ITHACA, N.Y. – The #24 Cornell men's soccer team narrowly defeated Harvard in a closely contest match on Saturday night at Berman Field. Winds were whipping on East Hill as the Big Red utilized a five-goal first half to secure its second Ivy League win of the season.
 
It was a tale of two halves, with Cornell (7-1-1, 2-0-0) providing a dominant first half and Harvard stealing the momentum in the second. Comfortable with a 5-nil lead entering the second half, the Big Red opted to find early opportunities for its bench. Cornell out-shot Harvard 18-14 overall and 13-3 in the first half. The Big Red placed 11 shots on goal in total, with six being saved by Harvard.

"I thought it was an incredible first half," head coach John Smith said. "The second half I will put 100 percent on me. It was bad coaching. I made wholesale changes at halftime. We're in a period now where this was the first of four games in 10 days so I'm trying to protect guys and avoid injuries. It wasn't fair to the starters who played well and it wasn't fair to the guys who went in, to go into the second half and play against a good attacking team. The last five minutes was a good sign of how strong these guys are. I won't make that mistake again."
 
Fifth-year midfielder Tyler Bagley continued his sensational season, tallying a goal and three assists against the Crimson. Bagley now has 24 points through nine games (nine goals/six assists), the most for a member of the Cornell men's soccer team since Daniel Haber posted a 43-point season in 2012.
 
Cornell found the back of the net first when a cross by sophomore midfielder Wilson Eisner was flicked on by Bagley and scored by senior forward Emeka Eneli in the 14th minute. Eneli is one goal away from matching his career-high of seven goals. The Big Red kept the early momentum going when a Bagley free kick found the head of Eisner in the 20th minute, marking Eisner's first collegiate goal.
 
Capable of striking with both feet, Bagley scored on a free kick from outside the 18-yard box in the 23rd minute to extend Cornell's advantage to 3-0. Bagley continued to have a hand in the Big Red's success when he and fifth-year defender Jonah Kagen teamed up to assist on freshman midfielder Alioune Ka's diving header goal in the 30th minute.
 
Cornell's offensive outburst was capped off with an Olimpico goal by junior defender Connor Drought in the 41st minute. Drought placed a perfect ball on goal that would have met the head of sophomore defender Henry Hylbert if it hadn't gone into the back of the net on its own.
 
Despite trailing 5-0 at the break Harvard didn't say die. Harvard's Nik White got the Crimson on the board in the 51st minute when the Big Red were unable to clear a ball sent into the box on a corner kick. A breakaway chance for Martin Vician in the 66th made it a 5-2 game, with momentum headed towards the Harvard sidelines.
 
Harvard scored its third goal of the second half in the 79th minute, despite the best efforts of junior goalkeeper Brady McSwain. McSwain saved two consecutive shots on goal before Ale Gutierrez was finally able to put one past him. The Crimson brought it to a one score game when Alessandro Arlotti scored in the 84th.
 
Cornell settled in over the final five minutes of the contest to prevent Harvard from completing the comeback attempt.
 
Up Next: Cornell returns to the pitch on Tuesday, Oct. 12 when it meets Colgate (0-12) at 7 p.m. The Raiders have been outscored by opponents this season 24-2.
 
Starting XI:
GK: Brady McSwain
D: Jonah Kagen
D: Tate Keir
D: Henry Hylbert
D: Kisa Kiingi
M: Tyler Bagley
M: Harry Fuller
M: Wilson Eisner
M: Lalo Serrano
F: Emeka Eneli
F: Charles Touche