most recent matchup against Monmouth on the road. With his goal tally so far, Stitz has already exceeded the leading goalscorers of last fall, Matt Leigh and Joey Bhangdia, who each graduated with five goals in the 2021 season.