PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team returns to action at 4 p.m. on Saturday with a trip up north to take on Cornell. Last time out, Penn battled Patriot League foe Loyola Md.  (10/6) to a 0-0 draw in Baltimore and it earned its first conference win of the season (1-0) three days prior against Dartmouth (10/3).
 
Penn (4-1-3, 1-0-1 Ivy League) at #22 Cornell (6-2-1, 2-0 Ivy League)
Saturday, Oct. 10 | 4 p.m.
Ithaca, N.Y. | Berman Field
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
The Penn vs. Cornell Series
*Saturday's contest at Berman Field marks the 116th all-time meeting, and the Quakers lead the series with a 64-37-14 record. Despite the Red and Blue's historical success, the Big Red won both matchups last campaign which started with a 2-1 road win in University City during the regular season (10/18). The duo meant again during postseason play, and Cornell edged a 1-0 victory as the No. 2 seed in the Ivy League Tournament. Prior to those defeats, the Quakers enjoyed three consecutive triumphs over Cornell in 2024, 2023 and 2022.
 
*Both programs met for the first time on May 21, 1910, and the Big Red walked away with a dominant 6-0 victory before Penn won eight of the next 10 meetings.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, Becket Empson-Speiden, made his first start as a Quaker at Loyola Md. and logged 49 minutes in midfield. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native has been a key member in 2026 off the bench, playing in all eight matches with 334 minutes under his belt. The sophomore opened his collegiate account in a 3-1 victory at FDU (9/19) and recently scored the match-winning goal versus Dartmouth to hand Penn its first conference win.

*Junior forward Marco Bottene currently paces the Quakers and the Ivy League in goals (6) and points (12). The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native ranks 17th in the country in goals per game (.75) and is t-31st in match-winning goals (2).

*Six Quakers—Jack-Ryan Jeremiah, Owen Sullivan, Connor Dawson, Phillip Falcon III, Kalani Kunimura, and Malachi Neal—have all eclipsed 500 or more minutes played in 2026 and will continue to be cornerstones of Penn's defensive and midfield units.
 
*Head coach Brian Gill went deep into his bench during the team's non-conference matchup with Loyola Md. A season-high 22 Quakers made an appearance in Baltimore, including first collegiate minutes for freshman forward Leo Doyle.
*Sophomore forward Adam Ambrus-Aikelin made the first start of his Quaker career last time out along with classmate Empson-Speiden. The duo accounts for four of the team's 14 goals this season, all of which were scored from off the bench.

*Three Quakers are tied for the team assist lead heading into the match with Cornell. Joaquin Niehenke, Ambrus-Aikelin and Sullivan all sit on two assists this campaign, while five other Penn players have one.

*Penn's upperclassmen are responsible for 64.3 percent (9 of 14) of the team's goals this season. The remaining goals were scored by Mario Stoka (1), Empson-Speiden (2) and Ambrus-Aikelin (2).

*Gill continues to show faith in his freshmen class, as Isaac Tortola, Landry Moncrief, Wyatt Bonos, and Stoka have featured in all eights contests.

*Senior center backs Dawson and Neal have started together in six matches as Penn's primary pairing, and Kunimura sits on 689 minutes played as the team's right back. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native has played the full 90 minutes in his last five matches.

*The Quakers' offense stands as one of the largest threats amongst their Ancient Eight foes, ranking second in goals per game (1.75) and points per game (4.88). They have also been a disciplined side through the opening eight matches, standing as the only team in the conference to average less than 1.0 yellow cards per game (.38).

*Falcon III has solidified himself as the Red and Blue's primary goalkeeper, playing all 707 available minutes so far in 2026. Through eight starts, the senior has made 21 saves and boasts a .724 save percentage, which ranks fifth in the conference. Falcon III and Penn's defensive unit earned back-to-back clean sheets against Dartmouth and Loyola Md. after conceding at least a goal in Penn's first six matches.

*The visitors' midfield rotation trio of Phil Pak, Herbert and Jeremiah have been mainstays of their early success this season.

*The Quakers earned the third-place spot in the Ivy League men's soccer preseason poll, securing 94 points. Reigning Ivy League Tournament champions Princeton were picked to finish first with 123 points and 14 first-place votes, followed by Cornell with 111 points and two first-place votes. Harvard rounded out the top four spots with 79 points.
 
Scouting the Big Red
*Cornell comes into the match at the top of the standings in the Ivy League with a 6-2-1 overall record and a perfect 2-0 mark in the conference. Most recently, the hosts battled UMass to a 1-1 draw at Berman Field on Tuesday (10/6) after defeating Brown (10/3) 2-1 on the road three days prior. The draw against UMass snapped Cornell's four-match winning streak that featured triumphs over Western Michigan (9/19), Binghamton (9/22), Harvard (9/26), and Brown.

*The Big Red returned to the national rankings this week as United Soccer Coaches (USC) ranked them as the 22nd best team in the country. Cornell was previously ranked as high as No. 17 in week four (9/13) of the organization's poll.
 
*Seniors Adam Schaban and Connor Miller are the primary attacking threats that Penn's defensive unit will be scouting. Schaban holds the team lead in goals with four while Miller is right on his tail with three. Miller holds the slight edge in assists (2-1), but both players will look to cause havoc during Saturday's Ivy League Tournament rematch.

*Five field players for the Big Red—Liam May, Sergio Zapata, Justin Melly, Griffin Eck, and Schaban—have started in all nine contests.
 
*In the Ivy League preseason poll, the hosts were picked to finish second among the Ancient Eight's members, receiving 111 votes and two first-place votes. Cornell has been to the NCAA Tournament in both of its last two seasons following a fifth-place finish in 2023 that saw it miss the conference and national tournament.

*The Big Red have outscored their opponents 19-10 through their first nine matches and are averaging a conference-best 2.11 goals per game and 15.1 shots per game. In their defensive third this season, the hosts sit in the middle of the pack (fifth) among their Ivy competitors with a 1.13 goals-against average.
 
*Penn is likely to be met by junior goalkeeper Filip Versteere on Saturday, who has started all nine of Cornell's matches. The Copenhagen, Denmark native has made a conference-low 15 saves among starting goalkeepers, and his .600 save percentage ranks in the bottom half of the Ancient Eight. The Quakers' attackers will look to trouble a Big Red back line that has recorded only two shutouts so far in 2026.