PHILADELPHIA – It was a case of two things old and one thing new for Penn in a 3-0 win over Dartmouth at Rhodes Field, as junior captain Duke Lacroix scored twice to add insurance to an early goal from freshman Alec Neumann to keep Penn unbeaten inside the Ivy League.

The previous two meetings between the Quakers and Big Green had seen Dartmouth score an early goal and hold on for a one-goal win. On Saturday night, it was the Quakers who connected before the game was 20’ old as Neumann scored his first career Ivy League goal in the 15’ to provide the Red and Blue with a lead they would never relinquish.

In what would go on to be a familiar scene at Rhodes Field, Neumann worked with Lacroix to create havoc amongst Dartmouth’s back line. Lacroix had space down the middle of the field, and fed a ball through Dartmouth’s defense to a streaking Neumann. The rookie – who hadn’t scored since netting a pair on Sept. 8 – took a step and then sent a strike inside the right post to give Penn a 1-0 lead.

That score would stand through the remainder of the first half and early into the second stanza as the Quakers denied Dartmouth early and often in the second half. The Big Green had the first four shots of the second period, forcing Tyler Kinn to make three of his five saves in the first eight minutes of period two. In the 64’, Penn’s defense blocked a Patrick Murray shot and then forced the ensuing corner wide. After the miss, Penn subbed Lacroix and Neumann back into the match, and the dup responded just over a minute later. In the 65’, Neumann took a shot just inside the 18, and it deflected to an open Lacroix who beat Stefan Cleveland to the middle of the goal to put Penn ahead, 2-0.

In the 78’, the Quakers put the game away with Lacroix’s second goal on a penalty kick. After Nicky Yin was hauled down in the box on a clean breakaway, Lacroix stepped to the line and was perfect on his offering for his first career penalty kick goal.

Penn had to stay true on defense the rest of the way to preserve Kinn’s fifth shutout of the season. Kinn had one more save and two corner kick clears left in him, and his defense came through with one final blocked shot in the 85’ to continue Penn’s trend of not allowing a goal in Ivy League play.

Through three Ancient Eight matches, the Quakers have not allowed a goal – the only Ivy side to do so. Dating back to the Drexel match to start October, the Quakers have not allowed a goal in 292:38 of game play. When it comes to Ivy League games, the Quakers have not allowed a goal in 377:58 of action since allowing a goal 2:02 into their match with Harvard to close the 2012 season.

All five of Penn’s shutouts in 2013 have come at home, matching the 2010 club which had five clean sheets as part of nine total shutouts.

With the win, the Quakers improved to 5-6-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the Ivy League. Seven points through three Ivy matches slots the Red and Blue in a three-way tie with Princeton and Yale for first place in the Ancient Eight.

The Quakers will host Yale in a critical League match next Saturday (Oct. 26) at 7:30 p.m.

Notes: Penn is 3-0-1 in Ivy matches dating back to a 3-1 win over Harvard on 11/10/12 … Penn’s four-match unbeaten streak in 2013 is its longest 9/16-9/25 in 2011 … Duke Lacroix’s six goals are a new career high … Penn is one of four teams left in the country to not allow a goal in conference play through this weekend (Denver, Missouri State, Western Michigan).

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