BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Cornell men's soccer team fell 1-0 in a tight battle against No. 22 Vermont in the season opener on Friday evening at Virtue Field. The Catamounts improved to 2-1-0 on the year.

The lone goal of the contest was netted by Andrew Millar of the Catamounts in the 29th minute. Matthew Goncalves led the Big Red in shots on goal with three, followed by Westin Carnevale and Alex Harris with one apiece. Ryan Friedberg made three saves in goal for the Big Red.

"Opening on the road against a top team like Vermont is a fantastic way for us to see where we are currently at as a group," said head coach John Smith. "I don't think anyone watching would be able to tell it was our first game. We played with pace, intelligence, and bundles of energy. We were also brave on both sides of the ball and created some incredible opportunities in front of their goal -- on another day those chances go in."
 
Cornell held a 15-9 shot advantage and a dominant 7-1 edge on corner kicks, including 6-0 after halftime. The Big Red had a number of quality chances in the second 45 minutes, including a huge one-on-one save by Vermont's Owen Jack on Alex Harris with two and a half minutes to play. Jack made five saves in earning the clean sheet for the home team.

"To come here and control the game as much as we did bodes very well for the future for this group," Smith said. 

Next Up
Cornell will take a trip to Durham, N.H. on Monday to face No. 19 New Hampshire. Due to construction, the game has been relocated from Wildcat Stadium to Tucker Field and will kick off at 4:00 p.m. The match will be broadcast on America East TV.