ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell men's soccer team returns to the road for Saturday night's contest against Niagara in Western New York. First touch from Niagara Field is slated for 7 p.m.

Game Information

SITE: Niagara Field – Lewiston, N.Y. (artificial surface)
TIME: Saturday, Sept. 17 – 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Cornell (3-1-0, 0-0 Ivy League), Niagara (1-4-1, 0-0 MAAC)
SERIES RECORD: Niagara leads, 2-1-0
BROADCAST: YouTube
STATS: PurpleEagles.com

About the Big Red

• Cornell had its five-game unbeaten streak snapped on Tuesday, along with its season-opening, three-game win streak.
 
• Sophomore forward Alioune Ka has a team-leading five points (two goals, one assist). Freshman midfielder Westin Carnevale has four points, both of which have come from goals in his last two appearances. Senior defender Connor Drought (three assists) and junior defender Kisa Kiingi (one goal, one assist) have three points apiece.

Assisting the Team

• Senior defender Connor Drought has a team-high three assists, all of which have come over his last three appearances.
 
• Drought is the first Big Red player with a three-game assist streak since Tyler Bagley had five assists in a three-game span last year.
 
• After recording assists in each of his last three games, through Wednesday's contests, Drought was tied for 22nd in the nation in assists per game (0.75) and tied for 29th in total assists (3). Both figures were tied for the highest of any Ivy League player with Harvard's Willem Ebbinge.
 
• With an assist Saturday, Drought would be the first Big Red player on record with a four-game assist streak since 1995 when Rob Elliott logged helpers in four consecutive contests.

Friedberg's Strong Start

• Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg has shined for the Big Red between the pipes so far this season. He is currently 3-1 with a 0.75 goals-against average and .727 save percentage.
 
• Friedberg's 0.75 goals-against average is tied for the 34th-best average by a Division I goalkeeper, and is tied with St. John's Zenden Hart for the fourth-lowest by a freshman.
 
• After posting consecutive clean sheets last week against UC Irvine (Sept. 5) and Saint Joseph's (Sept. 10), the Ivy League announced Monday afternoon that Friedberg was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
 
• Friedberg is the first Ivy League goalkeeper to earn multiple Rookie of the Week awards since Dartmouth's James Hickok in 2013. The consecutive Rookie of the Week honors for Friedberg marks the first time a Cornell player has earned multiple Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors since teammate Emeka Eneli in 2018.
 
• With the consecutive clean sheets, Friedberg is the fourth Cornell freshman goalkeeper with multiple shutouts in a season and the first since Rick Pflasterer had a pair in 2009.

Relying on Underclassmen

• Of the 33 active players on this year's roster, Cornell has been heavily relying on its underclassmen. Five of Cornell's six goals have been scored by underclassmen and two of the team's three game-winning goals have also been off the boot of first- or second-year players.
 
• The freshmen or sophomore class lead, or are tied, in many offensive statistical categories, including: minutes played, goals, points, shots, shots on goal, and game-winning goals.
 
• Upperclassmen have only one advantage in an offensive category this season currently: assists (seniors — 3). The juniors have one game-winning goal, matching with total by the freshmen and sophomore classes.

Scouting the Purple Eagles

• Niagara enters tonight's contest with a 1-4-1 record. The Purple Eagles lost its last contest to No. 16 Syracuse, 1-0, on Tuesday.
 
• The Purple Eagles enter tonight's contest winless in its last two games, drawing with Binghamton on Sept. 9, 2-2, before losing to Syracuse on Tuesday. Niagara's lone victory was on Sept. 5 against Stonehill, 3-2.
 
• Senior Rodrigo Almeida leads Niagara in goals (3) and points (6). Freshman Alberto Sanchez Cervera, the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, scored both of his goals in the victory over Stonehill.

Series vs. Niagara

• Cornell and Niagara have met three times prior on the soccer pitch. The Purple Eagles have a slight 2-1 advantage in the all-time series.
 
• Tonight's meeting is the first between the two teams since Sept. 21, 2018, when the Big Red won 3-1. George Pedlow scored twice in a five-minute stretch late in the second half to defeat the Purple Eagles. Emeka Eneli scored the tying goal in the 38th minute for the Big Red

Looking Ahead

Cornell returns to Berman Field on Tuesday for the Big Red's second of three consecutive matches against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents when it hosts Canisius. The contest between the Golden Griffins and Big Red is slated for a 7 p.m. start. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.