University of Pennsylvania Athletics

ITHACA, N.Y. – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team fell to No. 22 Cornell, 5-3, Saturday at Berman Field. Penn led 2-0 at the break courtesy of goals from upperclassmen Jack-Ryan Jeremiah and Michael Howard, but the hosts put five past the Quakers in the second half to stay perfect (3-0) in conference play.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Both sides combined for 34 shots during Saturday's thriller, however the Big Red posted six more efforts than the Red and Blue (20-14).

*Junior forward Romeo Dahlen netted his first goal of the 2026 season with a beautiful curling effort in the 64th minute to knot the match at three goals apiece.

*Jeremiah logged his third goal of the campaign in the loss and remains perfect from the penalty spot through nine matches (3-3).

*Following Jeremiah's opening goal in the 35th minute, junior midfielder Michael Howard handed Penn a 2-0 lead heading into the break with a clinical strike just four minutes later.

*Senior goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III matched his season-high six saves against Cornell and was kept busy with dangerous crosses all afternoon.

*Becket Empson-Speiden continues to make a difference off the bench after assisting Dahlen's goal in the second half.
 
How It Happened
The visitors wasted no time early in the match, forcing a save out of Filip Versterre in the third minute. A long ball was served down the left channel that freshman Mario Stoka was able to corral which started the move. The midfielder swiftly dropped his shoulder and shifted onto his right foot, but his curling effort went right into the hands of Versterre.

Not even a minute later, Connor Miller worked his way into a shooting position for Cornell, but Falcon III stood tall and made a comfortable save.

After 15 minutes at Berman Field, the hosts began to dictate the match with increased amounts of possession and physicality. Penn responded well to the shift in momentum by holding a strong defensive shape and making quality clearances at the back.
Stoka had another half chance in the 20th minute. A poor turnover by Cornell saw the Milwaukee, Wis. native take over possession and his right-footed effort took a deflection on its way towards goal, but Versteere made an easy stop.

Adam Schaban and Miller were beginning to pull the strings for the Big Red and find key final third passes right before Penn broke the deadlock.

Empson-Speiden was battling for the ball near Cornell's penalty area before he was taken down just inside the box to win a penalty kick for the visitors. Jeremiah was tasked with the responsibility from the spot, and he made no mistake to fire Penn in front with 10 minutes to go in the first period.

Four minutes later, the Quakers struck again. Junior forward Marco Bottene was dancing with the ball in the hosts' penalty area prior to Howard's clever overlapping run. Bottene found his teammate with a back-heel pass, and Howard only needed one touch to curl the ball into the top-right corner to double Penn's advantage.

At the end of the first 45 minutes at Berman Field, the Red and Blue maintained their 2-0 lead.

The second half of Saturday's Ancient Eight matchup provided spectators with six goals. Both sides traded possession in the opening 10 minutes of the period, but the hosts' methodical approach paid off in the 55th minute. Blake Donahue was sprung in behind Penn's back line after a through ball and ripped his shot off the crossbar. The ball fell kindly to the feet of Calvin Momanyi who tapped home to cut the Big Red's deficit in half (2-1).

Cornell continued to press the Quakers and scored again two minutes later. Donahue received the ball on the half turn and immediately began to run at Penn's back line. After some shifting back-and-forth, the forward worked the ball back onto his favorite right foot and unleashed a screamer that left Falcon III no chance.

Momentum completely shifted at Berman Field and the hosts finished their comeback with their third goal in six minutes. The move began when Miller spotted Donahue's darting run who had a step on a Penn defender. Donahue shrugged off the oncoming Quaker and managed to get the ball back on his right foot before finding the bottom-right corner with a curling finish.

Despite the matches' swing of momentum, the Red and Blue found an equalizer in the 64th minute. Empson-Speiden was driving across Cornell's penalty area prior to laying the ball off for Dahlen. The Greenwich, Conn. native struck the layoff first time and left Versterre clawing at air, as his curled effort nestled into the side netting.

With 10 minutes remaining in Ithaca, Cornell retook the lead. The visitors committed a foul just outside the box, leaving the hosts with a set-piece opportunity in a dangerous position. Kasper Wollstein elected to shoot rather than crossing the ball and his decision paid off. The forward ripped a shot on the free kick which evaded the Quakers' wall and beat Falcon III to his bottom-left corner to snatch the lead back.

Penn threw everything it had at the Big Red in the final 10 minutes Saturday, but Sergio Zapata's tap-in goal in the 88th minute sealed the victory for Cornell.

Up Next
Penn (4-2-3, 1-1-1 Ivy League) returns to the pitch at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for its first taste of Philly Soccer 6 action against Drexel.