SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Dakota Jonke's first collegiate goal in the 41st minute proved to be the game-winning tally for Cornell in the Big Red's 2-1 season-opening victory over UC Santa Barbara in men's soccer action at Harder Stadium on Friday evening.

Sophomore Alioune Ka joined Jonke in the scoring column for the Big Red, who opened the season with a win for the first time since 2018.

Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg earned the victory in his collegiate debut, making four stops for the Big Red.

"There were so many fantastic performances tonight. Our guys played with great courage throughout the 90 minutes," said John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer. "They did a good job creating looks on their goal and making some great stops on a very dynamic UCSB attack."

UC Santa Barbara's Thaabit Baartman scored the lone goal for the Gauchos (1-1-1), who entered the contest receiving 18 votes in this past week's United Soccer Coaches poll and are currently ranked fifth in the Far West Region rankings. Goalkeeper Leroy Zeller made six stops for the hosts.

Friday's match was physical, as the head referee handed out eight yellow cards for the contest. Despite cards being dispersed throughout the 90-minute contest, scoring only came in the opening 45-minute segment as Ka opened the scoring in the eighth minute.

Ka took advantage of a turnover by the Gauchos, making his initial touch at the midfield line before blazing through the offensive third to reach the 18-yard box quickly. He chipped the ball to his left, creating separation from a UCSB defender to get his sliding left-footed shot to roll into the net.

In the 20th minute, Ka had a solid chance to net his second goal of the night, pushing the ball between a defender's legs, but Zeller was able to get his left hand on Ka's shot attempt.

Friedberg prevented UC Santa Barbara from netting the equalizer as he made two crucial saves on scoring chances over a three-minute span.

The first chance came as Alexis Ledoux lobbed a pass to Salvador Aguilar, who attempted a semi-bicycle kick, but Friedberg nabbed the ball before it crossed the goal line. One minute later, Nemo Philipp lasered a shot from outside the 25 yards out and Friedberg was able to shove aside the attempt.

Five minutes after Philipp's shot was saved, UCSB challenged the Big Red's defense again. This time, another failed bicycle kick led to a battle for the ball between Gauchos attackers and Big Red defenders inside the goal area. Friedberg made a save on one of the shot attempts that Cornell players did not block. 

UCSB eventually drew the game level with a goal in the 39th minute on a set piece following a Cornell yellow card. Lucas Gonzalez brought the ball back into play, setting up Baartman's shot from just over 20 yards away before it ricocheted off a Big Red defender and found the netting.

Cornell responded to the Gauchos' goal rather quickly as just two minutes later, junior Kisa Kiingi set up Jonke for his first collegiate goal, giving the Big Red the lead again.

Both teams struggled to create offensive chances for a good portion of the second half, but the first scoring chance came in the 74th minute on a UCSB corner kick. The Gauchos' shot attempt was stopped by Friedberg, who made a diving stop to keep his team's one-goal lead intact.

Cornell's had a pair of scoring opportunities in the final 10 minutes of the second half. Kiingi and Matthew Goncalves had their shot attempts inside the 18-yard box stopped by Zeller.

Philipp had a good look at the net with 15 seconds remaining on the clock, but Johnson stepped up and blocked the shot, maintaining Cornell's lead and solidifying the victory.

"This is a wonderful way to begin the trip," Smith said. "We now look forward to another top opponent on Monday."

Game Notes

• Friday evening's match was the second all-time meeting between the Big Red and Gauchos. Cornell is now 2-0 all-time over UC Santa Barbara after defeating the Gauchos in Ithaca last year, 4-3, in overtime.

• Cornell is now 5-4 all-time in games played in California. The Big Red have won four of its last five games in the Golden State. Scoring multiple goals in a game in California continues to bode well for the Big Red as Cornell is 5-0 when scoring at least twice.

• When scoring first under Smith, the Big Red improved its record to 30-7-4. When taking the lead into halftime, Cornell is 22-3-1 over its last six-plus seasons. Netting multiple goals under Smith has also proven to be a good omen, as the Big Red are 33-3-2 when scoring at least twice.

• Friedberg became the first Big Red goalkeeper to win in his first collegiate start since Scott Brody against Hartwick on Nov. 7, 2007.

• Joining Friedberg in being a member of the starting lineup in their collegiate debuts was defender Andrew Johnson and midfielder Ben Goulding. Jonke and Westin Carnevale also made their collegiate debuts off the bench. Mark Roby also made his Cornell debut.

• Jonke became the first Cornell freshman to score in their collegiate debut since his teammate, Emeka Eneli, did so against Binghamton on Aug. 31, 2018.

• With his assist on Jonke's goal, Kiingi registered his second career assist, both of which have come against UC Santa Barbara.

Looking Ahead

Cornell will remain in California for its next match, facing UC Irvine on Monday at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT). Game action from Anteater Stadium will be broadcast on ESPN+.