It was a bittersweet day for Penn men's soccer, and for the seniors on the team.
As the team celebrated the graduating seniors in its final match of regular-season play, Penn men’s soccer fell 1-0 to Princeton following an early goal by the Tigers in the first seven minutes. This result gave Penn (8-4-4, 3-2-2 Ivy) the No.3 seed in the Ivy League tournament, while Princeton (13-1-2, 7-0 Ivy) completed its regular season undefeated in Ivy play.
“In tournaments, teams get hot, and so you try to find your best moments. ... Tonight will be a game that we can walk away from and analyze what our best moments were. And a lot of that has been consistent over the course of the season, and we've been figuring things out,” coach Brian Gill says. “The guys are up for the tournament. They're up for whoever we would have to play and excited for that.”
The Tigers bit early, netting the lone goal of the night in the seventh minute after early pressure from both sides. This early shot from Princeton, capitalizing on a brief defensive breakdown, gave the Tigers the confidence to dictate the tempo for the rest of the first half.
Although both teams traded early chances, Penn struggled to find rhythm in the attacking. Passes around the box did not connect, and several early free-kick opportunities were cleared before the Quakers could generate a shot. Meanwhile, Princeton built more organized attacks out of the back, though Penn’s back line held firm and limited the Tigers’ chances at goal.
The Quakers had a chance in the 23rd minute, when sophomore forward Romeo Dahlen broke free on a counterattack but was outnumbered before he could create space for a shot. Soon after, a long-range effort from sophomore midfielder Marco Bottene forced Princeton’s keeper to leap for a save, followed by back-to-back corners that were also denied.
The Tigers kept Penn defense busy, with two shots in the 34th minute. Junior goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III kept Penn in the match, though, holding down the back line with several strong stops to ultimately tie his career-high six saves by the end of the night.
Coming out of halftime, Princeton maintained control of the ball and generated the half’s first dangerous chance within five minutes, forcing another save from Falcon. The Tigers did not let up, following up with two more shots, which were also saved.
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Penn attempted to respond with a shot from senior midfielder Patrick Cayelli, but it was blocked. The Quakers did not let up and outshot Princeton 14-13 overall in a hard-fought battle, but were ultimately unable to find the back of the net.
The loss was a bittersweet farewell for the team's seniors, including Cayelli, defender Oliver Pratt, midfielder Gavin Seele, forward Jack Wagoner, midfielder Erickson Sakalosky, goalkeeper David Howard, and midfielder Will Kelly.
The Quakers shift their focus to the Ivy League tournament that is set for this Thursday. Penn will battle No.2 Cornell at Princeton. This is the first time that the tournament, which is hosted by the No. 1 team, will not take place at Rhodes Field.
