Coming off of a tough loss in the Ivy League championship against Princeton, Cornell drew a matchup against the lowest rated team by RPI in the NCAA tournament. The Red faced off against Lafayette on a chilly night in front of a large Berman Field crowd.
Cornell (14-3-2, 5-1-1 Ivy League) dominated Lafayette (8-7-7, 3-2-4 Patriot League) to earn a spot in the second round at the University of Connecticut.
Just under seven minutes into the game, Cornell struck. Sophomore midfielder Dominic Kolbl played a ball through the defense for freshman forward Sergio Zapata. Zapata calmly cut inside, sending his defender flying past, and tucked home a far post shot to give the Red a lead that it would not relinquish.
In the 18th minute, junior midfielder Connor Miller lofted a ball over the defense to find junior midfielder Adam Schaban all alone with the keeper. Schaban’s point blank shot was saved, but even if he converted, the goal might have been ruled offside upon review.
Halftime would come with Lafayette lucky to be down just one, with Cornell dominating possession and leading in shots 11-3. The second half would not go any better for the Leopards.
In the 51st minute, the Red had a well-executed build up play to extend the lead. The ball started in the hands of senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg, who rolled it out to senior defender Andrew Johnson. Johnson moved the ball to Zapata, who beat his man on the dribble and played senior forward Westin Carnevale at the top of the box.
Carnevale needed just one touch to find Miller streaking toward goal, who took a touch and ripped home the shot. This was Miller’s first goal contribution in the last seven games, and it will be massive if the Red can get him going offensively.
Just seven minutes later, Miller found Schaban along the goal line, who tried a tough angle shot that squeaked by the Lafayette keeper.
In the 68th minute, the Red made it 4-0 on a second from Schaban. Schaban brought the ball into the attacking third, cut toward the middle to beat his defender and scored a screamer into the top corner from outside the box.
The game would end 4-0, making it three of the last four years that the Red has won an NCAA tournament game. Cornell thoroughly dominated the entire game, taking 25 shots to Lafaytte’s four. Cornell put 11 on net while Lafayette could not test Friedberg, with zero shots on goal. This marked the 11th shutout of the year for Friedberg and a Cornell defense that has allowed just 11 goals on the season.
Schaban stood out, scoring a brace, including the goal of the game. Sophomore defender Campbell Reece also stood out, creating more chances on the right side than he had during the regular season or Ivy League tournament. Miller and Zapata tallied a goal and an assist each.
Next, Cornell will travel to Storrs, Connecticut to face No. 13 UConn. UConn is 11-4-4 on the season. The Red and the Huskies have faced six common opponents, with Cornell going 4-0-2 against them and UConn going 5-0-2. The teams will face off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23. Coverage will be available on ESPN+.
