PHILADELPHIA - Three points in the bag. The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team secured a dramatic Ivy League victory at home on Sunday evening, defeating Brown 2-1 behind a golden-goal winner from
Jake Kohlbrenner in the 101st minute. The victory improves the Red and Blue to 3-4-6 on the year.
PENN NOTES
*The goal from Kohlbrenner is his second of the season, as the sophomore has now scored in back-to-back Ivy League matches after also netting a goal at Yale last weekend. Kohlbrenner now boasts five goals in his career with the Red and Blue.
*
Brandon Bartel now owns four assists this season, ranking second in the Ivy League. All four of Bartel's assists have either equalized or won the game for Penn.
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Alex Touche's goal in the early stages of the second half was his third of the season. The sophomore defender leads the team with six points on the year.
*Freshman
Anthony Rovito assisted on the opening goal of the game, the first points of his career.
*Senior goalkeeper
Scott Forbes finished with five saves on the night.
*Penn has ventured into overtime in 10 of its 13 matches this year.
*All three of Penn's wins this season have come in overtime.
*The win pushes the Quakers to four points in the Ivy League, as Penn now sits in sixth, a point behind Yale.
*Penn improves to 25-33-8 all-time against Brown. The win at Rhodes Field is the second straight for the Quakers over the Bears, after defeating Brown in overtime in 2016 on a golden goal from
Dami Omitaomu.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a game that produced three goals, none of them came in the opening 45 minutes of play, as the first half produced no extreme levels of danger for either side. While Forbes registered three saves in the first half, none were serious enough to truly test the Quaker netminder.
Despite not registering a shot on goal in the first half, Penn was passing with a purpose on offense, producing crisp balls in the midfield. The problem for the Quakers was connecting those balls into the final third, but luckily for the Red and Blue, it was a problem they would solve later in the match.
Penn struck first in the second half of play, first earning a corner kick in the 56th minute. Per usual, Bartel set up on the far side for the set piece, but it was headed out by the Bears, back to Bartel. The junior then sent in another ball, that was deflected yet again to the foot of
RC Williams. After a try from Williams was blocked, Rovito found himself with some space just outside the box on the right side. The freshman lifted the ball into the air, perfectly timed with the leap of Touche, who headed home the score with ease.
The Quakers remained the aggressors for the majority of time after their goal, looking for more. While Brown was pushing forward, Penn's defensive unit was able to successfully snuff out the Bear attack.
That flow would end however, as Brown upped the ante with time winding down. With around 10 minutes remaining in the match, the Bears attacked with urgency, while Penn was doing its best to eek out time on the clock. The Bears would quickly make their way down the field, connecting successfully in the final third a ball from Daniel Schiller, to Will Hayward, and finally Toby Howell, who finished in front of an empty net to equalize the game in the 86th minute.
Rather than be deflated, Penn approached overtime knowing it didn't want to relinquish the three points. Sophomore
Wes Maki nearly won the game for the Red and Blue, hitting the inside of the far post in the first overtime period before the ball trickled out into the hands of the goalkeeper.
Just moments into the second overtime period,
Joey Bhangdia played Kohlbrenner through to the box on a beautiful ball, but Kohlbrenner's cross attempt was blocked by a Brown defender. The sophomore would then set up shop in the penalty box, trying again to get a ball through before a deflection landed on the feet of Bartel. The junior captain again fed Kohlbrenner, who made one move for a window of daylight, and ripped a shot off the hand of the Brown keeper and into the far corner of the net for the winner.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers host Delaware at Rhodes Field on Tuesday, Oct. 30, for their final non-conference match of the season. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
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