ITHACA, N.Y. – Men's soccer fell in heartbreaking fashion Saturday evening at a frigid and blustery Berman Field. Senior center back Andrew Mills broke the deadlock late-on, getting the winning touch on a ball past Cornell keeper Zach Zagorski to push the Tigers ahead 2-1 in the 88^th minute. The loss drops the Big Red to 2-3 in Ivy League play.
 
On a day where the weather was as harsh as the play, the Big Red and Tigers slogged through a physical slugfest of an opening half. Cornell got the better of the chances in the early going. Sophomore forward Vincent Brunetti got the first good look for either side in the 12^th minute. After collecting a ball at the right side of the box, he fired a low shot that took a deflection off Tiger defender Josh Miller, but Princeton keeper Ben Hummell was able to stick with the change of direction to make the save.
 
The Big Red (9-5-1; 2-3 Ivy League) got another golden chance in the 30^th minute. Senior right back Peter Chodas played a ball back into the box off a corner set piece. The ball caromed between several players, before Conor Goepel settled the ball five-yards out to the right of goal. In one motion he settled the ball and turned, sending a rising laser just over the cage. The two players nearly connected again just a 1:30 later, but Chodas' cross went just high of Goepel's lunging attempt.
 
Princeton (8-3-3; 3-1-1 Ivy League) finally worked a chance of its own in the 41^st minute. The Tigers top offensive threat Cameron Porter found his way onto the end of a ball in the Cornell box. He jostled with Ralph Lee Price IV as both players fought for clear possession, but Porter went down with the contact drawing the penalty shot opportunity. The league's leading goal scorer calmly drove the PK past Zagorski (L, 9-5-1) into the bottom right corner of the net to stake the Tigers to the 1-0 lead at the break.
 
Cornell pressed hard for the equalizer throughout the second half. Chodas got a glorious look in the 51^st minute, firing a low shot to the left corner of the net from just outside the box, but Hummell made the acrobatic save to deny the wingback. The Big Red got two corner kicks in succession four minutes later, but could not find the right delivery to solve the Princeton defense.
 
Finally, Cornell was able to solve the Tigers in the 84^th minute. After Cornell won a free kick just over the midfield stripe on the far side of the field, Chodas whipped a hard bender to his near post. Senior center back Devin Morgan rose to meet it with his head, driving it hard and down just inside the near post to tie the score at 1-1.
 
Princeton showed jump after conceding the tie, pressuring the Big Red and launching several shots at the Cornell net. Nico Hurtado, Brendan McSherry and Brian Costa all fired shots that sailed just high of the mark. McSherry then ripped a shot on target that Zagorski was up to the task.
 
Cornell finally conceded to the Princeton attack in the waning moments. McSherry feathered a cross to the goal mouth where a scrum of Big Red and Tiger players congregated in front of Zagorski. Peter Chodas made a sliding attempt to clear the ball out of the danger, but his clearing attempt ricocheted off of Mills and squirted past the diving save attempt by Zagorski into the bottom right corner of the cage with just 2:18 remaining in the game.
 
The Big Red made one last attempt to equalize and send the game to extra time. Sophomore Stevin Bienfait got a solid header on net right off the start-up following the goal from Mills, but Hummell again came up with the big save to preserve the victory.
 
Cornell will return to action next Saturday as it hosts its final home game of 2014 against Dartmouth at Berman Field. Senior Day festivities will be held before the 5:00 p.m. scheduled opening kick.