Men’s soccer came into Thursday’s game with a lot at stake: A spot in the NCAA tournament and a chance to advance to its first-ever Ivy League championship game. Cornell would have to do it without junior star midfielder Connor Miller in the starting lineup, after an injury suffered during last week’s game.
Despite these pressures and challenges, Cornell (13-2-2, 5-1-1 Ivy) came away with a convincing 1-0 win over the University of Pennsylvania (8-5-4, 3-2-2 Ivy).
It was a slow game to start, with neither team pinning down a chance until the 15th minute. Sophomore midfielder Nate Hovan was given room at the top of the box and ripped a shot with his left foot, forcing a diving save out of the Penn goalkeeper, Phillip Falcon III.
On the ensuing corner, junior midfielder Adam Schaban played a second ball into the box that found the head of senior forward Sam Latona. Latona popped it up for senior defender Andrew Johnson, but his header from point-blank range went straight into the arms of Falcon.
In the 23rd minute, Schaban and Latona sprung forward on a counterattack. Schaban played a ball through the defense for freshman forward Sergio Zapata, who caught up to the ball with great pace. Zapata took a shot that appeared to be mishit, but it froze Falcon and rolled off of the post and into the net.
Shortly after the goal, Cornell would make three substitutions, with Miller being one of them. Although the Red showed that it can score without Miller, his good health is a bonus for the team down the stretch.
Neither team threatened again before halftime.
Shortly after halftime, Penn took a corner that Cornell was unable to clear, leaving the ball bouncing around in the box. Luckily, the Red was bailed out by a foul from Penn.
Set pieces have been a concern for Cornell defensively all year. The Red fields a relatively short team every game, with the only real aerial threat being Johnson. As a result, corner kicks and long throws have been the cause of many of the nine goals that Cornell has given up on the season.
In the 50th minute, Zapata won a free kick from a dangerous area right outside of the box. He won a header off of the free kick but again it went straight to the chest of Falcon.
From here, Cornell would grind the game to a halt, slowing down its normally fast-paced offense in order to limit Penn’s chances on offense and on the counterattack. This worked perfectly, with Penn taking just three shots after the 50th minute, two of them being blocked, and none finding senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg, or the back of the net.
In the 86th minute, Cornell would threaten one last time, with sophomore midfielder Dominik Kolbl sending a glancing header toward the Penn net off of a corner. Falcon was up to the task, making a jumping save.
The final whistle sealed Cornell’s spot in the championship game with a 1-0 win.
Friedberg and the Cornell defense secured its tenth clean sheet of the season, limiting Penn to just one shot on goal.
Now, the Red will turn its attention to Princeton, who defeated Harvard 3-1 in the late game after allowing its first goal to an Ivy League team of the season only five minutes into the semifinal.
Princeton has given Cornell fits recently, dominating the Red at Berman Field earlier this season and knocking the Red out of the Ivy League tournament last year. The Red will need to score first against a Princeton defense that is the best in the country in goals against, as the Red looked helpless against the Tigers after falling behind in October.
The final will take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16, with Princeton playing in front of a home crowd. In this game, the Red is likely playing for a first round bye in the NCAA tournament on top of the Ivy League title. With a loss, the Red will likely be hosting a first round game. Coverage will be available on ESPNU.
