PRINCETON, N.J. – Three-peat! The nationally ranked University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team clinched its third straight Ivy League regular season title on Saturday afternoon after shutting Princeton out 1-0 on the road.
Forward
Stas Korzeniowski scored the match-winner in the 85th minute to push #12 Penn (13-2-1, 7-0-0 Ivy League) past Princeton and secure the #1 seed in the 2024 Ivy League Tournament. As a result, the Quakers will host the event at Rhodes Field next Friday and Sunday.
2024 Ivy League Tournament Schedule
FRIDAY, NOV. 15
SEMIFINAL 1: #1 Penn vs. #4 Brown, 3 p.m.
SEMIFINAL 2: #2 Cornell vs. #3 Princeton, 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 17
FINAL: Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, 1 p.m.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn's perfect 7-0-0 Ivy League season is the 14th in Ivy history, the fifth this century, the first since 2021, and the first for the Quakers since 1971.
*Korzeniowski leads the Quakers with 12 goals on the season.
*Goalkeeper
Phillip Falcon III was solid in the box, stopping all three shots faced to post his ninth clean sheet of the year.
*
Leo Burney,
Connor Dawson, and Falcon docked the full 90 minutes on the pitch.
How It Happened
The first shot of the match didn't come till the seventh minute when
Erickson Sakalosky had a good opportunity at goalkeeper Andrew Samuels, but his shot was blocked by a Tiger defender. A minute later, Princeton went down the field in stride, almost sneaking one past Falcon, but senior Burney headed it away to keep the battle scoreless early.
The Tigers kept the chances going, as Sam Vigilante slammed one towards keeper Falcon in the 15th minute, but it flew above the net before any damage could be caused. Senior Korzeniowski registered the first shot on goal of the day three minutes later, but the ball landed right at keeper Samuels, who made the save.
Both defenses held strong, as the next shot in the match did not come until the 37th minute when
Ben Do attempted one from the left of Samuels's goal, but the Tiger made the save. Three minutes later, Kristian Kelley rocketed one right at Falcon, but the sophomore made the save in his box to hold the match at zero with time dwindling. The final shot of the half came from
Aaron Messer in the 43rd minute, which soared high to end the offense in the quarter.
Coming out of the break, both defenses continued their hot paces as the first shot did not come until the 56th minute when Princeton's Will Francis recorded one that hit the side of Falcon's net before it could cause damage. The next few minutes would be all Princeton, as the Tigers recorded three straight shots on goal, with Falcon saving Ian Nunez's tally in the 60th to hold the match at zero.
The Red and Blue were held shotless until the 70 and 71st minutes when
Charlie Gaffney and
Patrick Cayelli attempted back-to-back shots on keeper Samuels, but both were saved with 20 minutes left of the half. Three minutes later, Gaffney tried another that almost hit the back of the net, but Princeton's Samuels knocked it away before the score could change.
With nine minutes left of regulation, both teams caught some heat as cards were handed out to both programs. The commotion caused a spark as
Brandon Curran tripped up a Tiger in the 85th minute, setting up senior Korzeniowski to hit the back of the net to push Penn ahead 1-0 to end the match.
Up Next
The Quakers prepare for their Friday semifinal match with Brown, which will kick off the Ivy League Tournament.
#FightOnPenn
