ITHACA, N.Y. - The no. 24-ranked Cornell men's soccer team (3-1-0) gets set to face New Jersey Institute of Technology (2-3-2). Kickoff between Cornell and the NJIT is slated for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 20th at Berman Field. The Big Red and the Highlanders are set to take the pitch together for the first time in program history.

MATCH NO. 4: #24 Cornell vs NJIT
WHEN | WHERE: Saturday, Sep. 20 | Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: New Jersey Institute of Technology (2-3-2, 0-0-0 America East), Cornell (3-1-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES: First Ever Meeting
WATCH: ESPN+
STATS: CornellBigRed.com

REWIND - VS WESTERN MICHIGAN
The no. 23-ranked Cornell men's soccer team defeated the Western Michigan 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at Berman Field. The Big Red improved to 3-1-0, while the Broncos dropped to 1-6-0 on the year.

Andrew Johnson, Kasper Wollstein, and Westin Carnevale registered Big Red goals in the match. Giorgos Diakos was credited with a pair of assists. Ryan Friedberg made four saves in the contest to maintain a clean-sheet, his third of the season

"I was really happy for the guys today. Their work rate was incredible and their efforts paid off with three good goals and another clean sheet. We now look forward to another home game next weekend when we face NJIT.", 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. Johnson leads the Big Red in goals scored this season with two, and has helped the Big Red produce three shutouts in four games so far.

"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 two shutouts, coming in game two against UC Santa Barbara, and game four against Western Michigan to move to 17.

SCOUTING NJIT
NJIT (2-3-2) enters Saturday's match with seven regular season games under their belt.

Cristian LoGrasso and Sergio Cubel Martinez lead the Highllanders in points, holding two with a goal each. Devin Armstrong has taken initiative in net in every game so far this season. Armstrong (2-3-2) has registered 26 saves  with a 0.71 goals-against average.

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. In the home opener against Western Michigan, Friedberg added another shutout to his total, moving to second in the Big Red record book ( 17, tied with Pflasterer '12).

MOST CAREER CLEAN SHEETS
Cornell Program History
1. 18, Jon Ross (1972-74)
2. 17, Rick Pflasterer (2009-12)
2. 17, 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)

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 NJIT is slated for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 20th at Berman Field. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.