Behind Ben Stitz’s two goals, Penn routs Rutgers, 3-0 in first round NCAA Tournament play

In its biggest match in nearly two decades, Penn played like a team possessed.

Or maybe like a vengeful powerhouse who was snubbed of a first-round bye.

Whatever it was, the No. 23 Quakers exacted its revenge on Rutgers, seizing a 3-0 win in first-round play of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Thursday. Senior forward Ben Stitz got things started — and finished — scoring Penn’s first and last goals. Next up, No. 3 Syracuse on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

It will be another tough game, this time on the road for the Quakers as the Orange (14-2-4, 5-1-2 ACC) have won 8 out of its 12 home matchups this season.

Against Rutgers, one could call it revenge as well, given the most recent NCAA tournament appearance for a Penn program was in men’s lacrosse in which the Quakers lost in a quarterfinal game to the Scarlet Knights in 2021.

» READ MORE: Penn’s rally falls short against Rutgers in NCAA men’s lacrosse quarterfinals

Hosting the first round of the tournament for the first time in 20 years, Penn did not receive a first-round bye despite posting a 12-2-2 record, winning the Ivy League, and earning multiple Ivy awards and a coach of the year in Brian Gill, who earned the award unanimously, leading Penn to the NCAA tournament for the first time as head coach.

Penn seized momentum from the first whistle, earning a corner kick in the first minute. Following a scramble for the ball after a missed shot, Stitz wove a ball through Rutgers defenders, past the goalkeeper, and into the right corner of the net.

The Quakers’ offense stayed in the final third of the Scarlet Knights’ side of the field throughout the first half, looking every bit like the team that scored the most goals in Penn history since 1977.

In the 31st minute, a deflection off a blocked shot perfectly set up sophomore forward Stas Korzeniowski, the Ivy’s Offensive Player of the Year, who knocked the ball in to add to Penn’s commanding lead.

Rutgers managed to stymy Penn’s momentum in the second half with shots on goal and corner kicks, but failed to convert on any of its own opportunities.

Stitz’s footprints were all over this game, and in the 70th minute, he delivered the dagger to Rutgers’ season. The Quakers’ most consistent scorer took one-touch on a pass from Mateo Zazueta and launched the ball in the right corner of the net once again.