In a high-scoring affair, Cornell (7-1-0, 2-0 Ivy) defeated Dartmouth (1-4-3, 0-2 Ivy) by a score of 6-2 on Saturday.
In the 17th minute, senior forward Sam Latona played a ball for junior midfielder Connor Miller, who played a ball into the box off the goal line. Senior midfielder Daniel Samways got on the end of the pass but had his shot saved. The rebound trickled right to the feet of senior midfielder Westin Carnevale, who put home the shot to give Cornell the lead.
Just under five minutes later, Carnevale played senior midfielder Giorgos Diakos, who found himself along with the keeper and slotted home the far post shot.
Cornell would continue to dominate play, and in the 31st minute would add to its lead with a powerful shot from freshman forward Blake Donahue. Sophomore defender Colin Johnson picked up the assist for his first collegiate goal contribution.
Dartmouth would fire back soon after, sending a header past senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg.
But Cornell scored again before halftime, with Miller playing a wonderful ball around a double team for freshman forward Sergio Zapata. Zapata scored to make the lead 4-1, forcing Dartmouth to pull its keeper at halftime.
In the 62nd minute, Diakos lofted a ball in for Samways, who headed it straight to senior defender Andrew Johnson. Johnson, who was upfield after a set piece, was alone in front of goal and put the shot away to the top corner.
Cornell’s final goal would come in the 69th minute. Diakos fired a shot on the ground from way outside the box that eluded the Dartmouth goalkeeper and found the bottom corner.
Yet Dartmouth would not give up, scoring again in the 78th minute on another header to bring the game to the final score of 6-2.
Diakos was the man of the match for the Red, with two goals and a secondary assist. Diakos now has three goals and two assists in the past two games.
Against Dartmouth and Binghamton, Cornell played a very aggressive press with its top line, creating many of its 10 goals in these two games. Going into a week with games against two top-20 ranked opponents in Akron (19th) and Princeton (13th), the Red will have to decide if it wants to continue this press that has been working against weaker teams. Against more talent that is able to play out of the pressure, the Cornell defense may be left a bit vulnerable, and the forwards may tire quickly.
Cornell will return home to Berman Field to face Akron at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The Zips were undefeated through the first 6 games, but have lost three of their last five games. Live coverage will be available on ESPN+.
