Coming off a 2-1 win against Wofford on Sunday afternoon, the men’s soccer team is primed to compete today at 7 p.m. against local New York rival Binghamton at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, N.Y.
Last season, the Red (5-0) crushed Binghamton, 4-0, with goals scored by junior defender Patrick Slogic, junior midfielder/forward Stephen Reisert, senior forward Tyler Regan and sophomore forward Matt Kagie.
Binghamton enters into the match against the Red today with a 3-4 record, edging by UNC-Wilmington with a close 3-2 margin and losing against Appalachian State, 1-0, last weekend.
The Red is balanced in terms of skill sets on both ends of the field. A win against Binghamton would break the Cornell program record of scoring in 21 consecutive games, set in 1970-71.
On the verge of breaking the 40-year-old record, the Red started off the season the strongest it has been in 16 years; the men have not lost a game yet. Only seven teams in the U.S. have acquired parallel winning streaks this season.
In the Ivies, the Red is currently ranked first in offense and second in defense, winning all non-conference matches in the last year. Nationally, the Red was ranked 24th in the NSCAA Coaches’ Poll as of Tuesday, securing a position as the only Ivy league team currently ranked nationally.
Head coach Jaro Zawislan has impacted the outcomes positively both defensively and offensively. Prior to Zawislan’s arrival, the Red held a season record of 1-14, which has since risen to 8-2-6. Several of the players on the team are earning individual recognition as well.
Slogic is a contender for the Hermann Trophy, making it on to the 2012 watch list for the award. Junior striker Daniel Haber received the Ivy Player of the Week award last week for the second consecutive week.
Original Author: Tina Ahmadi