AKRON, Ohio – Cornell men's soccer defeated Akron in a barn burner on Saturday, Sept. 28, needing two overtime periods to down the Zips by a final tally of 3-2. Senior Ryan Bayne came up big in the clutch for the Big Red, scoring the game-winning goal on a header in the 102nd minute.
 
With a win, Cornell (5-2) is now 2-1 on the season in overtime games, with all three overtime contests being played on the road. The Big Red are 2-0 against teams that played in the 2019 College Cup, as both Michigan State and Akron were among the best teams in the country last season. Akron (0-7) lost at home for just the 11th time in the last decade, and are now 100-11-11 in home matches during that span. The Zips have fallen on a bout of tough luck this season, losing five, one goal matches, in a row.
 
The Big Red out-shot the Zips, 13-12 overall, and 8-3 in shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Ryan Shellow made one save on the night and improved his season record to 5-1. Fellow senior, George Pedlow, led the team in shots on goal with three as he continuously pressured the Akron defense while he was in the game.
 
Cornell opened the scoring on Saturday night as a trio of first years combined to put the Big Red up early. Griffin Garrard and Connor Drought pinballed passes to Brandon Morales, who found the back of the net for his first career goal in the 37th minute. Morales is now tied with Bayne for second on the team in points with four (one goal, two assists).
 
Despite trailing, 1-0, at half, the Zips came out of the locker room with new found momentum. That effort was recognized after Pol Hernandez put in a perfect cross to David Egbo, who flicked a header onto the far post to tie the match in the 50th minute.
 
Junior Harry Fuller continued to be a catalyst on offense for the Big Red, forcing an Akron own goal in the 70th minute to give Cornell a 2-1 advantage. Fuller sent a bending free kick into the box in an attempt to find a cutting Noel Ortega, but the kick was too much for Akron to handle and bounced off the leg of a Zips defender.
 
Cornell held momentum and dictated the pace of play, trying to maintain a 2-1 advantage late in the second half. Unfortunately for the Big Red, Akron was not yet prepared to lose at home, and found an equalizer in the 85th minute. A late Zips corner kick set-up the goal, with Akron scoring on a redirection following a blocked shot.
 
Morales nearly secured a game-winning goal in the final seconds of regulation, finding himself in a one-on-one opportunity with the Akron goalkeeper. Zips goalkeeper Joe Bowles did a solid job of forcing Morales wide of net and prevented the Big Red from capitalizing on a blunder in the back line with just 20 seconds remaining.
 
Both sides saw opportunities in the first overtime period with senior John Scearce sending a blazing shot high of goal in the 95th minute and Akron's Egbo narrowly missing on a header in the 97th.
 
It was Cornell that came away victorious with Bayne's game-winning header in the 102nd minute of action. Following a corner kick from Fuller, Bayne flew into the box and used his head to tuck the ball into the near post.
 
UP NEXT: Ivy League action gets started on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Philadelphia, Pa. as the Big Red will travel to face Penn. Penn is currently 3-3-1 with wins over Monmouth, Marist and Temple. The Quakers own a 1-0 loss to then No. 19-ranked St. John's and tied a ranked Rutgers squad, 1-1. Penn was defeated, 3-0, by West Virginia on Saturday. Big Red forward Charles Touche has a twin brother that plays on defense for Penn, Alex Touche.