In 2022, Penn men’s soccer won the Ivy League title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. There, the Quakers nearly beat Syracuse as the latter made a run to the national championship game. This year, after winning the regular season title and earning the right to host the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, expectations were similarly high for Penn.
But what greeted them was another close loss, but this one felt more heartbreaking than anything. After being tied 2-2 with Brown following overtime, Penn was downed on penalty kicks after the Bears converted three of their chances to just the Quakers’ two.
The game just before it had lived up to high expectations. On one of the first truly chilly nights of the fall and under the bright lights of Penn Park, two skilled teams played out an incredibly tight game. The match was scoreless until the 71st minute, when junior midfielder Leo Burney scored the first goal. But the Bears equalized, sending the game to overtime, where they quickly took a lead. Even getting to penalty kicks took a miracle, as Penn scored and then saved a penalty try by Brown in the game’s final ten minutes.
In penalties, a team game becomes a series of individual contests — a test of fate between goalkeeper and striker. Tragically for the Quakers, Brown won one more of these contests than they did. After the game, the Penn players made their way to the stands, greeting the family and friends who’d spent their Friday evening there, each wishing that the embrace could have been under better circumstances.
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