Despite a heat wave rolling through Philadelphia, a cold spell has struck Penn sports. The 2023 fall season is now underway, yet there hasn’t been much success so far. But most teams are only a week or two into their seasons, so don’t lose confidence just yet. Here’s how Quaker teams have fared through their first weeks.
Men’s Soccer
Trouble finding the back of the net sums up how the first two games of the season fared for Penn men’s soccer. Starting off their 2023 campaign on the road, the Quakers failed to pick up a victory on their Labor Day Weekend trip to the Empire State, falling short against both Fordham and Hofstra.
Against the Rams, junior forward Stas Korzeniowski picked up right where he left off. After a red-hot 2022 where he notched 11 goals and seven assists en route to winning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, Korzeniowski opened the scoring for the Red and Blue in 2023 with a strike in the 23rd minute. Yet this goal remained the Quakers’ sole goal of the game — and season — as Penn fell 2-1 to the Rams and 1-0 to the Pride a few days later.
Women’s Soccer
Recording Penn Athletics’ first victory this fall sports season, Penn women’s soccer has so far jumped out to a strong 2-0 overall record. Senior midfielder Lauren Teuschl and junior forward Isobel Glass welcomed American and Delaware to Penn Park, each scoring winners in one of Penn's first two games. Extraordinary efforts by senior goalkeeper Laurence Gladu kept each match to 1-0.
But low scoring games stopped working in the Quakers’ favor, as the team dropped its next two matches — each with a 1-0 final score. Next up, Penn women’s soccer takes on Lafayette at Penn Park. With an untainted home record to protect, the team may need to knock in more than one goal if it hopes to get back above .500.
Field Hockey
Most Penn teams consider its non-conference slate to start the season as a learning period. Not Penn field hockey. Opening the season with an ACC crossover, the Quakers’ abilities were immediately put to the test, going toe-to-toe with reigning national champion No. 1 North Carolina and No. 9 Louisville over the long weekend.
The nationally ranked opponents proved too big of competitors, though, as Penn was unable to turn up a victory in either game; falling 4-0 to the Tar Heels and 2-1 to the Cardinals. Both losses can be credited to limited offensive chances for the Red and Blue, with the team only tallying six shots across both matches.
Still looking to pick up its first win of the season, the team continues its four-game season-opening homestand, hosting Georgetown and Drexel this upcoming weekend.
Volleyball
Penn volleyball’s 2022 season was riddled with defeat. So far, 2023 isn’t faring much differently.
Making the trip out to Houston for the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament, the Quakers couldn’t even secure a singular set win, dropping each match to Houston Christian, UT Rio Grande Valley, and Arkansas State by a score of 3-0.
As the tournament went on, one can argue that improvements were made. The set scores grew tighter in number and the team put up tougher battles. But the improvements didn’t arrive soon enough, and the team will need more of a push before turning its season around.
Cross Country
Both the men’s and women’s cross country squads put on a show on Friday by securing top individual finishes at the Lehigh Invitational. Junior Dylan Throop led the way on the men’s side, crossing the finish line first with a flat 18-minute time in the 6k. Junior Luke Johnson and sophomore Sahil Dodda followed closely behind in seventh and eighth place. Collectively, the men’s efforts secured them second place with 37 points.
Snagging first place with 15 points, the women’s squad also had eight of the top 10 finishes. Coming in first was senior Maeve Stiles with a 20:32.6 time. Senior Liv Morganti, junior Katie Pou, sophomore Kyra Compton, and senior Fabianna Szorenyi followed suit to sweep the top five spots.
The Quakers won’t hit the gravel again until Sept. 15 for the Main Line Invitational, but it’s clear they’ve got a big enough spark to keep them shining.
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