PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team returns to action Monday night at 7 p.m. as they make a trip out west to battle Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foe Pittsburgh at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
The Red and Blue began the 2026 season with a comfortable victory over Monmouth (9/1), defeating the Hawks 4-1. Penn's home opener had to be suspended after 77 minutes of play due to lightning in the Philadelphia area.
 
Penn (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) at Pittsburgh (2-1-1, 0-0 ACC)
Monday, Sept. 7 | 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | Ambrose Urbanic Field
Watch on ACCNX | Live Stats
 
The Penn vs. Pittsburgh Series
*Monday's matchup will be just the second all-time meeting between both programs.
 
*The Quakers and Panthers first met during the 2024 campaign, when Pitt came to University City. The hosts walked away with a 1-0 victory to begin the season, thanks to a goal from Jack Wagoner '26 in the 41st minute.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Marco Bottene got off to a hot start in the Red and Blue's first match of the season. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native scored a first-half brace in just 17 minutes and was a constant threat throughout his 41-minute performance. He is already up to four points on the season, six shy of his 2025 tally.

*Two underclassmen—Adam Ambrus-Aikelin and Mario Stoka—were responsible for Penn's third and fourth goals against the Hawks, which were their first in Red and Blue. Ambrus-Aikelin restored a two-goal advantage with a clinical finish in the 40th minute and Stoka capped off the victory in the 53rd minute.

*Joaquin Niehenke supplied two assists vs. Monmouth, which is tied for first among his Ancient Eight foes. Romeo Dahlen, Beckett Empson-Speiden and Wyatt Bonos also picked up assists in the victory.

*Phillip Falcon III made the 33rd start of his career in goal last time out and made two saves through 77 minutes. The Tampa, Fla. native will be looking to post his first shutout of the season Monday night against the Panthers.

*The Red and Blue 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.
 
*Penn returns a wealth of experience to the pitch for the 2026 season, including All-Ivy honorees Jack-Ryan Jeremiah, Connor Dawson, Romeo Dahlen, and Phillip Falcon III, along with upperclassmen Malachi Neal, Marco Bottene, Owen Sullivan, Joaquin Niehenke, and George Herbert. Jeremiah, Dawson, Niehenke, and Sullivan were named team captains ahead of the program's season opener.
 
*Dawson was recently recognized by the United Soccer Coaches (USC) after his selection to the organizations Defenders to Watch List. The O'Fallon, Ill. native paced the Quakers in 2025 with 1,519 minutes played in 17 starts, which included 15 90-minute performances. He was the anchor of a backline that conceded just 12 goals and posted nine shutouts throughout the season. In addition to his defensive quality, Dawson also provided assists in draws against Drexel (9/16) and Columbia (9/28).
 
*Nine freshmen were added to the program during the offseason and are eager to make an early impact in Red and Blue. The newcomers are Wyatt Bonos, Leo Doyle, Ethan Kim, Landry Moncrief, Jasper Moorhead, Ian Paola, Mario Stoka, Isaac Tortola, and Hayes Weller.
 
*Two starters from the 2025 campaign began their professional careers in the offseason, after Austin FC drafted Patrick Cayelli with the 77th pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, and Oliver Pratt signed a contract with the Philadelphia Union II.
 
Scouting the Panthers
*Through four matches this season, Pittsburgh boasts a 2-1-1 record heading into its Monday matchup with Penn. The hosts began their 2026 campaign with a 2-1 defeat to then No. 7 Maryland (8/20), but quickly bounced back against Bucknell (8/24), taking down the Bison 3-1. Most recently, the Panthers earned a 2-1 win on the road at Penn State (8/28) and drew with No. 8 Michigan State, 0-0.
 
*Head coach Jay Vidovich has seen six different goalscorers find the back of the net through the team's opening four matches. Despite the even distribution of goal scoring throughout the squad, Grayson Carter paces the Panthers in points (3) after tallying a goal and an assist in the win over Bucknell.
 
*In the ACC preseason poll, Pitt was picked to finish 11th among the conference's 15 members, and junior defender Niklas Sørensen earned a spot on the preseason watch list. Sørensen was also selected to TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 List along with midfielder Caden Grabfelder.
 
*Senior goalkeeper Jack Moxom has started in all four matches for the Panthers and boasts a 1.00 goal-against average. He's up to nine saves on the season and holds a .692 save percentage which ranks eighth in the ACC.