Junior forward and Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Stas Korzeniowski celebrates during the game against Columbia on Nov. 5, 2022.
Credit: Samantha TurnerTwenty-three days separate Penn men’s soccer from the start of their 2023 campaign. But for the reigning Ivy League champions, expectations have already begun to mount.
The Quakers were ranked as the No. 25 team in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, the final team on the list. This placement comes after a 2022 season that saw the Red and Blue bring home the Ivy League title and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite their status as reigning Ancient Eight champions, the Quakers are not the highest ranked team from the Ivy League. Cornell slots in at No. 20, setting the stage for another season of stiff competition between the Big Red and the Red and Blue. Penn will host the Big Red on Oct. 7 at Penn Park.
Many of the Quakers’ biggest contributors from their banner year last season are returning for the season ahead. Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year and second team All-American Stas Korzeniowski will look to continue wreaking havoc on opposing defenses, fresh off a summer campaign in which he led semi-professional club Ballard FC to a USL League 2 championship victory.
Also back in the fold are Ivy Defensive Player of the Year Leo Burney, second team All-Ivy goalie Nick Christofferson, and All-Ivy Honorable Mention Ben Do, who was also a part of the Ballard FC title team.
The Quakers have not won back-to-back Ivy League titles since 1973. But if preseason predictions are any indication, they have what it takes to do it again.
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