There is no question about it — men’s soccer forward Matt Bouraee can put the ball in the net. The senior striker out of Manasquan, N.J., has been going about this business successfully for years, leading the Red in goals scored for the past two seasons. This year, however, Bouraee has tried a different approach.

After going 0-7 in Ivy League play last year, the men’s soccer team really wanted things to be different this year and that desire showed. The Red kicked off the Ivy League portion of its season with an emotional and physical 2-2 tie on Saturday night at Penn, a fiery match in which 11 penalty cards were issued, including three red cards. With all the game’s scoring coming in the second half, Cornell received goals from sophomores Chase Aaronson and Kyle Parsons to earn a draw against the Quakers, last year’s Ivy League champions.

The men’s soccer team looks to win against their first Ivy League opponent this year against Penn this weekend. The Red will begin playing at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Red (4-3-1) recently pulled out a win against Long Island in rainy weather conditions. Senior forward Matt Bouraee and junior forward Brett Sumpio each had an assist and a goal to give the Red an early two-goal lead that the team preserved over the rest of the game by only giving up one goal for a final score of 2-1. The win gives the Red a winning record entering tomorrow’s game and adds to the team’s confidence.

“Having a winning record gives us confidence and momentum as we enter this game. It is important because we won’t enter this game feeling down,” Bouraee said.

Yesterday, the men’s soccer team needed to fight through the rain to defeat Long Island University by a score of 2-1. The Red (4-3-1) was forced to withstand not only a late charge from the Blackbirds (3-4), but also a constant down-pouring rain that soaked Berman Field.

The Red received standout performances from senior Matt Bouraee and junior Brett Sumpio, as both forwards scored and registered an assist. Bouraee believes that the wet field conditions benefited the Red’s style of play.

The men’s soccer team entered Wednesday’s game against Binghamton hoping to translate the momentum from its recent success on the road — including Sunday’s win against Farleigh Dickinson — into a victory at Charles F. Berman Field on International Night. But the Red somberly left the rain-soaked pitch in defeat, losing, 2-0, to the Bearcats.

Despite the loss, however, the Red (3-3-1) did not leave the game forlorn. The Red dominated for periods of the first half, outshooting the Bearcats, 14-8, in the game.Balanced stride: Senior Matt Bouraee (12) leads Cornell with five points. The Red was shut out by Binghamton on Wednesday for the first time all season.

Tonight will be an eventful night for the men’s soccer team; not only will the players be celebrating International Student Day — an event planned in honor of the team’s six represented countries — but they will also be returning to their home turf to face off against local rival Binghamton.

There is no doubt that Binghamton (3-3-0) will prove to be quite the challenge. With a young roster and a solid defensive line, the Bearcats will definitely be putting the Red (3-2-1) to the test.

“We’ve got a challenging opponent coming up,” said head coach Jaro Zawislan. “They’ve always been in or on the verge of making the NCAA playoffs, so our team has to be ready from the first minute on.”

It was déjà vu for the men’s soccer team this weekend, as the Red split its two games at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. Cornell suffered a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of nationally-ranked Monmouth on Friday before rebounding in commanding fashion –– as it had done two weekends ago against Hartwick –– for a 1-0 shutout of Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. This time around, however, it was sophomore forward Chase Aaronson who provided the second-half heroics.

“I was just really happy. I was mostly happy that we won the game,” said Aaronson, who is in his first year with the soccer team after making the transition from track. “It was fun.”

In what men’s soccer head coach Jaro Zawislan deemed “an irony of fate,” the Red will open its 2009 season tomorrow night against his former team and local Cornell rival –– Syracuse.

“It wasn’t planned,” Zawislan said with a laugh. “It was prearranged many years ago that this game was going to be [the] opening game for Cornell men’s soccer, and for Syracuse, the home opener.”

Zawislan spent the past seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Orange before taking over as Bryan Scales’ replacement in April. Since then, he has been working to change the culture of the team and learn as much about the players as possible, while simultaneously organizing intense training sessions in order to maintain a competitive environment.

After a frustrating and disappointing 2008 season in which the men’s soccer team posted a 1-15 (0-7 Ivy) record, there will be a lot of differences in the 2009 edition of the squad. Most noticeably, the Red will have a new head coach. After seven seasons as an assistant coach for Syracuse, Jaro Zawislan will be taking over at the helm.

“Having Coach Zawislan is a huge boost for our program,” said junior forward Jeff Zimering. “He’s a highly accomplished former player who’s played professionally in Europe. He brings a wealth of experience to us that should reap benefits for the program. We’re extremely excited to play under his leadership.”

Track Teams Find Success at Bucknell, Tenn. Weekend Invitationals

The men’s and women’s track and field teams faced tough competition and even tougher weather conditions, to post successful weekends at two different invitational venues.

After rain delays at the Sea Ray Relays at the University of Tennessee, senior Garrett Huyler continued his spring season of great performances in the high jump, placing second with a clearance of 7-0 1/2. Senior Andy Miller qualified for NCAA Regionals in the 1500, finishing third with a time of 3:46.93.

Highlights from the women at Tennessee included senior Jeomi Maduka winning the triple jump and finishing second in the long jump. Junior Jessica Weyman finished fourth in the 400 hurdles and qualified for the ECACs with a time of 60.94.