ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team recorded a 3-2 comeback road win on Sunday afternoon over #16 Cornell to stay undefeated in Ivy League play.
 
#12 Penn moved to 4-0 in Ivy League play thanks to Brandon Curran's 3-2 match-winning goal in the 82nd minute.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*There were only three shots on goal between both teams in the first quarter, with two of the tallies finding the back of the net.
 
* Sophomore Connor Dawson scored his first collegiate goal during the 44th minute of the win.
 
*Forward Stas Korzeniowski tallied his tenth goal of the season and the 30th of his career against the Big Red.
 
*Goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III once again tied his career-high in saves, stopping four shots faced in the match.
 
How It Happened
A minute and a half into the match, senior Curran had a great opportunity at goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg, but the Quakers were unfortunately offside to start the chances. The Big Red were awarded a corner opportunity five minutes later, but Sam Latona's shot was headed away by the Red and Blue defense before any damage could be caused.
 
The next two minutes of the Ivy battle were intense as Cornell received a yellow card during the seventh minute, giving Penn a free kick opportunity, but Aaron Messer's shot was blocked before it could hit the back of the net. Immediately after Messer's shot, Cornell's Alex Harris rocketed a shot that ended up being blocked, and Oliver Pratt received a yellow card after the shot. Harris was given a penalty kick after Pratt's card and snuck one past Falcon to push Cornell ahead 1-0 in the eighth minute.
 
Both defenses put on a show following Harris' goal as the next shot of the day did not come until the 24th minute when defender Ben Do shot one at Friedberg that went just shy of the keeper.
Sophomore Falcon made his first save of the match two minutes later, stopping Daniel Samways' shot to hold the bout at 1-0 with 19 minutes remaining in the first. Cornell continued to control the pace of the match, as Nate Hovan had an opportunity in the 30th minute, but his shot went just right of Falcon's crease.
 
The final shot of the quarter came from The Big Red's final shot of the quarter came Balazs Feher in the 40th minute, but his shot was blocked by Penn before the lead could be doubled. Right as time was expiring, the Quakers were able to tie the match at 1-1 as defender Dawson scored his first collegiate goal off a free kick from Joaquin Niehenke to end the first quarter.
 
The first big play of the second half came from Cornell as Giorgos Diakos slammed one right toward Falcon in the 48th minute, but his shot hit the post to keep the match at 1-1. The Big Red kept the offensive chances up, as Liam May tallied a high shot in the 55th minute, followed by a shot from Alioune Ka that hit the back of the net in the 57th minute to put the Big Red ahead 2-1.
 
Cornell continued its momentum, adding two more shots to the board between the 61st and 63rd minutes, but the first shot went wide, and Falcon saved the second to hold the deficit at one. Both teams attempted shots on goal in the 69th minute, as the Big Red's May tried one at Falcon, and senior Korzeniowski attempted one at Friedberg, but both goalkeepers made the saves to keep the match at 2-1.
 
The Quakers started to heat up in the 73rd minute, as Jack-Ryan Jeremiah tallied a shot that was blocked right before Korzeniowski hit the back of the net to tie the match at 2-2 off his tenth goal of the season.
 
Korzeniowski amped the intensity in Ithaca as both Cornell added two more shots to the board, with Falcon recording his fourth save of the match in the 80th minute. A few minutes later, senior Curran scored the match-winner off a throw-in in the 82nd minute to push the Quakers ahead 3-2 to end the ranked battle.
 
Up Next
The Quakers (10-2-1, 4-0 Ivy League) return to Rhodes Field on Saturday, Oct. 26, for a 7 p.m. Senior Day showdown with Dartmouth.