ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell men's soccer will look to keep the ball rolling in the right direction this weekend, as it welcomes Buffalo to Berman Field for a 7 p.m. kick on Saturday. The Big Red posted its third straight shutout on Wednesday, blanking Hartwick 1-0. Senior center back Devin Morgan provided the offense, heading home a cross from fellow senior Conor Goepel in the 32^nd minute. The team will look to conclude its non-conference slate on a positive note with a result against the Bulls.
 
Cornell Big Red (5-2-1; 0-0-0 Ivy League) vs. Buffalo Bulls (2-6-0; 0-0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 | 7:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Berman Field
All-Time Record: Series Tied, 4-4-0
Last Meeting (2013): Cornell Win, 1-0
Live Stats | Live Audio
 
SCOUTING CORNELL
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell men's soccer kept the momentum going at home, dispatching Hartwick 1-0 at Berman Field on Wednesday evening. Senior Devin Morgan pocketed the lone goal in the contest in the 32^nd minute. Senior Peter Chodas started the scoring sequence, whipping a delivery left-to-right across the box from the corner flag. The Hawks were able to get a glancing touch, but were not able to clear the zone. Senior Conor Goepel corralled the ball at the top right corner of the box and sent another dangerous ball toward the net front. Morgan rose to meet it, powering a header into the twine for his first goal of the season.

About Head Coach Jaro Zawislan
Zawislan enters his sixth season at Cornell having established himself as one of the top coaches in the Ivy League during his short tenure. After taking over a program that was 1-15 the season before his appointment as head coach, Zawislan has transformed Big Red men's soccer into a consistent winner and a national presence in NCAA Division I. In his first five seasons on East Hill his teams have posted at least .500 winning percentages four times, while he has led Cornell to three consecutive winning seasons. He also directed the Big Red to its first Ivy League title since 1995 and first outright title since 1977 in 2012. His coaching record currently sits at 46-25-10 and his current .630 winning percentage is the second best mark in program history.
 
Zawislan is a graduate of Clemson University '93, while he was a four-year starting goalkeeper on the varsity soccer team. Upon his graduation he played professionally both in the United States and his native Poland, before pursuing a career in coaching. He made assistant coaching stops at Stanford, Creighton and Syracuse, before being named Cornell's 11^th head coach in 2009.
 
Last Meeting with Buffalo
Saturday's matchup will take place exactly a year to the day of the team's last matchup. The Big Red bested Buffalo 1-0 on the Bulls home field a season ago. Devin Morgan and Patrick Slogic combined for the lone tally in the 18^th minute. Cornell forced a throw-in deep in the attacking third and set up a long throw-in. Morgan placed the ball perfectly, as Slogic was able to rise to meet it with his head and steer the ball past the Bulls keeper Waleed Cassis for the game-winner.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Big Red defense posted another shutout on Wednesday, the team's third in as many contests. Cornell has now blanked the opponent in six of eight contests thus far this season. Impressive, has been the team's ability to insulate the net. That was on display yet again on Wednesday, as Hartwick was only able to manage three shots on goal. The Big Red currently rank 11^th in NCAA Division I with a 0.47 goals against average on the year.
  
Parsimonious Paws in Net
Senior keeper Zach Zagorski has been stellar in net for the Big Red this season. He had another great game on Wednesday in the shutout against the Hawks. He made three saves in posting his sixth clean sheet of the season. Zagorski currently leads the Ivy League for all eligible keepers in goals against average (0.482) and save percentage (.875). He currently ranks in the top-25 in NCAA Division in two categories; checking in at 11^th in save percentage and 15^th in goals against average. His 28 saves are third most in the Ivy League. Zagorski now has 11 career shutouts and is all-alone in fourth on the program's all-time list for the statistic.
 
Home Sweet Home
Cornell continued to defend its home field advantage with the 1-0 victory on Wednesday. Men's soccer is 71-52-17 (.568) all-time at Charles F. Berman Field and is 28-10-8 (.696) at home during head coach Jaro Zawislan's tenure. The Big Red is 21-2-5 (.839) in non-conference home matchups since Zawislan took over in 2009. The team is 4-0-0 at home this season and has yet to concede a goal in any of the matchups.
 
Captain Clutch
Conor Goepel and Devin Morgan continued to perform when the team needed it most. The captain combo combined for the lone marker on Wednesday, with Morgan netting his first goal of the season off a terrific cross from Goepel. The assist extended Goepel's point streak to three games. He is tied for the Ivy League lead in points (10), game-winning goals (3) and is tied for first in total goals (4). He is tied for fourth nationally in game-winning goals.
 
Player of the Week
Senior captain Conor Goepel secured Co-Player of the Week for the second consecutive week on the strength of a five-point outburst over the weekend. He is the first Big Red player since Daniel Haber '12 to secure the award in consecutive weeks. Goepel assisted on the game-winner on Wednesday and has had a hand in all six goals the Big Red has scored this season. He currently is tied for the Ivy League lead in points (10), goals (4) and leads the league outright in game-winning goals (3). The senior also finds himself amongst the nation's elite in NCAA Division I; tied for fourth in game-winning goals and tied for 34^th in goals and 37^th in points.
 
Bull Bullies
Buffalo has struggled out of the gates to a 2-6-0 record this season. The last thing the Bulls will want to see, as they attempt to get untracked, is the Big Red. Cornell is 2-0-0 against the Bulls under Jaro Zawislan and have yet to concede a goal, posting a +5 goal differential in the two contests.
 
SCOUTING BUFFALO
 
Bull Headlines
Buffalo has struggled mightily out of the gates in 2014. The team enters Saturday's matchup with a 2-6-0 on the season. In the team's most recent contest, it dropped a 3-0 decision at Duquesne. The Bulls conceded in the 33^rd minute of play on header off a corner kick. Playing from behind, Buffalo fired 20 shot attempts in an attempt to get back in the game. The open playing style did not behoove the Bulls, as the Dukes solved the Buffalo defense for two additional goals in the second half to take the 3-0 victory.
 
About Head Coach Stu Riddle
Riddle is in his second season at the helm of the Buffalo men's soccer program. He continues to set a new direction for the program in his second season, after bringing in sizeable new classes in both his first and second years. His overall record at the school is 5-17-4. Previously, he coached at Mid-American Conference rival Western Michigan, where he posted a 33-36-9 record. He revived the Western Michigan program into one the better teams in the MAC, leading the team to two winning seasons and two appearances in the MAC Championship game in 2010 and 2011.
 
Road Woes
While Buffalo has struggled mightily thus far this season, the majority of its struggles have come on the road. The Bulls are 0-5-0 on the road this season and have been outscored 11-2 in those contests.
 
Surround Cicerone
The Buffalo offense flows through sophomore standout Russell Cicerone. The reigning MAC Freshman of the Year has gotten off to a fast start this season. He is third in the conference and tied for 34^th in NCAA Division I with four goals on the young season. He is fifth in the conference and 58^th nationally with nine points on the year.
 
Defensive Despair
The Bulls haven't struggled to score goals, averaging one marker per game. However, Buffalo has witnessed a lot of troubles on preventing goals. The Bulls have already conceded 17 goals this season, an average of 2.10 goals against per contest.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red will kick off the Ivy League slate with the final fixture of the five-game home stand. Cornell will welcome Penn to Berman Field for a 7 p.m. kick on Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Ivy League opener for both schools.