Junior defender Oliver Pratt prepares to get on the field in the game against Dartmouth on Oct. 26.
Credit: Zach RodgerNo. 19 Penn men’s soccer bulldozed the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon as the team defeated Yale to clinch its third consecutive Ivy League regular season title.
The win was the Quakers’ sixth conference win in their sixth conference game, with an upcoming matchup against Princeton the only obstacle between Penn and an undefeated Ancient Eight campaign. The Red and Blue topped the Bulldogs 1-0 in the road contest, led by a 59th-minute goal by sophomore defender Connor Dawson.
Dawson leapt to head in a rocketing corner kick from sophomore midfielder Jack-Ryan Jeremiah for his second goal of the season.
“Dawson definitely deserved that,” senior forward Stas Korzeniowski said. “He’s a sophomore that stepped into a big role playing center back next to Leo Burney, who is a veteran, [this season].”
The Red and Blue (12-2-1, 6-0 Ivy) — led by star sophomore goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III — fought off every shot from the Bulldogs (4-10-1, 1-5) to clinch its first three-peat in program history and the first Ivy League men’s soccer three-peat since Dartmouth from 2015-17.
The game appeared shaky for Penn in its early minutes. A shot from Yale midfielder Quanah Brayboy hit the crossbar in the 18th minute, with Falcon saving a follow up effort, and Yale again hitting the crossbar in the 26th minute.
While the Bulldogs came out on the offensive, they proved to be all bark and no bite. Falcon stopped the Bulldogs’ three shots on target to post his eighth clean sheet of the year. Though Yale managed multiple chances in the final minutes, Penn’s title-winning DNA persisted.
“Even though Yale’s record this year isn’t great, they’re always a tough group to play against,” Korzeniowski said. “They are the tournament champions. We knew that going into it, we had to just focus on our game.”
The victory exemplified the adaptable ability to win that has propelled the Quakers all season long. Just one of Penn’s Ivy League wins came by more than one goal, with multiple wins of 1-0 and 3-2. That included a gutsy road victory over No. 16 Cornell on October 20, one which saw Penn overcome multiple deficits and ultimately emerge with the win.
The Red and Blue opened this year as the favorites to win the Ivy title by being ranked No. 1 in the league’s preseason poll. While Penn received one less first-place vote than Yale in the poll, they were able to edge out the Bulldogs on aggregate votes.
In 2022, the Quakers won their first conference title since 2013 and rode that momentum all the way to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where they fell in overtime to Syracuse, the eventual national champions. Last season, Penn again brought home the conference crown and hosted the inaugural Ivy League tournament but fell on penalty kicks to Brown in heartbreaking fashion.
Going into Saturday’s game, the Quakers had a 52-40-13 all-time record against last year’s playoff champions. Last year, neither Penn nor Yale were able to come out on top in the regular season match, ending their contest in a 1-1 tie. Penn has been undefeated against Yale in the regular season since 2012, when the Red and Blue lost a 2-1 contest in New Haven.
Several of Penn’s experienced and talented stars will cap off their illustrious careers this season.
Senior defender Leo Burney, the 2022 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, has been named to the All-Ivy first team for the past three years and is likely to be named to the team again this season. Burney played the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s bout with Yale.
Korzeniowski, who was drafted to the Philadelphia Union last December but chose to remain on the team for one more year in hopes of winning an Ivy title, has started in every game this season. After leading Penn’s offense in points and assists last year, he is a favorite for an All-Ivy recognition before he leaves the Red and Blue for the professional league.
“I think the biggest part for me is that I want to walk away feeling fulfilled and feeling like I gave it my all,” Korzeniowski said. “And I think I’ve been very happy with my output, but I’m always hungry to give more and to get more.”
Penn opened this season with an upset victory over No. 3 Pittsburgh. While the Quakers stumbled in contests against VCU and Monmouth, those games are only a blip in an otherwise dominant season.
The Quakers will seek to complete an undefeated conference slate as they visit Princeton (10-5, 5-1) — the league’s second-placed team — on Nov. 9. With a portion of the Ancient Eight title in hand, the goals only grow for a team with national aspirations.
“We still have our eyes set on Princeton,” Korzeniowski said. “It’s great to have clinched a part of the title, but we want to win it outright and we just want to take care of the job this Saturday to make sure that we can claim it all to ourselves.”
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