SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Cornell men's soccer team (1-0-0) gets set to face a pair of West Coast opponents in UC Santa Barbara (2-1-0) and UC Irvine (RV, 3-0-0). The Big Red will begin the California road-stand against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Friday, September 5th with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m P.T at Harder Stadium. Cornell will follow that up with a match against UC Irvine on Monday, September 8 with kickoff slated for 4 p.m. P.T at Anteater Stadium.

The Big Red will play against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos for the third time in program history, holding a 2-0 edge in the series. Cornell and UC Irvine will take the pitch for the second time in school history, as the Big Red defeated the Anteaters 1-0 in the 2022 match.

MATCH NO. 2: Cornell at UC Santa Barbara
WHEN | WHERE: Friday, Sep. 5 | Harder Stadium – Santa Barbara, Calif.
RECORDS: UC Santa Barbara (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Big West), Cornell (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES: Cornell leads the series, 2-0
WATCH: ESPN+
STATS: UCSBGauchos.com

MATCH NO. 3: Cornell at UC Irvine (RV)
WHEN | WHERE: Monday, Sep. 8 | Anteater Stadium – Irvine, Calif.
RECORDS: UC Irvine (3-0-0, 0-0-0 Big West), Cornell (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES: Cornell leads the series, 1-0
STATS: UCIrvineSports.com

REWIND - VS LEMOYNE
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.

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.

SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
UC Santa Barbara (2-1-0) enters Friday's match with three regular season games under their belt. The opener came against the Oregon State Beavers where the Gauchos dropped that contest 0-3 (Aug. 21). Santa Barbara followed that loss up with a pair of victories against Central Arkansas (Aug. 25) and North Florida (Aug. 28).

Zac Siebenlist leads the Gauchos in points, holding four on two goals. Luke Skinner has taken duties in net, allowing four goals in three games with nine total saves. Skinner's 2-1 record between the pipes includes a shutout victory against North Florida.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
UC Irvine (3--0) enters this weekend with three regular season games under their belt. The Anteaters have opened up the season with three-straight victories, coming against UCLA (Aug. 21), Cal State LA (Aug. 28), and North Florida (Aug. 31). The Anteaters received 11 votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll.

Misael Lopez Gonzalez leads the Anteaters in points, holding six on three goals. Joe O'Shaughnessy has taken most of the initiative in net this season, allowing zero goals in three games with six total saves. Alex Shields has also taken action between the pipes, notching two saves against Cal State LA.

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.

MOST CAREER CLEAN SHEETS
Cornell Program History
1. 18, Jon Ross (1972-74)
2. 17, Rick Pflasterer (2009-12)
3. 15, 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
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.