After a resilient showing in its 3-1 victory against Yale, Cornell (6-1-0, 1-0-0 Ivy League) continued its goal-scoring prowess in a 5-0 thrashing at Binghamton University (4-7-0, 0-1-0) on Tuesday night.
To begin what would be consistent dominance throughout the match, Cornell got the scoring underway in the 19th minute. Senior midfielder Sam Latona’s first-time finish from fellow senior midfielder Daniel Samways capitalized on excellent high-pressing from the Red’s frontline for the first of Samways’s three assists on the night.
Only two minutes later, Samways found himself playmaking once more after a nice wave of pressing from the Red, assisting senior forward Giorgos Diakos on his long-range effort that zipped into the bottom left corner.
The goal rush didn’t stop for long; in the last 10 seconds of the first half, the Red found itself quickly counter-attacking upfield in hopes of one last goal before the break. Junior midfielder and captain Connor Miller played the ball into freshman forward Blake Donahue inside the 18-yard box, and Donahue calmly slotted the ball past the keeper for his second goal in just as many games.
The Red went into the half with a commanding 3-0 lead, dominating on the ball and attempting 12 shots to the Bearcats’ two.
Much like the first, the second half got underway to a goalless affair for the first 15 minutes, with Binghamton creating but failing to capitalize on some chances of their own.
As Cornell pushed down the right wing of the pitch, Samways delivered a well-timed cross for senior midfielder Westin Carnevale, who made a smart run to the front post for his third goal of the season.
With less than 15 minutes to spare, the hero from the Yale game — freshman forward Sergio Zapata — scored to make it 5-0 and cap off a goal-scoring clinic for the Red. Like fellow freshman Donahue, Zapata has been in a fine run of form, notching three goals and an assist in his past three games.
Even in the dying embers of the game, the Red continued to press Binghamton’s backline, searching for more goals and creating more chances. After the final whistle blew, Cornell led the game both on the scoreboard and stats sheets, outshooting Binghamton 26-5 and generating five corners to Binghamton’s two.
While the forwards and midfielders played their part in scoring goals, the victory was in no small part due to their steady defense. Cornell’s backline and senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg kept a clean sheet for the fifth time in seven games, not allowing a single shot on net from Binghamton and maintaining their two conceded goals on the season.
Most notably, this game pushed Friedberg past Jon Ross ’74 for having the most career shutouts (19) in Cornell men’s soccer history.
The Red hope to build on its four-game winning streak as Cornell goes up to Hanover, New Hampshire, to face Dartmouth College this upcoming Saturday at 4 p.m. Live coverage will be available on ESPN+.
