Taking shots wasn’t difficult for the men’s soccer team last night — it was getting them past the goalie that proved to be the real challenge. After taking 20 shots, easily topping Colgate’s 11 on goal, the Red left Van Doren field in Hamilton, N.Y., with another mark in the loss column, 2-0.
“It’s discouraging to lose, especially with all the momentum we had from beating Yale on Friday,” said junior co-captain Kyle Lynch.
The momentum carried from the previous win, 2-1, over Yale, was halted early in the game after the Raider’s Eric Anton scored on an assist from senior Devin Deane at 7:44 into the contest.
Hoping to reclaim the momentum, the Red became increasingly aggressive. But its aggression came to no avail as Cornell could not punch the ball in the back of the onion bag. The Raiders’ 4-5-1 formation, along with goalie Doug Litvack, did its best imitation of a brick wall by stopping nine shots on goal and forcing the Red into tight places.
“You have to take your hats off to Colgate, they know what they are doing,” Lynch said.
The Red’s best chance might have come in the first half during a direct kick when sophomore midfielder Miyad Movassaghi blasted a shot above the defensive wall. But it was stopped with a diving save by Litvack. The play was symbolic of the entire match for Cornell — despite getting numerous attempts at goal, none penetrated the goal line.
[img_assist|nid=19004|title=soccer|desc=Senior defender Kiery Tuttle (left) dribbles with the ball during the Red’s 1-0, double-overtime loss to Buffalo on Sept. 13.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=52]
On the other hand, scoring wasn’t as hard for the Raiders — who added another goal at 54:42 thanks again to the combination of Anton, who scored, and Deane, who earned the assist.
With the score even moreso in favor of the Raiders, the Red became increasingly aggressive to net, hoping to finally break down the defensive backfield, including the goalie.
With less than nine minutes left in the match, senior midfielder Tom Marks lofted a shot at goal. But once again, Litvack was up to the challenge, and he tipped the shot over the cross bar for a corner. Shortly thereafter, Kevin Vieira took at 20-yard attempt on net, which was punched away by the keeper.
“We are disappointed. We thought we could have won this one,” Lynch said.
With the season nearing its end, the Red will have to get over this heartbreaking loss quickly. With Ivy League opponents Brown, Princeton and Dartmouth still left on the schedule, the Red still have a chance to finish among the top-3 in the standings.
“We will get through this,” Lynch said.