Penn return to form with dominant victory over Villanova

Penn Men’s Soccer returned to form on Tuesday night, decisively taking down Villanova 3-0. Oliver Pratt opened the scoring only 52 seconds into the match, and a brace from Romeo Dahlen provided insurance as the Quakers strolled past the Wildcats at Rhodes Field. 

Tuesday’s match was the final of four consecutive home matches for Penn. After starting the homestand with a disappointing loss to VCU followed by a chaotic 3-3 draw to Drexel, Penn defeated Air Force 2-0 on Saturday and were looking to win consecutive matches for the first time this season. Villanova came into the match with a 2-2-3 record, looking to jumpstart a struggling offense with only two goals in five matches in September. 

Penn started the match on the front foot, winning a free kick in Villanova territory. A hopeful ball into the box was not cleared, bouncing around in the box before falling to Penn fullback Oliver Pratt, who took a touch before firing a shot through traffic and into the back of the net with only 52 seconds on the clock. 

Penn’s goal served as a sign of things to come. The Quakers applied pressure on Villanova throughout the first half with a flurry of set pieces that put Wildcats goalkeeper Sebastian Cutler DeJesus to work. Pratt continued to be a threat both in the box from corner kicks as well as heaving dangerous long throw-ins into the Villanova box. Penn were awarded a dangerous free kick on the edge of the box in the 11th minute of the match. Patrick Cayelli struck a powerful shot that was saved by Cutler Dejesus, but spilled into the six yard box. Forward Romeo Dahlen crashed onto the rebound, but struck a shot off the post from point blank range. 

After a header from a Penn corner kick sailed over the bar, Villanova attempted to play out of the back from the ensuing goal kick. The Wildcats tried to stick to their gameplan despite sporting a makeshift back line, missing co-captain Luke Martelli due to an injury picked up in Friday’s match against DePaul. The ball was stolen off a Villanova defender by Penn senior Erickson Sakalosky, who found Dahlen in the box. Dahlen shifted the ball onto his right foot and finished calmly into the bottom right corner, taking advantage of a poor mistake from Villanova in the 24th minute. 

Despite continued pressure throughout the first half, Villanova managed to keep the deficit at two goals in the first half due to a strong performance from Cutler DeJesus. The full Puerto Rican international made a total of 10 saves in the match, setting his season high. He was put under great pressure on corner kicks, having to fight through contact multiple times, but managed to defend his box much better from set pieces after the opening minute. 

Villanova started the second half on the front foot, winning a free kick in Penn’s half and possessing the ball much more than in the first. They recorded their first shot on target in the 51st minute with an attempt from outside the box that didn’t remotely challenge Penn goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III. The Wildcats continued to seek their first goal, and came close multiple times after the 70th minute. Luca Mazzola whipped in a pinpoint cross from the left side that was just out of reach of his older brother Marcello Mazzola. Villanova had multiple attempts from the doorstep in the 75th minute that were saved by Falcon, who was ready for the action despite not having much to do in the first half. Penn center backs Malachi Neal of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Connor Dawson of O’Fallon, Illinois stood tall throughout the second half, defending their box well as Villanova sent in crosses looking for a lifeline. 

Sending numbers up the field left Villanova exposed at the back, which the Quakers took advantage of in the 81st minute when Dahlen got on the end of a counter attack. Marco Bottene beat his man before finding Sakalosky wide to the left, crossing low to Dahlen who finished decisively. Dahlen’s pair of goals were provided by a pair of assists from Sakalosky. A few minutes of rain preceded the final whistle, but Penn finished the match unscathed with a 3-0 clean sheet win. 

Tuesday night’s match was Penn’s third match scoring three or more goals this season, but perhaps more importantly, it was a second clean sheet in two matches. Penn appears to have cleaned up some of the defensive woes that affected them against Drexel, where they had to settle for a draw despite scoring three goals. The Quakers had much more of a handle on this match, as they outshot the Wildcats 25-9. Penn will take this positive momentum into their first Ivy League match on Sunday, when they travel to face Columbia at 1 p.m. EST. 

A scoreless match for Villanova meant they remained at a total of two goals scored in the month of September. The Wildcats have not scored multiple goals in a match since their season opener on August 22 against Rider. Villanova are a young team, and that young team is experiencing growing pains. Of the 10 outfield players to start against Penn, 8 of them are freshmen or sophomores. The more experienced players have been the most dangerous to this point, as junior Sam Nyenka leads the team in goals and graduate student Michael teDuits leads the team in shots. teDuits attended Penn from 2020-2023, but did not make the breakthrough against his former team on Tuesday night despite scoring against them in 2024. 

Villanova are back in action on Saturday night in a conference match away at the University of Connecticut. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. EST.