Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. --- The odds were stacked against Cornell men's soccer Friday night. A Duquesne penalty kick early in the second half. A red card ejection that left the Big Red short a man for the end of the second half and two overtime periods. But Cornell dug in and emerged with a 0-0 draw in their first contest of the CU Inaria Cup at Berman Field.
 
Just moments into the second half, with the game knotted at zero, Duquesne was awarded a penalty kick. But freshman goalkeeper Rhys Moller dove the right direction and came up with the save, keeping the game scoreless. Then, in the 82^nd minute, sophomore Jonathan Cullom received a red card, leaving the Big Red with 10 players for the remainder of the half and through overtime.
 
The Dukes not surprisingly carried possession through the two extra frames with Cornell a man short, but the Cornell backline and Moller stayed solid and preserved the clean sheet. The draw is Moller's first career shutout.
 
After an offensive stalemate through the opening moments of the first half --- the game's first shot wasn't recorded until the 12^th minute --- Cornell began to put on pressure. Junior Rafik Mekhaldi had a pair of quality chances in the first half, including a shot that went just inches high.
 
Moller came up with a big save late in the first frame, diving across the goal mouth and getting a hand on Chris Alescio's blast from the inside the 18-yard box.
 
The Big Red continued to attack in the second half, with junior Ralph Lee Price IV getting a good look on net, heading a ball back into the 6-yard box after it had been cleared by the Duquesne defense off a Cornell corner. Junior Jack Ferguson also challenged the Dukes keeper, Sam Frymier, in the 70^th minute, putting a ball on goal that Frymier just barely got a hand on. Senior Stevin Bienfait got a fast break late in regulation, but was taken down just outside the 18.
 
Moller had his share of game-saving stops in the second fame as well. In the 85^th minute, Matt Rochowski headed a shot on frame off a corner and Moller got a fingertip on it, sending it over the crossbar to preserve the scoreless draw.
 
In the CU Inaria Cup's other Friday evening game, Colgate beat Air Force, 3-2.
 
The Big Red, now 0-5-1, will look to build on this momentum at 1 p.m. on Sunday when Air Force comes to Berman Field for Cornell's second and final game of the CU Inaria Cup.