Touche's goal not enough as Penn men's soccer draws with Brown in overtime

Another overtime game, but a different outcome.

After a run of two consecutive overtime 1-0 wins, one at Drexel and another against No. 24 Yale, Penn men’s soccer could only manage a 1-1 draw at Brown.

Riding the support of its home crowd, Brown (3-8-3, 1-1-2 Ivy) looked lively right from the start, pressing and closing down on Penn in possession. As a result, the Quakers (6-5-2, 2-1-1) found it tough to string passes together. 

Even though the Bears had the bulk of possession to start, Brown struggled to create decent opportunities. The Bears came close on a corner that was whipped in by forward Matthew Chow toward defender Jackson Goebel, but Penn sophomore goalie Dane Jacomen was able to get a slight touch on the ball to keep proceedings scoreless.

As the game moved on, the Red and Blue began to take charge of the game. Passes from the back were able to find their targets on the wing, but the final pass of the buildup was lacking in precision.

With the first half nearing a close, a Brown foul near the penalty box gifted Penn with a free kick from a decent position, but captain Brandon Bartel’s pass was claimed comfortably by Brown keeper Max Waldau.

After the restart, the Bears looked to move the ball with more urgency, winning several free kicks in advanced areas, one of which led to a corner for the Bears in the 50th minute. This time, Chow decided to take matters into his own hands. Curling the corner over the outstretched hands of Jacomen and into the far corner of the net, he tallied his third score of the season.

In response, the Quakers ramped up their offensive intensity, with junior midfielder Joey Bhangdia and freshman defender Kai Lammers leading the charge down the left flank. Shortly after, a low cross by Lammers found wide-open junior Jake Kohlbrenner, but the forward was unable to finish.

In the 64th minute, Bhangdia found Kohlbrenner once again in the box. Brown defender Matt Rytel fouled Kohlbrenner, prompting the referee to award a penalty.

Bartel, who scored the game winner from the spot against Yale a week ago, saw his effort down the middle saved by Waldau. After some confusion in the box, the ball fell to junior defender Alex Touche, whose left-footed shot gave the Quakers the equalizer. 

That goal set up a thrilling, up-and-down final 20 minutes, during which both teams looked to score the winning goal. 

Brown tried to carve out more chances from corners, but Jacomen was rarely troubled, as the Bears only managed two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes. In comparison, six of Penn’s 11 shots were on target. With nothing to separate both teams, the game went to overtime.

The overtime periods brought more chances on net for both teams, although Penn probably had the best of the bunch.

Inside the final minute, some intricate passing by the Quakers set up a chance for sophomore midfielder Isaac McGinnis just inside the box, but he could not convert on what was the final chance of the game for either sides. 

“I think we created some really good chances towards the end of the game in overtime and were unlucky not to be able to get a goal from one of them,” said Touche, whose goal was his second of the season.

Overall, the Red and Blue might feel like they deserved more from the game, but they were kept at bay by the heroics of Brown's Waldau, who mustered seven saves. 

The Quakers, who have played three consecutive overtime matches, have two games remaining and still have a narrow path to the Ivy title. Penn would need wins over Princeton and Harvard and at least one loss from both Yale and Dartmouth to claim that honor.