ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell men's soccer team played the Akron Zips to a 0-0 tie on Tuesday night at Berman Field. The Big Red moved to 7-1-1, while the Zips shifted to 7-3-2 on the year.

Ryan Friedberg collected three saves on the night, to earn his fifth shutout of the season and take sole possession of the Big Red career clean-sheet record with 19.

Giorgos Diakos led the Big Red in total shots, producing four with two on goal. He was followed by Connor Miller who created two chances, one coming on a penalty-kick late in the second half.

"I thought Akron played really well in the first half and we had a tough time getting close enough to them to disrupt their play. Good goalkeeping from Ryan and resolute defending allowed us to go in tied up at the half.", John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer mentioned.

The Big Red and the Zips both played with a tough defensive presence in the opening half, limiting each other in the shots category. Friedberg and Budler made saves to keep the game at bay through the first stanza. Akron created five corner-kick chances in the first frame, while the Big Red managed none.

"We came out stronger in the second half and did a good job of applying pressure and creating really good looks on their goal. I think ultimately a tie was a fair result.", Smith added.

The Big Red saw more success in its offensive zone in the second frame, including a few early chances by Diakos, Daniel Samways, and Westin Carnevale early. Cornell's best chance of the day came when Miller was awarded with a penalty-kick in the 81st minute due to a foul in the box by the Zips.

Akron net-minder Budler stood up to the task, stopping the attempt to maintain an even score. The Big Red and the Zips continued the defensive pace through the final minute, resulting in a 0-0 draw.

"Now we get to play in another great contest against Princeton on Saturday in front of our incredible alums.", Smith concluded with.

MATCH NOTES
• Saturday marked just the third all-time meeting between Cornell and Akron and the first time the Zips competed at Berman Field. The defensive battle ultimately led to a scoreless 0-0 draw to move the series to 2-0-1, in favor of Cornell.

• Ryan Friedberg broke the tie with Jon Ross '74 for the Cornell career shutout record with his fifth of the 2025 season, and the 19th of his Big Red tenure.

• The Big Red played to its first scoreless tie since 2023 against Columbia, and its first at Berman Field since its match with Duquesne during the CU Inaria Cup in 2015.

Next Up
The Cornell men's soccer team will return to Ivy League play against Princeton on Saturday, October 11th. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. at Bermam Field. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.