NEW YORK, N.Y. – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team opened Ivy League action on Sunday afternoon, drawing 2-2 with Columbia in the Big Apple.
 
Carried by goals from seniors Patrick Cayelli and Jack Wagoner, Penn opened Ivy League play with a 2-2 tie with Columbia to shift to 3-2-3, 0-0-1 Ivy League on the year.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Aiden Frick made the first start of his collegiate career in the Ivy League outing.
 
*Cayelli netted his third goal on the year, while Wagoner recorded his second header of 2025.
 
*George Herbert recorded his first point as a Quaker in the battle, assisting on senior Cayelli's goal.
 
*Midfielders Marco Bottene and Cayelli led the offense with four shots each in the match.
 
*Connor Dawson, Phillip Falcon III, Malachi Neal, and Oliver Pratt docked the full 90 minutes on the pitch.
 
How It Happened
Both teams were quiet to open the match, as the first shot of the game came off a header from sophomore Bottene that went just shy of the goal. Right after the shot, Columbia went striking towards Falcon, as Jack McDaid rocketed the ball at the back of the net to give the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Quakers held strong after the goal as the offense settled itself and were able to even the game at one in the 20th minute, as junior Herbert dished the ball up to Cayelli, who snuck one past Dean Kelliher's open net. Three minutes later, sophomore Dahlen tried to give Penn the lead, but the Lions' keeper made his first save of the day to keep the game tied.
 
A cluster of offensive chances came from the Red and Blue between the 31st and 34th minutes as senior Pratt almost bicycle kicked the ball in, Bottone rocked the crossbar, and sophomore Frick slammed a shot that was blocked to give Penn momentum heading into the final ten minutes of the first.
 
The final shots of the half came during the 38th minute as Wagoner and Adam Ambrus-Aikelin tallied back-to-back shots on the offensive end of the field, followed by Columbia's Andres Garcia attempting a shot that was blocked by defender Pratt.
 
Penn came out of the break with a point to prove, as Gavin Seele passed the ball up, almost letting defender Dawson head one in, but it hit the post. Luckily, senior Wagoner cleaned up the rebound and headed the ball in to give the Quakers a 2-1 lead five minutes into the second. Columbia tried to retaliate during the 53rd minute, as Ryan Yang recorded a shot, but it was misdirected before it could reach keeper Falcon.
 
The pace of the game slowed down significantly after Yang's shot, as no shots were recorded for almost 20 minutes until Columbia's Alessandro Franciosa tied the game at two. The equalizing goal seemed to wake both teams up, as Conner Owen hit the left post trailed by a save from keeper Kelliher on Bottene, and a pair of off-target shots from midfielder Cayelli all between the 74th and 78th minutes.
 
The Red and Blue tried to net the go-ahead goal in the final five minutes of regulation as Pratt's shot was blocked by a Lion defender, accompanied by Cayelli's fourth shot of the day, but keeper Kelliher recorded the save to hold the Ivy League opener at 2-2.
 
Up Next
The Quakers (3-2-3, 0-0-1 Ivy League) return to Rhodes Field next weekend, hosting Harvard at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4.