Penn playing with swagger and ‘style’ heading into Ivy League men’s soccer schedule
With Penn's historic Rhodes Field shut down for renovations, the Quakers are learning how to play their best soccer away from familiar confines.
Penn is not scheduled to host men’s soccer opponents at Rhodes Field again until 2024, but judging by a string of dominant performances for the Quakers this season, a place to call their own is of little concern.
The Quakers (5-1-1) have been dismantling opponents, not just on the final score sheet, but statistically, easily more than doubling their opponents’ totals in shots and shots on goal in six straight games.
In a 3-0 shutout of DePaul on Sunday, Penn celebrated its fourth straight win, something it hasn’t done since the 2010 season. Now, aspirations are high heading into Ivy League play on the road against Yale this Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN+).
“The team has shown great strides with regards to confidence and identity going forward with the ball,” coach Brian Gill said. “It’s been nice that in the last couple of games [that has] been reflected in the score line.”
The Quakers’ dominance is also appearing in the offensive records they are setting — they have netted 18 goals over the last four games. In the team’s only loss of the season, 1-0 to Albany, which scored on an early penalty kick, Penn still managed to set a school record for shots (21).
Graduate student Isaac McGinnis attributes the swing in Penn’s season to its dominance against Colgate, in which sophomore forward Stas Korzeniowski was the difference with a hat trick in a 4-1 victory.
In routs of Mount St. Mary’s and Fairleigh Dickinson, the team racked up 11 goals, and in both affairs, the team broke its record for shots in games (23, 24). Junior midfielder Michael Hewes scored two goals in each game while sophomore forward Charlie Gaffney has contributed five assists despite not scoring yet this season.
“When I’m watching us play, I’m really excited about the full group and how they all contribute in their own ways,” Gill said. “They all have a really good understanding of their role and their identity within the group which certainly helps in our overall performances. I think it’s reflected in some of the attacking moments that we have in games.”
Heading into Ivy League play against Yale, six of Penn’s nine remaining matches will be against Ancient Eight foes. The Bulldogs are undefeated at 4-0-2. Princeton captured the Ivy League title last season with an undefeated conference campaign but is 2-2-1 this season.
“The Ivy League is always a notch up, in intensity especially,” McGinnis said. “Guys will definitely need to continue to step up and make key plays, as the windows for opportunities are narrower in the Ivy League.”
Penn had a dismal 1-4-2 record last season, and the Quakers’ last Ivy League title was in 2013. Yet, the team is poised to compete for a spot at the top of the Ivy League — success will depend on some key matchups against the Tigers and Bulldogs.
“One thing beyond just the normal game planning and strategy that he does is [coach Gill’s] attention to detail,” said graduate student Ben Stitz, who has two goals this season. “One other thing is that despite our positive results, he and the other coaches are still pushing us.”
As for Gill, playing with a style heading into each game matters more than the location of where the team plays.
As it would appear, that mentality is paying off.
“Whenever you’re trying to create an identity, you want to be playing the way you’re playing whether you’re at your home field, whether you’re at an away field, or whether you’re playing against a team you’re familiar with,” Gill said. “I think the greatest satisfaction for us as a program would be coming back having played our style.”