No. 18 Penn men's soccer remains undefeated at home with 3-1 win over No. 21 Hofstra

In a midweek home match, No. 18 Penn (8-1-1, 2-0 Ivy) defeated No. 21 Hofstra (8-3-1) 3-1 in dramatic fashion, with goals scored by senior defender Leo Burney, senior forward Stas Korzeniowski, and sophomore midfielder Jack-Ryan Jeremeiah. With the victory, the Red and Blue's record at Rhodes Field remains unblemished.

“The team at this point in the season takes some pride in playing here, and we always have,” coach Brian Gill said. “It is any team’s real ambition to be good at home, and [this ambition] is strong enough and developed enough that whether we’re at home or on the road, we feel a level of belief that we can provide a good performance and hopefully get the win.”

The Quakers started off the match strong, maintaining comfortable possession of the ball for the first quarter of the game. In just the second minute, senior defender Ben Do opened up the game with a shot that drifted just wide of the net. This set the tone for a lot of the first half with more controlled offensive efforts by Penn to follow. 

Hofstra got a brief opportunity in the sixth minute, with a clean first touch and shot by forward Laurie Goddard off a cross from midfielder Owen Barnett, but the efforts were thwarted as the Quaker defense deflected the shot. The following corner was easily cleared by the Quakers, who then regained control. 

Soon after the Quakers’s persistent efforts were rewarded, when a free kick taken by junior midfielder Patrick Cayelli found Burney for a header at the back post who did not hesitate to put the ball cleanly into the back of the net. 

“Burney made the run and broke away from his defender, so it’s a good finish from him and good to see him back on the score sheet,” Cayelli said. 

Penn had another opportunity with 26 minutes remaining in the half, when Korzeniowski got off a shot from just outside the six. The shot made it cleanly past the Hosfstra goalie but was deflected off the far post.  

Following this period of Quaker dominated offense, Hofstra was able to gain a little more control of the ball and increase intensity, but the team lacked patience with a few rushed shots from far that all missed the target. The Hoftsra possessions went unrewarded, and the Penn defense was able to prevent any truly dangerous opportunities.

Momentum started to shift around the 20th minute as the Pride gained more time on the ball, chasing from behind to equalize. A hectic train of shots followed, all missing until a foul was committed by Jeremiah provided Hofstra with a slightly more attainable opening. Three relentless shots ensued, but fortunately for the Quakers, all three were deflected by sophomore goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III. 

Following these chaotic minutes, Penn regained possession and few shots on goal occurred as the half drew to a close. In the opening of the second half, the intensity ramped up as both teams traded looks at the goal with the ball shifting quickly between sides. The defense of both teams effectively mitigated all potential openings. 

Hofstra was first to capitalize on this string of openings when its deliberate ball movement created space for forward Daniele Mastroianni to send a cross to midfielder Laurie Goddard who buried the ball in the back of the net. 

With the threat of a 1-1 tie looming, Penn's luck turned when a handball by Hofstra defender Pierce Infuso was committed in the box. Korzeniowski stepped up to the spot and tucked the ball away high into the left corner of the net to give the Quaker the lead back. 

After a period of lackluster looks to goal from either side, Korzeniowski broke the silence with a clean through ball to the middle of the box that found midfielder teammate Erickson Sakalosky for a breakaway shot on goal. The shot narrowly missed, bouncing off the crossbar and returning to Sakalosky for a second attempt that was deflected by Hofstra goalkeeper Filippo Dadone. The following corner fell short, and was quickly cleared by Hofstra defense. 

Hopes for a third Penn goal were momentarily dashed as an initial cross by Korzeniowski found no one at the back post but a Hofstra defender. However, Jeremiah stepped up with a right footed kick following the Hofstra deflection, putting the ball strongly into the top left of the net, ultimately rewarding the Quakers with a two goal lead. 

With the lead secured, Penn’s focus was now defense. Hofstra pushed all their men forward in a last ditch effort, firing two panicked shots off towards the goal that did not come close. Successfully combating these ineffective attempts, the Blue and Red clinched their sixth straight victory at Rhodes Field. 

“We’re in a good run right now and playing really well, but there’s definitely been a lot for us to improve on. With a lot of our games ending 1-0, we have been looking to get more separation” Jack-Ryan Jeremiah said. “Today was a good sign of that sort of growth moving forward.”

The Quaker’s look to build on this win on Saturday when they take on Brown, their third Ivy league opponent of the season with hopes of keeping their home turf untouchable.