Men’s soccer started a road trip to close the regular season this weekend, facing off against a Harvard team desperate for points to keep them in the running for the Ivy League tournament.
Cornell (11-2-2, 4-1-1 Ivy) and Harvard (5-5-5, 1-3-2 Ivy) were both unable to score in 90 minutes of chippy, defensive soccer.
Harvard controlled the game early, shooting six shots and taking three corner kicks in a ten minute span.
In the 38th minute, the Red had its first chance of the half, with junior midfielder Connor Miller playing sophomore forward Kasper Wollstein in behind. Wollstein tapped the ball around the oncoming Harvard keeper, but his touch was too heavy, taking him away from goal and spoiling the chance.
The second half would start slow, with no shots being taken within the first 15 minutes.
In the 69th minute, senior defender Andrew Johnson won the ball and passed out of a dangerous spot, but Harvard won a free kick right on top of the box after a Harvard player threw himself to the ground well after the ball had left the area. The free kick would be rocketed directly into the middle of the five man Cornell wall.
In the 79th minute, Harvard had another chance after Johnson could not get his head on a bouncing ball, leaving the Harvard attacker alone with senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg. Friedberg came out hard to challenge and made a fanatic save on the best Harvard chance of the game. The ball bounced out to the Cornell midfield where Miller would be fouled, earning Harvard’s Marcos Ojea Quintana his second yellow card of the game.
With Harvard down to 10 men, Cornell immediately threatened off of the free kick. Senior midfielder Daniel Samways dribbled down the right wing and played a perfect ball to sophomore defender Campbell Reece, who was able to get great power behind the shot but curled it straight at the Harvard keeper.
With five minutes to go, Reece would take another shot, this time with his weaker left foot. It was well placed but did not have the power to find the back of the net.
Harvard held its own while being a man down and the game would end as a 0-0 tie.
With the tie, Cornell falls to 27th in the RPI. The Red still have work to do to secure its spot in the NCAA tournament. The Red could still end up with a first round bye, be out of the tournament entirely, or anything in between.
Cornell’s opponent in the Ivy League tournament has now been decided. The Red will face the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, Nov. 13. The tournament will be hosted by Princeton, who is still perfect in league play.
The Red will now begin to prepare for its clash with Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in New York City. Columbia is typically not a fearsome team, with just two Ivy League wins since 2019. But, Columbia has won two of its last three, beating two good teams in Harvard and Fordham. The Lions have outscored opponents 8-3 in these games and have looked like a whole new team. The game will be available live on ESPN+.
