TEANECK, N.J. - FDU Men's Soccer (5-2-1) was defeated for a second straight time as the Penn Quakers (3-1-1) bested the Knights with a heavy attack on Saturday night at Macron Stadium.
Penn created the run of the chances in the opening half of the match, executing crisp passes and creating quality chances. Along with Penn's early chances came an early tally from the Quakers as Marco Bottene scored his sixth goal of the season in the 10th minute, giving Penn the early lead.
The Quakers attack was relentless in the first half, and eventually the dam broke again, as Penn set up a nice passing play, leading to a shot that left a rebound for Adam Ambrus-Aikelin to hammer home for his second marker of the season, and extending the Quaker lead to 2-0, where it would be after the first half.
FDU did come out with more speed and aggression at the start of the second half, as the Knights made some key adjustments that condensed the Penn back line, leading to a lot of opportunities in their third including a free kick early on in the new half.
Dominic Valenzuela chipped the free kick over a Penn defender's head to find
Ryan Calheira who fired a shot with his right foot which was saved, creating a rebound opportunity for
Joshua Bartels who tapped home the goal for his second in as many matches for the burgundy and blue.
After the goal, the Knights generated more momentum, getting quality shots from key players like
Jeremie Pelade and Calheira, but the Penn goalkeeper was up to the task, making four second half saves to slow down the FDU attack.
Penn would add a third tally late in the match to make it 3-1, handing FDU their second loss in as many matches, leaving the Knights losers of their last two matches, but still holding a 5-2-1 record with once non-conference match left to play before the calendar turns to NEC play.
FDU will play that last non-conference game in Amherst, Mass. as the Knights are taking on UMass in a day game at Rudd Field. Kick off is set for 3 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Connect with the Knights on social media by following @FDUKnightsMSOC on Instagram and X.
Presto's Pizza is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 FDU Men's Soccer Season.
