Cabral's Two Goals Lift Men's Soccer Over Penn in U City Derby, 2-1

Saturday, September 23

Vidas Field

7 p.m.

Drexel University

1-4-1

Penn

1-6-0

Penn

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Cabral's Two Goals Lift Men's Soccer Over Penn in U City Derby, 2-1

9/23/2017 9:22:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Through a challenging opening stretch, the Drexel men's soccer team has been in search of a spark. It finally ignited on Saturday night as Sebastien Cabral scored two goals in the span of just over 100 seconds in the first half to propel the Dragons to a 2-1 victory over neighboring Penn in the annual University City Derby.

The victory was the third consecutive win over Penn at Vidas Field for the Dragons (1-4-1). Cabral's goals were the first of the year for Drexel after grinding through five games without a score. Both were assisted by Xavier Bou Hernandez. Jacob Jordan made three saves and allowed just the one goal. He was aided by a defense that blocked several Quaker attempts in the second half, including a critical block in the middle of the box by Lorenz Walbert.

Cabral's goals were the first two of his collegiate career.

The scoring dam was broken 15:24 into the action. Dribbling up the right sideline, Hernandez dished it off to Cabral just inside the box on the right side. He settled it and banged it past Penn goalkeeper Scott Forbes, beating him to the far post above Forbes' right shoulder.

Just 1:50 later, Cabral struck again. This time, Hernandez had the ball inside the box along the baseline. He passed it back to Cabral seven yards out. With defenders around him, Cabral got low and slid into the pass, poking it under his defender's legs and under the outstretched reach of Forbes to give Drexel a 2-0 lead.

Drexel took just one more shot over the rest of the first half as Penn began its push to get back in the game. The Quakers came up empty before intermission, but just 6:06 after the teams returned for the second half, they got on the board. Gavin Barger inserted a corner kick from the right side and connected with Sam Wancowicz in tight by the near post. The ball was closely-defended, but Wancowicz managed to squeeze his shot through the narrow opening between Jordan and the post, cutting Drexel's lead in half.

Penn kept up its pressure, but the Dragons' defense largely kept the Quakers from putting shots on goal. Then, in the 73rd minute, Drexel had an opportunity to put the game away. The Dragons drew a foul just outside the box straight on. Mathias Ebbesen took the free kick and bent a scorcher in towards the right post. It caromed off the inside of the post yet somehow stayed outside the goal mouth, bouncing away with the score still 2-1.

The Quakers earned seven corners compared to just two for Drexel, with six of those seven coming after halftime. The first produced their lone goal of the night, but the Dragons' defense came up big on the rest.

Now with a victory under their belts, the Dragons will get back to Colonial Athletic Association action on Wednesday night when they visit Delaware. That game is set to kick off at 7 p.m.