PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team opened its 2026 season on Tuesday night at Rhodes Field, resulting in a 4-1 victory. The match was only played for 77 minutes before lightning in University City concluded the contest.
Marco Bottene led the Red and Blue's attack against the Hawks, netting a brace in the opening 17 minutes of the match. Sophomore
Adam Ambrus-Aikelin and freshman
Mario Stoka both found their way onto the scoresheet with goals in the 40th and 53rd minutes to cap off a quality victory.
Quaker Notemeal
*Freshmen
Landry Moncrief,
Wyatt Bonos,
Isaac Tortola, and Stoka all made their collegiate debuts for Penn on Tuesday night.
*Senior goalkeeper
Phillip Falcon III earned the starting nod between the pipes and recorded two saves during the contest.
*
Romeo Dahlen (1),
Becket Empson-Speiden (1),
Joaquin Niehenke (2), and Bonos (1) all finished the match with an assist.
*The Red and blue outshot the Hawks 15-7, with nine ending up on frame compared to the visitors' three.
How It Happened
Penn wasted no time jumping in front, courtesy of a clinical finish by Bottene in the sixth minute. Niehenke spotted a darting run from Dahlen down the left channel and played a quality through ball for the forward to run onto. The junior did well to beat his man to the ball before swiveling on the half turn to find a striding Bottene. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native only needed one touch to beat Herman Johnsen, giving the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
Bottene notched the Quakers' second goal of the evening with a bit of magic in the 17th minute. The hosts were standing over a long throw-in deep in their attacking third when the ball bounced favorably for Bottene. The forward calmly brought the ball down and skipped past a few Hawks before tucking his effort into the bottom-left corner of Johnsen's goal to double Penn's lead.
Despite the hosts' early momentum, Monmouth made it a one-goal game in the 23rd minute. Raul Garcia received the ball with a surplus of room in front of him before he decided to whip an early cross into the box. His pin-point service found the head of Victor Andersson who emphatically headed home the visitors' third goal of the season.
Ambrus-Aikelin restored the Red and Blue's two-goal advantage with a tidy finish in the 40th minute. Empson-Speiden had control of the ball in Monmouth's penalty area prior to picking out Ambrus-Aikelin. The San Diego, Calif. native used his first touch to create space from a defender before rifling a right-footed shot that left Johnsen with no chance.
At the intermission, Penn maintained its 3-1 lead.
The Quakers controlled the majority of the game in the second half through high amounts of possession. Monmouth attempted a few long-range efforts, but nothing came of its three second-half shots.
Stoka put the finishing touches on a statement victory with the first goal of his collegiate career at the 53rd minute mark. Niehenke started the counter attack for the hosts by striding down the left flank and eventually found the feet of Bonos, who played a return pass to Niehenke. The Morristown, N.J. native drove with the ball all the way into Monmouth's penalty area before fizzing a ball across the box for Stoka to tap home.
Up Next
The Quakers (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) are back in action on Labor Day (9/7) when they venture out west for a 7 p.m. road match at Pittsburgh.
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