The win hits a little sweeter when it’s close to home.
In a rivalry between schools under 20 miles apart, Penn men’s soccer triumphed over Villanova in a 3-0 victory on Sept. 23. The Quakers’ (3-2-2) victory came at the heels of a 2-2 tie against the Wildcats (2-3-3) just one year prior, and after a series of losses dating back to 2011.
The Wildcats saw the evening as an opportunity for redemption following two ties and two losses in their previous matches. Under goalkeeper Sebastian Cutler DeJesus, the Wildcats held strong with 10 total saves across the game. But for the Quakers, this match represented a final tune-up before Ivy League play begins on Sept. 28 at Columbia. It was a chance to showcase a steadfast offense that saw 13 shots on goal across the night, nearly triple Villanova’s five. A cornerstone of that offense was sophomore forward Romeo Dahlen, who scored two goals — hitting four goals total in the season thus far.
“An emotional game [with] a local team that you’re playing against, and obviously getting on top … it gives you a little bit more confidence as you go,” coach Brian Gill said.
From the opening whistle, the Quakers started with an explosive offense. In just 52 seconds, senior midfielder Patrick Cayelli capitalized on a free kick, and senior defender Oliver Pratt notched the first goal of the night. That goal set the rhythm of the game — Villanova was unable to keep up with the Quaker offense.
“It's a great way to start the game — [getting] momentum right away. Being up a goal super early just gives us confidence the rest of the game,” Pratt said.
A big part of Penn’s offensive capability stemmed from its experience compared to Villanova’s starting team consisting mainly of underclassmen. That experience showed through when a string of blocked shots by the offense culminated in a goal made by Dahlen halfway through the first half.
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But with 14 minutes left in the first half, a foul committed by former Penn and now-Villanova midfielder Michael teDuits left junior midfielder Jack-Ryan Jeremiah injured. Jeremiah, who earned first team All-Ivy honors last season with a career-high 12 points, gripped his ankle while he was helped off the field. Despite being down a key player on the offense, the Quakers still prevailed, heading into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
“He just took a knock, and we’ll see as it goes to the rest of the week. I think he knows how to handle himself and to get himself back on his feet,” Gill said of Jeremiah’s injury.
The second half opened with Penn mounting pressure, but at the cost of three fouls against the Wildcats after just five minutes. The game’s pace soon died down as both teams entered a defensive standstill. While Villanova nearly found its first goal 13 minutes into the half, two successive saves by senior goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III kept the Quakers in the lead. This was Falcon’s second start this season, as he has largely sat out of non-conference play. The Wildcats were unable to make any other shots on goal for the rest of the evening.
Villanova’s defense also held strong, with Cutler DeJesus making three saves in the second half. But the Quakers drove the nail in the coffin for the Wildcats with another goal by Dahlen with eight minutes remaining in the second half. Dahlen took to the field in a substitution just four minutes prior.
“It feels great, obviously, being trusted with the opportunity. Both my coaches and my teammates trust me a lot, so it means a lot to me to be able to go in and do a job I know I can perform and [to] have great guys around me to help,” Dahlen said.
Penn will face Columbia on the road on Sunday afternoon for its Ivy League season opener.
“Even with a 3-0 win, there [are] definitely things we can look at [and] can improve on. The second half wasn’t our best,” Pratt said. "We still have a lot to improve on... before we start Ivy play.”
Sports reporters Ben Brown, Ellie Clark, Angel Gallardo Aguilar, Sean Gawronski, Noah Jeong, Eva Li, Aubrie Mascaro, Vir Mahadevia, Cavance Snaith, Angel Shi, Aoife Shovlin, Javier St. Remy, and Nathan Wang contributed to reporting.
