SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Cornell men's soccer team defeated the LeMoyne Dolphins 3-0 on Saturday afternoon from Ted Grant Field. The Big Red collected its season-opening victory to move to 1-0-0, while the Dolphins dropped its third in a row to fall to 0-3-0.

Sophomore defender Aidan Martin earned three points on the evening, coming on an assist to the opening goal by Andrew Johnson and a goal of his on to add insurance to Cornell's lead in the second half. With help from a strong defensive performance, senior net-minder Ryan Friedberg produced his 15th-career shutout to take the third all-time position outright.

"Playing our first game away and on turf was always going to present a unique challenge, and I thought the guys did a great job of handling it and staying patient.", John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer mentioned.

The Big Red controlled the first half of the contest, managing 11 shots in the opening frame with three of those making it on net. Charlotte Football Club draftee and MAC Herman Trophy watch list member Andrew Johnson opened up the scoring 42nd minute when Aidan Martin connected with him for the Big Red goal.

Martin notched his second point of the game, this time coming on a goal in the 62nd minute to extend Cornell's lead to 2-0. Sam Latona joined in on the action, adding insurance and extending the Big Red's lead to 3-0 in the 79th minute.

"The three goals we scored reflected moments of real quality and composure. This is a really good base for us to work from and we now look forward to two exciting games in California.", Smith added.

MATCH NOTES
• Saturday marked the first all-time meeting between Cornell and LeMoyne, as the Big Red took the series lead, 1-0-0.

• Andrew Johnson scored the first goal of Cornell's season for the second consecutive year. In last year's contest against Marist, Johnson netted the game-winning goal in the second minute to help push the Big Red to a 3-0 victory over the Red Foxes at Berman Field.

• The Big Red only allowed one shot-on-goal to help Friedberg tally his 15th-career clean-sheet, moving him to third out-right on the all-time list. He now sits two shutouts away from being tied for the second-place slot.

NEXT UP
The Cornell men's soccer team will travel west to face a pair of California opponents next weekend. The Big Red will begin the California road-stand against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Friday, September 5th. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m P.T., and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Cornell will follow that up with a match against UC Irvine on Monday, September 8. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. P.T., and will be broadcast on ESPN+.