ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell men's soccer team will defend it's home turf on Oct. 3, for non-conference action against UAlbany at Berman Field.

MATCH INFORMATION
UAlbany at Cornell
SITE: Berman Field – ITHACA, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany (4-5-1, 0-1-1 America East), Cornell (3-2-2, 0-0-2 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: 1-4-0
BROADCAST: ESPN+
Stats: cornellbigred.com

Upset In East Hill
The Big Red fans threatened capacity at Berman Field in the season opener, in hopes of watching men's soccer avenge it's 2022 NCAA tournament setback against the Orange.The Cornell men's soccer team downed defending national champion, #7 Syracuse, 2-1 in front of a packed crowd on Tuesday night. Freshman forward Alex Harris scored two goals for the second time this year. The victory marked the first time that Big Red men's soccer has taken down a defending national champion. The first two tries came against Hartwick in 1978, and Virginia in 1993.

Two Ivy League Contests, Two Ties

vs Harvard
The Cornell men's soccer team played to a draw in its Ivy League opener at Harvard. 

Four minutes into the contest, Willem Ebbinge registered the first tally for Harvard at Jordan Field, putting the Crimson ahead 1-0. The Big Red responded just six minutes later on a goal by senior forward Matthew Goncalves that was assisted by freshman forward Alex Harris. 

The second half showed to be a defensive battle, with neither team finding the back of the net. Ryan Friedberg tallied a pair of saves on the game for the Big Red. Crimson goalie Lucian Wood registered four stops in the net.

The Big Red moved to 3-2-1, and the Crimson 1-2-4.

vs Brown
The Cornell mens soccer team played to a draw with Ivy League foe Brown by a score of 1-1 on Saturday Sept. 30 at Berman Field.

Freshman forward Alex Harris extended his point streak to five with his goal in the 18th minute.

Brown capitalized on a costly penalty in the box, which allowed Brown goals leader Dadzie Kojo to knot the game up on a penalty kick in the second half. Junior forward Danny Loko would attempt a pair of grade-A shots late in the second period, sending both wide. 

The clock wound down seconds after the Big Red attempted a corner to no avail, leaving the count at 1-1.


The predicted Ivy League order of finish is listed below:

Predicted Order of Finish
1. Penn - 119 (9 first place votes)
2. Cornell - 115 (6)
3. Harvard - 87 (1)
4. Yale - 73
5. Princeton - 67
6. Dartmouth - 49
7. Brown - 42
8. Columbia - 24

The Series
UAlbany leads the series 4-1-0 over Cornell. Three out of the five all-time matchups between the Big Red and the Great Danes have needed extra minutes to crown a winner. UAlbany is outscoring Cornell 12-6 in the series. The last time Cornell defeated UAlbany dates back to 2007 when they took a 3-2 double overtime victory in Hamilton, N.Y.

Players To Watch
Alex Harris (Cornell) - Harris was recently named to the Ivy League honor roll list, after a five point performance in the 4-2 victory against Canisius. Alex netted his first collegiate goal, which was followed by another to give him two goals in the game. He would follow up with the first assist of his career, on the third goal that stretched the Big Red's lead to three. Against UMBC, Harris put in the lone Big Red goal on a penalty kick. Harris, a first-year Cornellian, has two multi-goal games on the season, and leads the Ivy League in points (14) and goals with five.

Kisa Kiingi (Cornell) - Kiingi was recognized as a part of the College Soccer News Men's National Team of The Week for his performances against New Hampshire and Canisius. He was the culprit of the goal that Cornell needed to top New Hampshire 1-0 on the road, and has solidified a Big Red defense that is anchored in goal by Ryan Friedberg. Kiingi also contributed a helper on one of Harris' two goals in the win over Canisius, and one of his goals in the 2-1 victory over rival Syracuse on Tuesday. The senior defender has registered four points on one goal and two assists.

Ryan Friedberg (Cornell) - Friedberg tallied 10 saves in the opening weekend of the season, seven of which came on the back of his shutout win against No. 19 New Hampshire. The reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year registered the fifth shutout of his young Big Red career in that game. He was named Ivy League Defender of The Week for those performances. Friedberg has 18 saves on the year with a .692 percentage through five games.

Tiago Dias (UAlbany) - Dias is tied for the team lead in points (six) and goals (three).

Mamadi Jiana (UAlbany) - Jiana is tied for the team lead in points (six) and goals (three).

Alex Pechacek (UAlbany) - Pechacek is tied for the team lead in points (six), and leads the squad in assists (six).

Follow The Action
Kickoff between the Cornell and UAllbany is slated for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 3, at Berman Field. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.