PHILADELPHIA – An opening minute goal by
Ben Stitz proved to be enough for
the University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team, who added a second goal in the first half on their way to a 2-0 win over Dartmouth in Ivy League action from Penn Park Saturday evening.
Quaker Notemeal
* Penn picked up its sixth straight victory, the first such occurrence for the program since the 2010 season. 2010 also marks the last time the program started 2-0 in Ivy League play.
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Ben Stitz, who had three goals in his first 48 collegiate matches, scored for the sixth straight match, giving him a team-leading seven for the year. Stitz is the first Quaker to score in six straight matches in more than 30 years.
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Michael Hewes added his sixth goal in his last five matches. The goal gave him 13 points for the season, the third Quaker to hit that mark, joining
Stas Korzeniowski (14) and Stitz (16). It's the first time since 2012 that three players have recorded 13 points in a season, and the first time since 2013 that three players have scored at least five goals in a season.
* The Quakers have now won each of the last two matches against Dartmouth, their first two-match winning streak in the series since 2013-2014.
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Nick Christoffersen posted his second shutout of the season and lowered his season goals-against average to 0.67
How It Happened
Penn started the match with a bang, scoring just 42 seconds in when Korzeniowski was denied on his shot attempt, but the rebound bounced out to Stitz, who lofted one into an open net vacated by the Dartmouth keeper who'd come out to cut off Korzeniowski's initial angle.
The Quaker back-line was magnificent through the first half-hour, conceding a single (blocked) shot and no corners, all without committing a single foul.
After coming on as Penn's first sub of the match in the 27th minute, Hewes tacked on to the lead just over 10 minutes later, beating the Dartmouth keeper to a loose ball inside the six-yard box.
The second half told much the same story the first eight matches did for the Red and Blue, with the team managing to keep its foot on the gas without conceding opportunities to its opponent. The Quakers finished the match with 22 shots, the fourth 20+ shot effort of the season, while the defense held Dartmouth to four shots, two of them on goal, while conceding a single corner kick, all tied for season bests.
Up Next
Penn hits the road for a Tuesday night match along the Jersey Shore against the newest member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Monmouth. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
#FightOnPenn
