ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell men's soccer team opened the season with a 3-0 victory over the Marist Red Foxes at Berman Field on Saturday afternoon. Andrew Johnson, Alex Harris, and Alioune Ka were responsible for the Big Red goals in the contest. Ryan Friedberg earned his first shutout of the season. Connor Miller collected two points on a pair of assists.

Harris, looking to pick up where he left off last season, applied early pressure on Red Fox net-minder Jamie Lowell. He managed a shot on goal in the first two minutes of the game but Lowell was up to the task just barely getting a hand on Harris's attempt to open the scoring. Shortly after, Big Red forward Connor Miller found Johnson ahead who found the back of the net to give Cornell a 1-0 lead.

It would be Harris who would follow up the goal by Johnson with a tally of his own, also assisted by Miller. At the 26:01 mark, Ka manuever and shifted through the Marist back-line, ultimately finding an angle to get past Lowell to extend the Big Red lead to 3-0.

John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer was pleased with how his team came out and attacked in the opening half. "We did a great job dictating the game in the first half and scored three good goals", Smith said.

The second half began with controversy when Johnson began to pursue the ball leading to a dangerous collision between him and a Marist forward. Johnson was awarded a red card for the play putting Cornell down a man for the remainder of the contest.

Although Cornell did not score for the remainder of the game, Marist failed to take advantage of the man-up opportunity. Friedberg collected two saves in the shutout and improved to 1-0 in net on the season.

"It was great for the whole team to start the season with a clean sheet, especially after spending most of the second half with ten men... Overall, we are pleased with the performance. There are many areas for us to improve upon, but considering this was our first game, i am proud of how we acquitted ourselves" coach John Smith mentioned.

The Big Red will turn its attention to the next contest, where it will take on the Georgetown Hoyas. Smith spoke about the approach and how the team focuses for each game. "We approach every game with the same mindset, and so, just as we did today, we will be expecting a very good game next Friday", he said.

Next Action
The Big Red will be back in action on Friday, September 6 at 4:00 p.m. in a non-conference game against the Georgetown Hoyas in Washington D.C. at Shaw Field. Game action will be broadcast on Big East Digital Network.