PHILADELPHIA - It will be a weekend of firsts for the University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team, as the Quakers ready for their first action of their 2017 campaign against two first-time opponents. The Red and Blue kick things off on the road at Monmouth on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. before concluding their opening weekend with a home contest just two days later against Bowling Green at 7 p.m. on Rhodes Field.

GAME INFORMATION
PENN AT MONMOUTH (1-1)
Fri., September 1 | 7 p.m. | Hesse Field on the Great Lawn | Live Stats

BOWLING GREEN (2-0) AT PENN
Sun., September 3 | 7 p.m. | Rhodes Field | Live Stats - Ivy League Network

PREVIEWING PENN
*James C. Gentle Head Coach Rudy Fuller enters his 20th season leading the Red and Blue. Fuller has totaled 132 wins in his time at Penn, while the Quakers finished in a tie for third last season in the Ivy League with a conference mark of 3-3-1.

*The Quakers return nine starters and 12 letterwinners from the 2016 squad and welcome an 11-member freshman class. Additionally, Penn will look to three returning All-Ivy honorees to lead the way, as both Sam Wancowicz and Dami Omitaomu earned second-team accolades last year, while Joe Swenson was named honorable mention.

*Wancowicz leads the team with 18 career points to his name on seven goals and four assists. Joining him are fellow seniors Swenson and Austin Kuhn, both of whom have nine points each.

*Omitaomu returns to the pitch for Penn after an impressive rookie season in which he scored three goals (two game-winners) and tallied one assist for seven points. All three of Omitaomu's goals were scored in Ivy League action.

*Between the pipes, Penn returns last season's primary starter Etan Mabourakh in addition to fellow junior Scott Forbes. Mabourakh has played 1,963 minutes in goal for the Quakers, owning 18 starts with a career GAA of 1.65.

*Sophomore Sam Hefter returns after ranking fifth in points on the squad last season, having recorded two goals and two assists each. The California native played in 16 of 17 games for the Quakers in 2016 while making six starts. 

*11 freshmen look to don the Red and Blue for the first time this weekend. Filip Guhr, Alex Touche and RC Williams all join Penn as defenders, Joey Bhangdia, Giacomo Giordano, Nicky Goldlust, Jake Kohlbrenner, Amado Lozano and Henry Sherwood Caballero enter as midfielders, while Wes Maki and Erik Ekstrom are a forward and goalkeeper respectively. 

NEWS AND NOTES: MONMOUTH
*Penn and Monmouth will kickoff for the first time ever on Friday night, despite the teams being located only 90 miles away from each other. 

*Last season, Monmouth finished with a record of 6-9-3 including a 5-5 mark in the MAAC. The Hawks return 12 letterwinners and add 12 newcomers and were picked to finish third in their conference this fall. 

*The Hawks are currently ranked fifth in the Northeast Region by the United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA). In last weekend's opening competition, Monmouth first defeated Georgia Southern 1-0 before falling to the College of Charleston by the same score. 

NEWS AND NOTES: BOWLING GREEN
*Like Monmouth, Bowling Green and the Quakers have never met on the pitch prior to Sunday's battle.

*The Falcons finished 2016 with a record of 9-6-4, going undefeated in MAC play with a mark of 2-0-3. The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the league this fall behind the strength of 13 returning letterwinners.

*Bowling Green currently sits as the sixth-ranked team in the Great Lakes Region by the United Soccer Coaches. The Falcons take an undefeated 2-0 record into the weekend, having defeated both IUPUI and Cleveland State to begin the year. BGSU will face off against Drexel on Friday, Sept. 1 prior to its match-up with Penn on Sunday.