Penn Opens Ivy Play with 1-0 Win at Cornell

October 4, 2014

ITHACA – The start of Ivy League play for the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s soccer team produced an important road victory as the Quakers knocked off Cornell, 1-0.

In a matchup of the previous two Ivy League champions, it was the 2013 champion Quakers who connected on the match’s lone goal, Forrest Clancy curling in a free kick from 35 yards out in the 58th minute for his first career Ivy League goal.

"There wasn't much separating the two teams and you just had the feeling it was going to take something really special for either team to take the full three points," head coach Rudy Fuller said. "Fortunately for us, Forrest was given an opportunity and hit an absolute stunner from about 30 yards. It was a world-class goal and one deserving of being the game-winner in such a tight game."

Max Polkinhorne would make Clancy’s connection stand up with five saves in goal for his third shutout of the season. The clean sheet is his fifth career shutout, four of which have come in Ivy League matches. Last season, Polkinhorne also blanked the Big Red, making seven saves in a win at Rhodes Field.

Polkinhorne’s biggest saves of the match came in the waning seconds of the first half when he denied Connor Goepel and Jack Ferguson just 0:31 apart to keep the match scoreless after one half. He would go on to make three saves after the Quakers had taken the lead, the three saves coming in a six-minute span. Moments before he denied Atticus DeProspo in the 68th minute, the Big Red narrowly missed tying the match off a Peter Chodas header which hit the post and skirted along the goal line before going out of bounds.

Kamar Saint-Louis, Jason deFaria, Sam Wancowicz and Luka Martinovic lead a defensive effort which halted a Cornell attack coming into the game off a five-goal effort in its most recent match.

Duke Lacroix saw his five-match point-scoring streak halted, but he was active as usual with a game-high five shots.

The Quakers will resume Ivy League action on October 11 against Columbia at Rhodes Field. Kickoff is schedule for 7 p.m.

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