Men’s soccer split this week’s games, losing away against the University of California, Irvine before coming back strong at home against Western Michigan University.
On Monday, Sept. 8, Cornell (3-1) suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of UC Irvine. Cornell had the upper hand with 12 shots and four shots on goal, both doubling the UCI tallies, but the Anteaters put home the only goal of the game in the 59th minute.
This was the first goal conceded on the season for the Red, and led to the first defeat of 2025 while the Anteaters remained undefeated.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the Red had an emphatic bounce-back performance against Western Michigan.
Cornell opened the scoring in the 29th minute thanks to a goal from senior defender Andrew Johnson. Sophomore defender Aidan Martin took a short corner to senior midfielder Giorgos Diakos, who whipped the ball into the box, finding the right foot of the airborne Johnson. This goal continued a streak of set piece dominance from the Red, with four of the first five goals of the season coming during, or shortly after, set pieces.
In the 40th minute, sophomore forward Kasper Wollstein took the ball from Cornell’s own half to the Broncos’ net, slotting a shot home to the far post. This brought the Cornell lead to 2-0 at halftime.
Shortly after halftime, Diakos lofted a ball over the top of the defense for senior midfielder Westin Carnevale. Carnevale caught the keeper off of his line and chipped the ball up and over to give Cornell a commanding lead.
The final whistle blew with Cornell securing a 3-0 victory in its home opener.
The Red were dynamic on offense, taking 17 total shots and putting nine of them on frame. Diakos was the star of the game, with six shots, three on goal, and two assists in just 68 minutes.
Western Michigan took 13 total shots, none particularly daunting, and senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg only had to make four saves en route to his third shutout of the season. Friedberg and the Cornell defense have only allowed one goal through four games, though it cost the Red the game against UC Irvine.
The Red returns to action at Berman Field on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. to face the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the second leg of a three-game homestand. The Highlanders are 1-3-2 on the year, with just one goal scored, making for a mouthwatering matchup for the Cornell defense.
