PHILADELPHIA – The day is finally here! The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team opens the 2024 season at Rhodes Field on Sunday at 7 p.m. against #3 Pitt.
 
PENN (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. #3 PITT (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Sunday, Sept. 1 | Rhodes Field
Watch on ESPN+ ($) | Live Stats
 
Penn Men's Soccer on ESPN+
This is a reminder that the Ivy League is paired with ESPN, and you will be able to find all Penn home matches, as well as road Ivy matches and select non-conference road matches, on ESPN+ this fall with the same high broadcast quality you've come to expect. ESPN+ is a subscription-based service that offers monthly and yearly packages.
Click here to subscribe to ESPN+!
 
The Penn vs. Pitt Series
This will be the first battle between these two teams in program history. Penn has not seen an ACC opponent since the second round of the 2022 NCAA men's soccer tournament when the Red and Blue played at Syracuse.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn landed the top spot in the 2024 Ivy League men's soccer preseason poll announced by the conference earlier this week. The Quakers earned the favored spot with 115 points and seven first-place votes after ending last season as the Ivy League regular season champions with a 4-1-2 league record.
 
*The Red and Blue returned seven starters to the field this season, including All-Ivy honorees Leo Burney, Stas Korzeniowski, and Ben Do, along with Phillip Falcon III, Charlie Gaffney, Aaron Messer, and Oliver Pratt.
 
*Seniors Burney and Korzeniowski are set to pick up where they left off last season, with Burney being named to the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Defenders to Watch List and Korzeniowski to the USC Forwards to Watch List.
 
*Korzeniowski led the offense last year with 20 points and eight assists. The New Jersey native was two goals behind leading goal scorer Michael Hewes, who tallied eight in 2023.
 
*Defender Burney led a stout Quaker backend in 2023 that allowed only 12 goals and 62 shots on net, keeping opponents' shots-on-goal percentage at less than 35 to end the year. 
 
*The Quakers added eight fresh faces to the squad this season. The freshmen class is made up of midfielders Marco Bottene and Aiden Frick, forwards Romeo Dahlen, Carter Haynes, and Tim Shine, defenders Carter Feinman and Patrick Weir, and goalkeeper Aidan Coffey.
 
*The Red and Blue finally return to Rhodes Field this season after spending 2023 at Penn Park.
 
*Recent alumni Mattias Hanchard inked a contract with SV Eintracht Nordhorn in Germany back in July. Hanchard started in all 16 matches during the 2023 season and co-led a stout Penn backline that allowed only 12 goals and 62 shots on net. Hanchard and company also held opponents to less than 35 percent shots on goal percentage to help lead the Quakers to their second-consecutive Ivy League Championship.
 
*Not only are the Quakers getting it done on the field, but they are also succeeding in the classroom, as they earned the USC Team Academic award earlier this month.
 
Scouting the Panthers
*Nationally ranked Pitt is currently on a two-game win streak heading into this weekend's competition. The Panthers beat #16 Georgetown 2-0 to open the season and topped newly named Division I Mercyhurst 2-0 this past Sunday.

*The Panthers battle Penn State on Friday, Aug. 30, in University Park before heading down to University City for the battle with the Red and Blue on Sunday.