It was a productive four-day weekend for the NCAA’s 19th-ranked Cornell men’s soccer.
The Red held on to win its Ivy League home opener against Harvard University on Saturday in a thrilling 5-4 affair. A quick turnaround proved no difficulty as the Red defeated Colgate University 2-0 at home on Tuesday.
After the win against Harvard, fifth-year midfielder Tyler Bagley was crowned Ivy League Player of the Week and freshman defensive midfielder Wilson Eisner earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors.
Offensive firepower was on full display against the Crimson in a game that produced 17 total shots on goal. In the first half, they out-shot Harvard 11 to three.
Senior forward Emeka Eneli got the ball rolling when he found the netting in the 13th minute for his fifth goal of the season. In the 20th minute, sophomore defensive midfielder Wilson Eisner broke forward to score his first collegiate goal. Three minutes later, senior midfielder Tyler Bagley continued his top-notch form and scored his ninth goal of the season.
Freshman forward Alioune Ka has been a frequent presence lately in the Red’s attack. Thirty minutes into the game, he netted his second goal of the season.
In the 41st minute, a corner kick led to junior defender Connor Drought’s first goal of the year, putting the Red up 5-0 at the halftime break.
For much of the first half, it was a silent night for junior keeper Brady McSwain, who was not forced to make a save until the 50th minute. That changed in the second half: the Crimson scored three consecutive goals to bring the score to 5-3 with 10 minutes left.
In the waning moments of the game, Crimson forward Alessandro Arlotti scored to bring Harvard within one. For the final six minutes, the Red held on to escape with a victory. McSwain made four saves in the second half, with Harvard out-shooting Cornell 11 to five.
After notching a close victory against Harvard, the Red upped its win total to eight after defeating Colgate at home. Since dropping its season-opening contest to Wake Forest in double overtime, Cornell has not sustained a single loss, going 8-0-1 in its last nine games.
The backline solidified and put together an impressive response in a game that Cornell controlled from start to finish.
The Red got going early with a goal by Bagley in the second minute. Cornell continued to put pressure on Colgate senior keeper Nick Gerlach, forcing him to make four saves over the next 34 minutes.
In the 38th minute, the ball deflected off a Colgate defender, enabling senior defender Jonah Kagen to put a solid first touch on the ball and knock it past the keeper into the far-left side of the net, putting Cornell up 2-0.
In the second half, Cornell again maintained possession for most of the action. The Red’s midfielders were key to the result, shutting down attacks and passing efficiently to keep the ball in the attacking third. McSwain made three saves to record his second shutout of the year.
By winning both games, Cornell retained its undefeated home record and moved to 8-1-1 on the season. On Saturday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m., the Red will visit preseason Ivy League favorite Yale (4-4-3).