STORRS, Conn. - The Cornell men's soccer team fell 3-1 to the UConn Huskies on Sunday afternoon in the second round of the 2025 College Cup at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.
Connor Miller scored the first goal of the game, but two consecutive goals at the end of the first half for Evan Pickering and a late insurance goal by Alex Tupay boosted the Huskies to overcome Cornell. The Big Red concluded it's season with a 14-4-2 record on the season.
"It was tough to lose Andrew to injury before the game and it was made even more challenging when Justin went down midway through the first half. That being said, the guys who went in there were immense and contributed to a performance where we out-shot our opponents 31-9. ",
John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer mentioned.
Cornell and UConn entered this match up fairly equal, only separated by two spots in the national poll. The Big Red and the Huskies had five common opponents during the 2025 season, with both teams going unbeaten with ties against the Harvard Crimson. Defensively, neither team has a tendency to budge, with Cornell allowing under one goal per game, and UConn allowing slightly above one goal per game on the season.
The Big Red controlled the pace of the game early and often against the Huskies. Cornell consistently found gaps in UConn's defense, producing strong opportunities in the first 25 minutes coming from
Aidan Martin and
Westin Carnevale although the Big Red were unable to capitalize on those opportunities in the early stages of the game. In the 29th minute, Evan Pickering's produced a grade-A header attempt that was denied by
Ryan Friedberg as he was all alone in front of the net.
Miller got the scoring started in the 37th minute of the game on a strike to put the Big Red ahead 1-0. UConn responded with two consecutive goals at the end of the first half, both coming from Austin Brummett. The first goal Brummett scored came at the 42:10 mark to tie the game up at 1-1. With one second remaining in the half, Friedberg let one get away from him as Brummett scored again to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead going into the half.
Griffin Eck produced a chance from a corner-kick on the 60th minute that barely snuck by UConn net-minder Kyle Durham, resulting in an official review. After review, the officials ruled no goal for the Big Red. Two more reviews were made in the 66th minute and 72nd minute for a UConn handball in the box, and both proved to be unsuccessful. The game intensified when Pickering and Kolbl were involved in a back-and-forth, leading to a yellow-card for Pickering. Donahue pressured the UConn defense and fired a shot toward net forcing Durham to make a critical save in the 77th minute.
Campbell Reece was tabbed with a yellow card in the 77th minute leading to set piece right outside of the box for the Huskies. UConn made it count as Tupay finished it off to give the Huskies a 3-1 lead. As the Big Red pushed to bring the game closer, Durham and the Huskies back-line stood up tall against Cornell's chances. Friedberg was tasked with stopping one last shot in the closing minutes as the Huskies ran away with a 3-1 victory in the second round of the College Cup. Friedberg made two saves in the game to close out his Big Red career.
"Although it is tough to take right now, I know we will all look back on this season with immense pride. A 14-4-2 season and another round of 32 appearance, after losing 2 key returners to the MLS draft says everything you need to know about Cornell Men's Soccer.", Smith added.
"I think it was clear for anyone watching we were the better team. That doesn't always win you games though.", Smith included. He also expressed the immense gratitude he has for his senior group, who played their final game for the Big Red. "To the seniors who have contributed to 49 wins, and three NCAA appearances in their time here, all I can say is thank you. You made me, the staff and all of your teammates better.", Smith concluded with.
