PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team again provided stout defense, collecting its fifth shutout of the season, as the Quakers settled for a scoreless draw against non-conference foe UMBC on Tuesday night at Rhodes Field.
PENN NOTES
*Penn now boasts five shutouts on the season, its most since tallying six in 2013.
*Senior goalkeeper
Scott Forbes continued to provide a valiant effort in goal, tallying four saves while swatting away crosses from the Retrievers. Forbes' season GAA moves down to 0.69, while his save percentage is up to 0.860.
*The Red and Blue finished with 11 shots on the night, their most since posting 13 against Lehigh on Sept. 15. Sophomore
Amado Lozano led the way with three shots off the bench, including one off the crossbar in the 84th minute.
*Penn's back four of
Erumuse Momoh,
Alex Touche,
Casey Barone and
RC Williams continued their streak of playing every minute of every game so far this season.
*Penn's four scoreless draws on the season are its most in program history.
*The Quakers have ventured into overtime in seven of their first nine games of the season, matching a mark set by the 2016 team.
*The all-time series between Penn and UMBC moves to 2-1-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The tempo of Tuesday's match was noticeably quicker from the jump, as both teams were eager to gain momentum on their side of the pitch. Penn's first shot of the match came from defenseman
RC Williams, as the sophomore sent a flare from the right side, just high of the crossbar, hoping to set the tone for the Red and Blue.
While both squads traded possession in the midfield, Penn again had a solid chance off the head of
Jake Kohlbrenner, as the sophomore went airbone on a ball sent in from freshman
Ben Stitz, but unfortunately found the body of a well-placed UMBC defender to block the goal.
Penn's first chance of the second half came from
Wes Maki, who found himself with space on the right side of the 18, but couldn't find the right angle, slotting the ball into the hands of the Retriever goalkeeper. Sophomore
Amado Lozano entered the game for the Quakers at the break and helped to make an immediate impact, using energy off the bench to get a first step on his defenders and was not shy in his attack, peppering the UMBC goal with shots landing just wide on his first two attempts.
UMBC would tilt the field in its advantage with around 20 minutes remaining in regulation, hammering several shots in the Quakers' penalty box, but enough Penn defenders got in the way to prevent a score. Lozano nearly sent home a beautiful goal for Penn in the 84th minute, collecting a ball sent from
Dami Omitaomu off the right side but clanging it off the crossbar.
As play ventured into overtime, UMBC looked to strike fast, as Penn had to stave off several chances from the Retrievers in the first period of extra time. Forbes was put to the test again in the second overtime, collecting a save off a hard shot from close range, while the Quakers were able to put together several strong chances, but to no avail, settling for a draw at home.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers resume Ivy League play looking to pick up points in the Ancient Eight over the weekend, set to travel to defending champion Dartmouth for a 4:30 p.m. match on Saturday, October 13.
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