This week was more of the same for many Penn teams: The upward trends in some teams continue in the midst of Ivy League play, while the downward skids in others spiral further.
Football
With the Quakers (5-0, 2-0 Ivy) extending their undefeated streak to five games over the weekend after defeating the Columbia Lions (3-2, 0-2) by a commanding 34-14 tally, don’t expect the buzz surrounding the team to die down any time soon.
Defense was shining bright for the Red and Blue on Saturday. The first touchdown of the game came with just 19 seconds left in the first quarter when senior defensive lineman Micah Morris broke up a Columbia pass and drove the ball home 30 yards to finish off the play and put Penn ahead 10-0. Senior defensive back Kendren Smith pulled off three critical takeaways during Saturday’s matchup — including two forced fumbles and an interception.
Sophomore quarterback Aidan Sayin put his talent up for display for a second straight week, going 29-45 for 299 yards and throwing three touchdowns. Saturday’s victory also came at the hands — or rather, feet — of junior kicker Graham Gotlieb who went 2-for-2 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points.
In order to keep the win streak alive, Penn football will attempt to emerge victorious from Saturday’s Homecoming clash with Yale (4-1, 2-0).
Soccer
Penn women’s soccer (3-3-7, 0-2-2) came up scoreless in its matchup against conference opponent Dartmouth (8-4-2, 1-2-1) in a tough 1-0 loss in Hanover, N.H., on Saturday afternoon.
The lone goal of the game was scored by the Big Green in the 30th minute of play — despite diving efforts from junior goalkeeper Laurence Gladu to block off a shot just 20 seconds earlier.
The Quakers led in shots, shots on goal, and corners, but the impressive offensive stat sheet was to no avail.
On the men’s side, the win streak was stretched to eight games — courtesy of sophomore defender Leo Burney’s 89th-minute goal — following a thrilling 3-2 victory over Cornell (9-3, 2-1). In fact, Saturday’s battle with the Big Red was jam-packed with sophomore talent as the other two goals came from fellow sophomores midfielder Aaron Messer and forward Stas Korzeniowski.
On Tuesday, the Quakers broke their eight-game win streak with a 1-1 tie. The lone goal for Penn came on a 71st-minute score by Saturday's hero Burney.
The men’s team (9-1-1, 3-0) remains undefeated in Ivy League play, and currently holds the No. 5 rank in the NCAA.
Field Hockey
Things are looking up for Penn field hockey (4-8, 2-2), which picked up its third straight win over the weekend.
Brown (8-4, 1-3) struck first, swiftly jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the 11th minute of play. But late goals by junior midfielder Allison Kuzyk and sophomore midfielder Sophie Freedman proved to be the match’s deciding factors.
For both Quakers, the goals scored were their first of the season.
The team’s annual "Dream-Crazy" Pink Game was filled with noteworthy stats, such as senior forward Julia Russo recording her first two assists of the season and coach Colleen Fink knocking on the door of triple-digit wins with the program with Saturday’s victory being her 99th.
Penn also received recognition in the most recent NFHCA poll, earning a ranking of No. 24 in the nation. Kuzyk was also named Ivy League Offensive Player of the week for the first time in her career.
Volleyball
Despite picking up its first conference win last weekend against Cornell, Penn volleyball (2-15, 1-6) lost in three straight sets — twice — this weekend to Brown (9-6, 5-2) and Yale (15-1, 7-0).
It was a back-and-forth affair throughout all sets, but the Red and Blue were never able to pull away with the lead in either contest. Sophomore outside hitter Ella Green stayed hot, though, leading the team in kills for a second straight week with 15. Senior outside hitter Autumn Leak trailed closely behind Green, with 12 kills over the weekend.
Against tough competition, the sweep by the defending champs on Friday means Brown is now third in Ivy standings as Yale remains on top, having yet to lose a conference game.
Sprint Football
Penn sprint football improved to a winning record (3-2) over the weekend with a dominating 17-0 shutout over Cornell (0-4).
A 33-yard field goal from sophomore defensive back Adrian Montemayor put the Quakers on the board in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Andrew Paolini put the team up 10-0 late in the third quarter by finding the end zone on a one-yard run, capping off a 50-yard drive.
The Quakers marched ahead in the fourth quarter as Paolini showed off his arm, tossing an 18-yard pass on unequal footing to sophomore wide receiver Jake Wang, who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone to secure the touchdown. Sophomore defensive lineman Cam Janock’s interception with a minute and a half left on the clock sealed Cornell’s fate.
The Red and Blue’s strong defense on Friday night held the Big Red to a mere 163 total yards to Penn’s 315.
Golf
In the final event of the fall season for Penn women’s golf, the team tied for third place out of 12 at the University of Delaware’s Lady Blue Hen Invitational.
Freshman Bridget O’Keefe was the weekend’s low scorer. O’Keefe started the weekend with an even-par 72, then shot a 75 and 73 on Sunday to finish at four-over-par 220, leaving her tied for fourth place out of a pool of 75 golfers. The 13th slot was filled by senior Selina Li who ended the tournament shooting 224 and recorded the team’s lowest single round at one-under-par 71 on Saturday.
Fellow teammates Julie Shin, Susan Xiao, and Natalie Cao concluded in the 18th, 37th, and 62nd spots, respectively.
Cross Country
Penn women’s and men’s cross country took a trip to Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend to compete in the Virginia XC23 Invitational — finishing around the middle of the pack at eighth of 18 and 11th of 17, respectively.
The women’s team was once again led by junior Maeve Stiles who ran a 17:08.8 5K to earn herself the 14th spot in a pool of 173 runners. Stiles was followed by two top-50 Quaker finishes: senior captain Lizzy Bader who clocked a time of 17:34 and junior Olivia Morganti at 17:48.1.
All eight of Penn's runners to complete the 5K course earned themselves a top-100 finish.
Sophomore Luke Johnson led the pack on the men’s side. Johnson crossed the finish line in 48th place after running a 24:15 8K. In a pool of 184 competitive runners, five Quakers on the men’s team earned themselves a top-100 finish.
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