ITHACA, N.Y. - The no. 23-ranked Cornell men's soccer team (2-1-0) gets set to face Western Michigan (1-4-0) in its home-opener. Kickoff between Cornell and Western Michigan is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13th at Berman Field. The Big Red and the Broncos are set to take the pitch together for the first time in program history.

MATCH NO. 4: #23 Cornell vs Western Michigan
WHEN | WHERE: Saturday, Sep. 13 | Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Western Michigan (1-5-0, 0-0-0 Missouri Valley), Cornell (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES: First Ever Meeting
WATCH: ESPN+
STATS: CornellBigRed.com

REWIND - VS UC SANTA BARBARA
The Cornell men's soccer team defeated the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 1-0 on Friday evening at Harder Stadium. The Big Red improved to 1-0-0 on the year, while the Gauchos dropped to 2-2-0.

Junior forward Liam May scored the first goal of his Cornell career in the 89th-minute of the contest to lift the Big Red over the Gauchos. The game-winning tally was assisted by Colin Johnson and Sergio Zapata. Ryan Friedberg claimed the 16th clean-sheet of his career, making three critical saves throughout the course of the match.

"I thought it was a very good game between two strong teams. Our guys got more and more into the game as it went on and the consistency of their effort and persistence paid off at the end there with an excellent goal by Liam.", John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer mentioned.

Full release can be found HERE

REWIND - VS UC IRVINE
The Cornell men's soccer team fell 1-0 to UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium on Monday night. The Big Red dropped its first game of the season, moving to 2-1-0, while the Anteaters improved to 4-0-1.

The Big Red out-shot the Anteaters 12-6 in the contest, with Cornell also holding the edge in shots-on-goal 4-2. Connor Miller (three), Westin Carnevale (two), and Giorgos Diakos (two) pushed the issue, managing shots, but could not find a way to make them count.

"In terms of generating chances we were the best team today. What makes this game both beautiful and painful is that the better team doesn't always win.", John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer mentioned.

Full release can be found HERE

CORNELLIANS TO WATCH
Connor Miller - MAC Herman Trophy watch list member and returning All-American Connor Miller will be a key element to the Big Red's success in the 2025 season. Miller notched 17 points in 2024, coming by way of four goals and an Ivy League leading nine assists. He was a Third-Team All-American, First-Team All-Ivy member, and First-Team All-Region selection.

"Connor has now moved into a leadership role as one of our captains for the upcoming season. This will help him have an even greater impact on the team. He got himself firmly in amongst the point-getters on the team last year and I see that being something he doubles down on this year.", he added.

Andrew Johnson - The return of Charlotte Football Club draftee and MAC Hermann Trophy watch list member Andrew Johnson will be a key component to the success of the Big Red defensive unit. Johnson notched a pair of goals in 2024. He was a MLS SuperDraft selection to the Charlotte Football Club, First-Team All-Ivy member, and First-Team All-Region selection.

"Andrew has been great for us since his arrival. Getting drafted by Charlotte FC and representing his country in the Gold Cup speaks to the level he has reached.", Smith mentioned. Sophomores Aidan Martin and Justin Melly return to the back-line after posting strong freshman campaigns. Martin was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Martin started off the 2025 year strong, notching three points on a goal and an assist in Cornell's 3-0 season-opening shutout victory over the LeMoyne Dolphins at Ted Grant Field. He was named Ivy League Defensive Player of The Week.

Ryan Friedberg - Senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg has taken initiative in net for the Big Red since his Ivy League Rookie of The Year campaign, and will now look to bookend his Cornell career with a bang. Friedberg collected the 15th clean-sheet of his career in the season-opening game against LeMoyne to become third all-time in the Cornell record book. He tacked on another shutout in game two against UC Santa Barbara to move to 16.

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan (1-5-0) enters Saturday's match with five regular season games under their belt. The Broncos haven't met preseason expectations, as they were slotted as the no. 21-ranked team in the United Coaches Soccer Poll.

Braxton Arpachinda and Piero Sabroso lead the Broncos in points, holding three on a goal and an assist. Timi Adams and Alex Lindewirth have split duties in net as the season has gotten underway. Lindewirth has started in three games (1-2-0) and has registered 11 saves with a 1.43 goals-against average. Adams has started in three games (0-3-0), registering seven saves  with a 3.60 goals-against average.

HOME OPENERS
The Big Red has taken strong to home openers during coach John Smith's stint. Cornell holds a 6-2-1 record since Smith took over as head coach in 2016. The Cornellians currently hold a two-game winning-streak on season openers. Last season, the Big Red held an 8-1-0 record on its home pitch and will aim for similar success in 2025.

CLEAN SHEET CLUB
Big Red goaltender Ryan Friedberg has churned out clean sheets since his arrival on East Hill. Friedberg entered the 2024 season with six shutouts, and proceeded to tack on eight more to boost his total to 14. In the 2025 season-opener, Friedberg was aided by a strong defensive effort to earn another clean-sheet to put him third all-time in Big Red history. He backed that up in game two against UC Santa Barbara with a trio of impressive saves to push Cornell to victory and claim his second consecutive shutout.

MOST CAREER CLEAN SHEETS
Cornell Program History
1. 18, Jon Ross (1972-74)
2. 17, Rick Pflasterer (2009-12)
3. 16, Ryan Friedberg (2022-current)
4. 14, Zach Zagorski (2011-14)
5. 13, Quinn O'Sullivan (1992-95)
6. 10, Dan Mackesey (1974-76)
7. 8, Dave Williams (1988-91)
7. 8, Doug Allan (2000-02)
9. 7, Stephen Bott (1983)
9. 7, Mike Zaremsky (1986-88)
9. 7, Hemant Sharma (1994-96)

GETTING THE CAPTAIN'S BAND
Leadership this season will come from a four-player captaincy, with Johnson (Defender), Miller (Midfielder), Sam Latona (Midfielder), and Daniel Samways (Forward).

IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The no. 22-ranked Cornell men's soccer team earned a first-place vote and was tabbed second in the 2025 Ivy League preseason poll. The Big Red concluded last season with a 5-2 record in league play, taking second in the regular season standings, and was the lone Ivy League program to earn an NCAA College Cup victory.

The Ivy League has proven to be a tough conference year in and year out. During the 2024 season, Cornell, Penn, and Princeton earned bids to the NCAA College Cup. John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men's Soccer, spoke about the competitiveness of the Ivy League.

"I am just about to start my ninth season here, and this league has gone from strength to strength each year. It is filled with both talented coaches and talented players. It made sense to me that three Ivy teams garnered post season berths last year, and with the high level recruiting being done conference wide, I don't see that changing any time soon.", Smith said.

The Big Red earned its first trip to the Ivy League Tournament last season, but ultimately fell in a heart-breaker to the eventual champion Princeton Tigers in the opening round. The Big Red will aim to build on the momentum from last season to claim its first Ivy League title since 2012.

Ivy League Preseason Poll:
1. Penn - 120 (10 first place votes)
2. Princeton - 107 (5 first place votes)
2. Cornell - 107 (1 first place vote)
4. Brown - 66
5. Dartmouth - 59
6. Harvard - 58
7. Yale - 33
8. Columbia - 26

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Kickoff between Cornell and Western Michigan is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13th at Berman Field. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.