All good things must come to an end, and in the Ivy League Tournament finals, the Kings of Rhodes have finally fallen. After a run of 11 games unbeaten at Rhodes Field, No. 1 Penn men’s soccer fell to No. 3 Princeton 3-1.
After traveling down to New Jersey last Saturday to take on the Tigers in a game that saw two red cards issued in a 1-0 Penn win, Princeton had plenty of motivation heading into the rematch. It showed as the Tigers opened the match with a much higher intensity that had the Quakers on the back foot.
Following several good looks at goal, Princeton was rewarded for its efforts in the ninth minute. A shot from the top of the box by Tigers midfielder Papez Dash hit sophomore goalkeeper Philliip Falcon III in the chest. In an uncharacteristic error, Falcon was unable to hold on to the ball, and Princeton forward Nico Nee was there for the rebound. Nee made no mistake in redirecting the ball into the back of the net to give the Tigers an early lead.
The goal came as a shock to a backline that has led the Ivy League this season in goals allowed. This showed as senior defender and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Leo Burney went into the referee’s book on the following kick-off as he committed a late tackle on a Princeton forward. In the 16th minute, the Tigers almost doubled its lead but the Quakers caught a lucky break as the shot bounced off the top of the cross bar.
The tempers from a week ago came to a head in the 25th minute when a collision between Princeton midfielder Sam Vigilante and a Penn player on an attempted bicycle kick resulted in a brief confrontation between the two teams. Vigilante was issued a yellow card, as officials stepped in to separate the two rivaling squads.
Senior forward Stas Korzeniowski found an open Erickson Sakalosky behind the backline on a freekick in the 27th minute before a Princeton slide tackle poked the ball out of the corner. Penn defender Oliver Pratt — who had scored the game winner in the semifinal on Friday — left the field after the ensuing corner kick with an apparent head injury after a midair collision in a sea of orange.
Penn’s best chances came at the end of the half with senior midfielder Charlie Gaffney’s shot rifling wide of the near post in the 29th minute. A minute later, sophomore midfielder Jack-Ryan Jeremiah was able to get around his defender with a neat back-heel, but his shot was ultimately deflected out of bounds. Penn would enter the halftime break down a goal.
Coming out of the break, Penn was unable to turn the tides. The Quakers struggled heavily trying to build out from the back under the Tigers’ intense pressure. The Red and Blue caught a lucky break when a misplaced pass to Falcon resulted in Falcon catching Princeton attacker Kevin Kelley instead of the ball. After review, the referee did not give the penalty shout.
The Quakers were less fortunate in the 62nd minute when Burney lost the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, forcing Falcon to come out of his goal. Princeton midfielder Jack Jasinski dumped the ball behind the sophomore keeper — caught in no-man's land — for forward Ian Nunez to bury into goal.
Senior midfielder Mathis Varin chases Princeton's forward Daniel Ittycheria in the Ivy Tournament finals on Nov. 17.
The Red and Blue’s fate was sealed by forward Daniel Ittycheria sneaking one past Falcon down and low in the 76th minute to put the Tigers up three. A late goal from Burney in the 84th minute ensured that Penn wouldn’t leave the match scoreless but meant very little in the grand scheme of the results.
With the win, Princeton’s spot in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament is punched. The Quakers on the other hand will have to wait until Monday afternoon when the Division I Men’s Soccer Committee will announce 26 at-large additions to the competition. After being nationally ranked much of this season, Penn will have to hope that its resume from this past season — including beating then-No. 3 Pitt — is enough to secure itself one of those 26 spots.
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