The men’s soccer team looks to win against their first Ivy League opponent this year against Penn this weekend. The Red will begin playing at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Red (4-3-1) recently pulled out a win against Long Island in rainy weather conditions. Senior forward Matt Bouraee and junior forward Brett Sumpio each had an assist and a goal to give the Red an early two-goal lead that the team preserved over the rest of the game by only giving up one goal for a final score of 2-1. The win gives the Red a winning record entering tomorrow’s game and adds to the team’s confidence.

“Having a winning record gives us confidence and momentum as we enter this game. It is important because we won’t enter this game feeling down,” Bouraee said.

However, the Red will enter with the same mindset and intensity as any other game.

“We go into each game the same way regardless of our record. We play as hard as we can,” junior goalkeeper Scott Brody said. “A winning record may help our confidence but our approach is the same.”

Although the team enters to build off the momentum from a recent victory, the Red has had trouble consistently stringing wins together this season. On the other hand, the Red has not had back-to-back losses either this season. Bouraee believes this trend is a result of their schedule and not a characteristic of their team.Pardon me: Freshman midfielder Nico Nissi (25) battles two Bearcats in the Red’s 2-0 loss on Sept. 23.

“I feel that it’s a result of the team we’re playing and the schedule we have. We sometimes face a team that’s beatable and then a tough team comes along. As long as we’re getting a win, there’s nothing to complain about,” Bouraee said.

Cornell faces a very tough Penn team, a group that won the Ivy League championship and recently graduated many talented seniors, including Alex Grendi, who now plays with the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. The Red lost to Penn their last meeting with a score of 3-2 in Ithaca and the Penn leads the series, 58-28-12.

“Penn is a solid team. They are great at attacking and counterattacking,” junior midfielder Scott Caldwell said.

“I was impressed at their high possession rate. They make smart, little passes,” Bouraee said.

In addition to overcoming Penn’s style of play, Bouraee also noted that the game may be tougher as they travel away. The Red is 1-1-1 away as opposed to 2-1-0 at home while Penn is 2-1-0 at home and 1-2-2 away.

“We play at their field. Being away is tougher but it doesn’t hurt our confidence,” Bouraee said.

“We just have to keep possession of the ball to stop them. We’ll play our game and continue our strategy,” Caldwell said. “We need to sharpen up on our clearances. We just need to take care of the ball.”

“Every Ivy League game is incredibly competitive. Each game can go either way regardless of record or national ranking,” Brody said. “No matter who they have on their team it will be tough and we’ll have to work hard.”

Cornell finished last year 0-7 in the Ivy League games and looks to erase those memories with a fresh start this year. The team believes it will perform better this year and has already proven so by scoring nine times, one more than the eight total scores the Red had all of last season.

“We’re a new team. We’ve gotten good results so far and we want to continue getting them. The Ivy League is definitely the place to do it and show what our team is capable of,” Bouraee said.