The No. 20 Massachusetts men’s soccer team looks to prolong its NCAA tournament run in a meeting with No. 6 Penn on Sunday, Nov. 24. The two sides will convene for a first ever matchup.
UMass (11-3-5, 5-2-1 Atlantic 10) was one of 16 teams to claim victory and advance to the second round on the opening day of the tournament. The Minutemen handled Evansville in 2-1 fashion, with goals from Alec Hughes and Andrew Ortiz. They had the benefit of playing host to the Purple Aces at Rudd Field but are now forced to hit the road.
The Quakers (14-3-1, 7-0 Ivy League) welcome UMass to Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, a fortress where Penn has lost once all season. The lone home loss came in the most recent match, as a part of the Ivy League conference tournament. Princeton outlasted it 3-1 in the championship game.
As a result of their top 16 seeding, the Quakers earned a bye to the round of 32. A whole week of rest likely works in their favor, though they have also been forced to marinate in the emotions of a rare loss. The Minutemen have just two days off in between matches and will need to rely on pure willpower to elongate its postseason quest.
Penn began its 2024 on the highest note possible, shutting out and defeating preseason No. 3 Pittsburgh in the first game of the year. It played two other ranked opponents throughout its schedule, vanquishing No. 21 Hofstra and a conference foe in No. 16 Cornell. The Quakers’ regular season losses came as a surprise, as they fell to Monmouth and VCU.
Despite its success on the season, Penn seldom does most of its work offensively. The team scored 31 goals in 18 matches, placing it in the mid-fifties nationwide. UMass, however, scored 2.22 goals per game and outscored the Quakers by nine goals during the campaign. The Minutemen will need to sustain attacking pressure to seize the upset win.
The issue for the Minutemen is that Penn flaunts one of the top defenses in the nation. Its opponents average far under one goal per game. The Quakers have conceded multiple goals in a match on five occasions, while keeping nine clean sheets and securing six 1-0 triumphs. UMass will need to prepare for a potential low-scoring defensive battle.
One of the leading forces at the back for Penn is sophomore goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III. Falcon has 51 saves on the season behind his stout backline and exhibits a sky-high 77.3 percent save percentage. He was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week in each of the opening four weeks of the season.
In the attack, the Quakers tend to lean on 6-foot-4 striker Stas Korzeniowski for the bulk of their scoring. The senior has notched 12 goals in 2024, eight more than any of his teammates. Korzeniowski was selected by the Philadelphia Union with the No. 53 overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He also won Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year both this season and in 2022.
The Minutemen have established a consistent starting lineup across the recent games. Kyle Stenzel missed a good portion of the season but has anchored the midfield since his return. Stenzel and central midfield partner Ortiz will need to boss the middle of the park and track back to prevent counter attacks.
Hughes is the big name up top that opponents constantly try to take out of the game. He often finds himself a moment of individual magic regardless, but UMass will need to prepare for Penn to do its homework. Matt Cence and Oliver Akintade will be tasked with the lion’s share of chance creation. Johan Feilscher will aim to take some of the attention off Hughes.
The Sunday, Nov. 24 match is set to kick off at 5 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected].
