PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of men's soccer team continued Ivy League play on Saturday afternoon, leaving New England with a close 0-0 draw with Brown.
 
Goalkeepers were the name of the game in this defensive battle, as Phillip Falcon III recorded four saves for Penn while Max Pfaffman tallied three for Brown to secure the 0-0 clean sheet for both keepers.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The shutout accounts for the fifth of the season for keeper Falcon, and the 14th of his career.
 
*Three cards were handed out in the contest with a pair going to the Bears.
 
*Adam Ambrus-Aikelin, Patrick Cayelli, and Joaquin Niehenke account for Penn's three shots on goal in the matchup.
 
*Connor Dawson, Falcon, George Herbert, Malachi Neal, Niehenke, and Oliver Pratt played the full 90 minutes of the conference contest.
 
How It Happened
The Bears had a few chances early to get on the board, tallying three-straight corner kicks within the first three minutes, but all that resulted was a shot wide left from Greyson Mitchell. Two minutes later, Lorenzo Amaral made Falcon work to stop his shot and record his first save of the day. Brown didn't take its foot off the gas as Jamin Gogo Petters forced keeper Falcon to make another save in the ninth minute.
 
Both teams quieted down as the next play didn't come until the 23rd minute from senior Cayelli, who rocketed the ball at the goal, but keeper Pfaffman made the save to hold the game scoreless. Six minutes later, sophomores Marco Bottene and Aiden Frick tallied three straight shots, with the trio going just shy of the goal.
 
Penn's last of the half came from midfielder Cayelli in the 33rd, but his shot was blocked by a Bears' defender before being covered by keeper Pfaffman. Both goalies were busy in the final five minutes of the first, as junior Falcon was forced to make two more saves in the 40th and 41st minutes, followed by a save from Pfaffman off defender Niehenke's shot outside the box in the 44th to keep the game tied at zero heading into the break.
 
The second half started with the defenses holding strong, as the first shot didn't come until the 56th minute from Ambrus-Aikelin, but his tally went high and wide to open the attempts of the final 45 minutes. Freshman Ambrus-Aikelin continued to apply pressure on Brown's defense as he forced Pfaffman to make his first save of the half in the 63rd minute. Three minutes later, junior Niehenke kept the chances going for Penn, but his shot soared above the crossbar before it could do any damage.
 
The Bears finally tried their first attempt of the quarter in the 75th minute, as Amaral booted the ball towards Falcon, but it went towards his left. With time running off the clock, the Red and Blue went striking down the opposite end of the field, with Erickson Sakalosky trying to break the tie, but his shot went high above the goal to keep him off the board.
 
The final five minutes of the game were just as tense, as a Brown defender chased defender Niehenke down the pitch to help disrupt his shot before it could hit the back of the net. The final shot of the game was from the Bears' Carter Smith, but his shot was blocked, like many others in the match, to hold the game at 0-0.
 
Up Next
The Quakers (5-2-4, 1-0-2 Ivy League) return to Rhodes Field on Tuesday, Oct. 14, closing out non-conference action with William and Mary at 7 p.m.