Penn men's soccer notches first Ivy win in 2-1 double-OT victory over Brown

Unsurprisingly, the Quakers found themselves in double-overtime. But this time, they found a way to win. 

Coming off scoreless ties, both Penn and Brown looked for redemption at Rhodes Field. But with another strong defensive display, the Quakers managed to contain the Bears speedy offense en route to a 2-1 double-overtime win.

The Bears (7-7-1, 1-4 Ivy) started the game giving a hard time to the Red and Blue’s defensive line, with three shots in the first 15 minutes. Senior goalkeeper Scott Forbes, who had five saves on the day, was forced into action a few times throughout the first half, but most of the early plays he made were routine.

Despite continuing to show improvement and good control on the midfield, the Quakers (3-4-6, 1-3-1) still struggled to connect the ball into the attack, resulting in a scoreless first half.

Nearly 11 minutes into the second half, however, freshman midfielder Anthony Rovito received the ball after a blocked shot on the right side of the box and found sophomore center back Alex Touche in front of the goal with a high cross, who scored with a well-placed header. Penn remained aggressive on offense after the goal, peppering in five more shots in the half.

“I certainly think some plays that happened tonight will make the players continue to believe in themselves,” coach Brian Gill said. “That is the most important thing for us as a team.”

Nevertheless, Brown was incessantly trying to find some space between the well-organized Red and Blue defense. After quickly moving the ball into the attack, Brown midfielder Derek Waleffe found senior forward Toby Howard, who finished in an empty net with only four minutes remaining in regulation.

In their 10th overtime of the season, the Quakers had a very offensive approach — and even tricked the fans into celebrating after sophomore midfielder Wes Maki’s shot hit the inside of the goalpost and bounced back into the field, allowing Brown goalkeeper Max Gross to save it. But less than a minute into the second overtime, sophomore forward Jake Kohlbrenner took a strike from the penalty area line into the corner of the net, securing Penn’s third victory of the season and a sixth place in the Ivy League.

“[The biggest takeaway is] putting a full 90-minutes performance and keep going from here,” Kohlbrenner said. “We are also very excited about not being at the bottom of the table anymore.”

The Red and Blue will look to add another win on Tuesday, when they face the Delaware at Rhodes Field.