Next Game:
Seton Hall
9/12/2026 | 7:00 PM
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Sep. 12 (Sat) / 7:00 PM
Seton Hall
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The University of Pennsylvania men’s soccer team traveled out west Monday night for an evening meeting with ACC foe Pittsburgh, but the hosts came away with a narrow 1-0 victory after 90 minutes at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Penn had numerous offensive chances in the match, including a controversial decision late in the contest that saw a Quakers’ equalizer chalked off after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Quaker Notemeal
*Romeo Dahlen led the Red and Blue’s offense against the Panthers with two shots on goal in three attempts.
*Senior goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III made his second start of the season in goal and recorded six saves throughout the contest.
*Seniors Connor Dawson, Malachi Neal and Falcon III were the only Quakers to play the full 90 minutes on Monday.
*The hosts held the advantage in the shot column, tallying 11 efforts and seven on goal compared to Penn’s seven shots with two on frame.
How It Happened
The visitors applied early pressure out of the gate, earning a corner in the second minute. Joaquin Niehenke whipped the ball into the box which eventually fell to Dawson, but the defender’s strike sailed over the crossbar.
Pittsburgh responded with a chance of its own just two minutes later, but Falcon III was up to the task, making a comfortable save at his near post.
As both teams settled into the match, the Panthers began to accumulate higher amounts of possession through 15 minutes. However, Penn posed a threat on the counter attack and Dahlen was a constant threat for Pitt’s backline.
The hosts nearly opened the scoring in the 15th minute after some quality combination play in the Quakers’ defensive third. Space opened up for Grayson Carter outside of the box, but his right-footed effort fizzed wide of Penn’s goal.
Both sides created half chances as the half wore on, but Pitt maintained the majority of possession. Despite not having much of the ball, the Red and Blue showed great discipline to keep numbers behind the ball and stifle any offensive opportunities for the hosts.
After 45 minutes in Pittsburgh, the score remained level at 0-0.
The Panthers picked up where the left off in the second half, holding a high amount of possession in the opening 10 minutes. In the 52nd minute, brothers Bruno Bertran and Miguel Bertran nearly connected on a service into the box, but the cross was just too high to be headed towards goal.
Two minutes later, the Quakers earned a corner kick and Niehenke stood over the ball as his teammates fought for positioning in the penalty area. His in-swinging service found the head of Wyatt Bonos, however the freshman’s effort trickled wide of Jack Moxom’s goal.
Pitt nearly opened the scoring in the 58th minute, but Penn responded four minutes later with a great chance. The visitors maintained a string of possession before Marco Bottene received the ball in the Panthers’ penalty area. The junior went on to beat his man and release a left-footed strike towards goal, but his effort fizzed past Moxom’s goal and went out for a goal kick.
Through 70 minutes of play, the Red and Blue’s best opportunity of the match came in the 66th minute. The visitors won back possession in midfield and worked the ball out wide to senior Owen Sullivan. The Bay Village, Ohio native sprinted with the ball down the left flank, working his way into a crossing position. His service into the box found the feet of Michael Howard, but the junior’s strike soared over the crossbar.
Falcon III was called into action in the 71st minute and kept Penn in the match with a steady save after Caden Grabfelder’s shot was destined for the bottom-left corner.
Pitt broke the deadlock in the 79th minute. The hosts earned a corner kick and elected to go short for Grabfelder to whip into the box. His pin-point service found the head of Mamadou Tall who beat Falcon III at his near post to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The Red and Blue thought they equalized the match in the 87th minute, but senior captain Jack-Ryan Jeremiah’s goal was chalked off for a foul on Moxom in the buildup. Penn had a corner and freshman Isaac Tortola was standing over the ball ready to whip a service into the box. After an initial scrum, the ball sat up kindly for Jeremiah who struck the ball on the full volley and found the top-left corner to knot the contest at one goal apiece.
The Panthers held on in the final two minutes of the match to improve to 3-1-1 on the season.
Up Next
The Quakers (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) return to Rhodes Field on Saturday for a 7 p.m. meeting with Seton Hall in University City.
#FightOnPenn