There would be no revenge on Saturday night for the men’s soccer team.
For the second straight year, the Yale Bulldogs came into Ithaca and defeated the Red.
The booters began somewhat flat-footed in the first half and within ten minutes the squad found itself on the short end of a 1-0 count. The Red had early troubles containing the up-tempo Bulldogs squad.
Yale’s standout sophomore Jay Alberts lived up to his title of defending Ivy League Rookie of the year. Senior Matt Schmidt connected on a lead pass which the Missouri native booted into the back of the net. It was an all too memorable sight for the Red. Alberts tallied both of the Bulldogs goals in last’s year 2-1 victory over the Red, a game which likely kept Cornell from wearing the Ivy crown.
From that point on, Yale relied on solid play from its defense and another impressive performance from senior netminder Danny Moss. The club has now recorded a shutout in each of its four wins. Moss was impermeable, making several key saves throughout the game. Stingy patrol between the pipes led him to finish with six saves.
In the second half the Red controlled the tempo but could not finish on several good offensive opportunities. Despite finding itself on the losing end of a 3-0 decision, the club outshot its foes from New Haven 16-8.
Midway through the second half, the Bulldogs capitalized on the Red’s inability to score. Albert, who scored just one goal in his first seven games, was again able to penetrate Cornell’s defense, lifting a chip shot over the head of Cornell’s sophomore goalkeeper Doug Allen. Junior Brian Lavin towered over the Red’s defense to put a header into the net.
Senior tri-captain Rick Stimpson was unable to convert on several opportunities to even the score earlier in the contest, and despite being awarded four corner kicks in the second half, the Red simply could not find an effective offensive rhythm. In the final minute freshman Dough Cerasini put the icing on the cake, beating Allen to account for the 3-0 score.
Despite the score, the Red showed several signs of offensive vitality. Freshman Ian Pilarski turned in another fabulous offensive game and appears to be an emerging offensive threat for the club. He has shown impressive ability with his feet and a blistering shot. The New Yorker barely missed a chance to even the score on a feed from Stimpson early on in the second half.
Pilarski attributed the club’s offensive futility to inability to connect on its many opportunities to an inability to finish at crucial points.
“We just didn’t finish our chances. Usually it goes well, but tonight it just didn’t happen for us,” said the midfielder.
Liam Hoban played solidly defensively. The sophomore believed it was the team’s lack of cohesion that contributed to its downfall.
“We had guys playing individually well but we just couldn’t get it going together,” he said.
Hoban’s continued defensive abilities will be key to the Red’s success. After finishing second in games played among last year’s rookie class, he is expected to make an even larger impact on the Cornell squad.
Scott Benowicz who joined the varsity squad after tri-captain Oswaldo Rodriguez was deemed ineligible to play, produced another commendable performance. His quickness has helped him stake a claim as a potent offensive threat early on.
Head Coach Bryan Scales affirmed Pilarski’s comments on the club’s inability to finish.
“We played against a good team tonight and they beat us. We had plenty of chances to score and we just didn’t. They took advantages of their chances and we just didn’t,” he stated.
The Red will have a chance to make amends for the loss when it battles regional rival Syracuse on Berman Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Archived article by Gary Schueller