ITHACA, N.Y. - The men's soccer team will look to defend its 2015 CU Inaria Classic title this weekend when it hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) and New Hampshire in the sixth renditition of the tournament. Cornell, who co-hosts the tournament with Colgate, has won five out of the six tournament titles. 

GAME INFORMATION
Game #6: Cornell Big Red vs. Saint Francis Red Flash
WHEN: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16, 2016
WHERE: Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
2016 RECORDS: Cornell 0-3-2, Saint Francis 4-2-0
VIDEO: Ivy League Digital Network
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
LIVE UPDATES: @CUBigRedGameday
 
Game #7: Cornell Big Red vs. New Hampshire Wildcats
WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016
WHERE: Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
2016 RECORDS: Cornell 0-4-2, New Hampshire 5-1-0
VIDEO: Ivy League Digital Network
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
LIVE UPDATES: @CUBigRedGameday

 ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell continues to navigate a tough non-league schedule, with two of the first five games that the Big Red has played coming against teams ranked in the latest NSCAA Coaches Poll. Despite the schedule, the Big Red has put together some solid performances. The team's two goals against No. 20 American on Sunday made them just the second team this year to score more than one goal against the Eagles. … Four of Cornell's games this season have needed extra time. On Friday night, the Big Red forced overtime with under five minutes to play in regulation only to see Saint Francis score 13 seconds into the second extra period. Cornell also tied Central Connecticut State, 2-2, in the season opener before losing a 1-0 heartbreaker just 45 seconds into overtime at George Mason last weekend. Then, on Wednesday night, the Big Red earned a 1-1 draw with nearby Binghamton. … Freshman Brady Dickens leads the team in scoring with two goals and one assist for five points, while senior Madison Heck has one goal and one assist for three points. … Junior Mitchell Meyer has started four out of the last five games for Cornell and made 11 saves over that stretch. Freshman Ryan Shellow has seen action in two games, including one start, and has made five saves.
 
BIG RED REWIND
Cornell ended the 2015 season with a 4-12-1 record but finished strong, going 3-3 over the last six games. …The team returns every single player that registered a point last year, including senior midfielder Madison Heck, who led the team with five points …This year, Cornell has a senior-heavy roster that brings a wealth of experience to the pitch. Eleven players are entering their final seasons in a Big Red uniform and the newcomers to the team – nine freshmen and a transfer from Syracuse – have added depth at every position.
 
ABOUT HEAD COACH JOHN SMITH
Smith comes to East Hill after spending four years at Stanford, two as associate head coach. In 2015, Smith helped lead the Cardinal to its first national title in program history and an 18-2-3 record, the team's most wins since 2002. Smith, who worked primarily with Stanford's strikers, was named NSCAA Far West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014. Prior to his time in Palo Alto, Smith amassed a 62-26-10 record in six seasons as the head coach of Division II power Incarnate Word and spent time as an assistant coach at CSU Bakersfield. Smith is a graduate of Rollins, where he was two-time All-American. He was selected 13^thoverall by the Columbus Crew in the 1997 MLS Draft and played for two years in the A-League. He was named the Cornell men's soccer program's 12^th head coach in March 2016.
 
ABOUT THE CU INARIA CLASSIC
The annual CU Inaria Classic, now in its sixth year, is a tournament co-hosted by Cornell and Colgate. The visiting teams — this year, Saint Francis and New Hampshire — play a game at each host school. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. Last season, Duquesne and Cornell both finished the tournament with four points and were tied in head-to-head play and goal differential. Cornell was named the tournament champion based on goals for, with two to Duquesne's one.
 
FINALLY, A ROAD STREAK RESPITE
After opening up the season at home against Central Connecticut State, the Big Red then hit the road for its next four contests. After making stops at No. 14 Connecticut, and taking on George Mason and No. 20 American in the Capitol Cup, the Big Red inched closer to home with a game against Binghamton  on Wednesday night. The four-straight road games marked the most in a row for the program since the 2001 season. That year, the team played four-straight away games at Princeton, Army, Dartmouth and Syracuse.
 
DICKENS' DEBUT
Five games into his first Cornell soccer season, freshman Brady Dickens leads the Big Red in scoring with five points. He scored his first collegiate goal on his first collegiate shot just 20 minutes into the Sept. 2 season-opening 2-2 tie with Central Connecticut State. Dickens added to his point total against No. 20 American this past Sunday when he scored his second goal of the season and assisted on another.
 
FRESHMEN FINESSE
In all the games that the Big Red has played and scored in this season, it has received at least one point from a member of the Class of 2020. Brady Dickens and Christophe Gerlach tallied points against Central Connecticut and then it was Dickens again against American before George Pedlow scored a goal against Binghamton.
 
CAPTAIN'S ARMBANDS
Head coach John Smith has selected senior Zach Bialik and junior Eric Nuss to serve as the Big Red's captains for the 2016 season. Bialik, a midfielder, logged more than 60 minutes on 10 occasions in 2015. Nuss has started on defense in all 32 games over the last two seasons and logged a team-leading 1,450 minutes last season.
 
SENIOR AND FRESHMEN PRESENCE
The 11 members of the Class of 2017 make up a third of this year's 31-player roster and seven of those players have registered at least one career point. There are also nine members of the Class of 2020 on the team this year, making it a top- and bottom-heavy roster. Six juniors and five sophomores round out the squad.
 
INTERNATIONAL APPEAL
Cornell men's soccer is a diverse group, with players hailing from 15 different states and England, as senior JJ Black and freshman George Pedlow both come to the Big Red from England. Six players come from New York while California, Colorado and New Jersey have three representatives each.
 
THE SERIES WITH SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY (PA)
The last time these two teams met was on Sept.12, 1998, when Cornell came out on the losing end of a 3-2 game in Ithaca. Cornell is 2-2-1 all-time against Saint Francis.
 
ABOUT SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY
Saint Francis comes to East Hill with a 4-2 record and - with three-straight wins over Cincinnati (1-0), Penn State (3-1), and Niagara (1-0) - a three-game win streak. The Red Flash is ranked fifth overall in this week's NSCAA Northeast region poll. … Offensively, SFU is led by junior midfielder Troye Kiernan, who notched a brace in the team's win over Penn State last weekend, and sophomore forward Peters Township, who earned a brace of his own against Niagara. Senior Dominic Ramirez has three assists for the Red Flash. In the defensive third, Saint Francis has seen strong play from senior goalkeeper Marcus Rojas. Rojas has played every minute in goal for the Red Flash this season, posting a .980 goal against average, three shutouts and making 14 saves.
 
THE SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE
The last meeting between these teams was on Sept. 10, 2010, when they battled through two overtimes before ending in a 2-2 draw. Cornell is 1-2-1 overall against UNH, with the lone Big Red victory coming in 2006 in the form of a 1-0 victory at a neutral site tournament.
 
ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats entered the CU Inaria Classic weekend carrying a 4-1 record and then moved to 5-1 after beating Colgate, 3-0. on Friday night. After opening the season with four-straight wins, New Hampshire dropped its first match of the season, 3-1, to Holy Cross last Friday. … New Hampshire has received goals from eight different players and has 11 players with at least one point. Sophomore Chris Arling's eight points on four goals leads the New Hampshire offense and his classmate Alex Valencia has notched two goals and one assist for five points. Goalkeeper Andrew Pesci has played every minute in goal for the Wildcats in 2016 and owns a 1.40 goals against average and a .563 save percentage.
 
UP NEXT
Cornell's next two games will be two tough tests against nationally ranked opponents. First, the Big Red will welcome #5 Syracuse to East Hill on Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. matchup and then it will have a full week off before it travels to No. 17 Virginia for the last non-conference game of the season.