PHILADELPHIA – Cornell men's soccer dropped its Ivy League opener on Saturday, Oct. 5, falling to Penn by a final score of 3-2 from Rhodes Field. The Big Red found late momentum in the 79th minute on a goal from junior Tyler Bagley, but were unable to complete the comeback effort.
 
Cornell (5-3, 0-1 Ivy League) out-shot Penn (4-3-1, 1-0 Ivy League) by a 14-7 margin, but trailed in shots on goal to the Quakers, 5-4. Sophomore Emeka Eneli and senior John Scearce led the team with three shots each.
 
Scoring came early and often in the first half, with Penn scoring in the 5th minute on a goal from Ben Stitz that was tucked just beneath the crossbar.
 
Making his third start of the season, junior Vardhin Manoj scored an equalizer in the 10th minute, following a scrum in the box. Manoj collected a deflection off a shot by sophomore Tate Keir for his first goal of the season and the second of his career.
 
A 19th minute Cornell penalty set up a Penn penalty kick opportunity for Brandon Bartel, who slotted it home to provide the Quakers a 2-1 lead heading into the break.
 
Penn maintained its goal scoring momentum into the second half, taking a 3-1 lead over the Big Red with a goal in the 64th minute. The Quakers leading scorer, Joey Bhangdia, got himself on the board with a low rolling shot that bounced off the far post and in.
 
Fighting to get back into the match, Cornell brought the score to 3-2 in the 79th minute. A ball sent into the box found the head of senior George Pedlow, whose header attempt was intercepted and scored by Bagley. Bagley's goal was his first of the season, with Pedlow contributing his second assist.
 
Cornell possessed the ball late as it searched for the game-tying goal, but Penn's defense held strong. Freshman Will Citron had an opportunity in front of goal late, gaining momentum for a header as he ran into the box. Citron put a solid strike on the ball as he flicked it toward the goal, but his attempt was saved by the Penn goalkeeper as time expired.
 
Up Next: Cornell returns home on Tuesday, Oct. 8 for a 7 p.m. match against Colgate. Colgate is 2-5-4 on the season, but have played a tough schedule to date featuring matches against ranked opponents Portland, Oregon State and New Hampshire. All of which were ranked at the time of playing them. Colgate is led by senior goalkeeper, Jacob Harris, who owns a 1.09 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.