Under Friday night lights, in Ithaca, World Cup fever lived on as the men’s soccer team lined up against the University of California, Santa Barbara in front of a sold-out, loud crowd at Newman Arena.
No. 20 Cornell (2-0-0, Ivy 0-0-0) came out strong immediately against No. 21 UCSB (1-1-2, WCC 0-0-0). The bench and the crowd matched the players’ energy and after every block, shot or recovery, the fans made themselves heard: a boost that showed up in how the Red played.
Right from kickoff, the Red set the tone early, asserting its dominance as the crowd rallied behind it. Senior captain midfielder Connor Miller summarized the team’s motivation from the fans.
“I think it’s easier to play when you have someone to play for besides yourself,” Miller said. “With the crowd here, you can hear them, you can see them … it’s easy to play for them.”
With Cornellian support roaring in the stands, the action began quickly as a shot from senior forward Liam May was blocked within the first three minutes. Two minutes later, sophomore forward Sergio Zapata delivered a pass to the outside toward senior forward Adam Schaban who fired another shot on net for the Red.
After the save and rebound off UCSB goalkeeper Owen Beninga, Schaban had another chance to cross the ball into the box, resulting in a header from May that flew just over the crossbar.
The Red kept up the pressure for the rest of the first half, totaling nine shots with two on target. Despite the missed chances, junior defender Justin Melly anchored the back line, holding UCSB without a single shot the rest of the way.
While Cornell was eager to get back onto the field after halftime, Newman Arena had other plans. Technical difficulties with the arena’s lighting kept both teams off the field for another 30 minutes.
Head coach John Smith said the team was prepared for the delay.
“We had a lightning delay in training the other day,” Smith said. “I think that kind of helped prepare them for staying calm and the thing for us was starting off the second half just in the same intensity.”
That is exactly what the Red did, keeping its composure and pace right from kickoff and finally breaking through. Schaban found the back of the net in the 48th minute to open the scoring.
He pressured the UCSB defense into a turnover, recovered the ball, found freshman forward Andrew Miles and received the pass to get a touch on it to send it into the net.
“I thought [the defense] was a little bit slow at the back, especially when the ball was transitioning,” Schaban said. “I pressed him … I slid, touch, toe poke, big toe, goal!”
Cornell had the touch it needed, but UCSB did not travel 3,000 miles to let the game end 1-0. After a quiet first half and start to the second, the Gauchos fought back. In the 69th minute, midfielder Steinar Bjornsson buried a shot into the bottom right corner for the equalizer.
The balance shifted for only a couple of minutes before the Red put its foot back on the gas. After a string of chances, Miller delivered the go-ahead goal in the 87th minute.
“After they got the equalizer, we had them pinned into their end,” Miller said. “I just kept moving, hoping for the set and when it came, I saw that the far post was open.”
Off a one-touch pass to the edge of the box from sophomore forward Blake Donahue, Miller slotted it into the bottom left corner to seal a 2-1 win.
This game marked a few additions to the history books, including the 600th program win, as well as Smith’s 91st victory with the program, tying him with former head coach Jack Writer as the winningest Red coach of all time.
“It didn’t seem like a game that was just our second game of the season,” Smith said. “It was almost played with a postseason intensity. Quite often that happens when you play against a really good opponent.”
UCSB is currently ranked No. 21 in the nation, but the Red will next face No. 9 Akron, a team it tied in a scoreless match last season.
“Last year, it was a tale of two halves. They dominated us in the first half and I think we dominated them in the second,” Smith said. “They’re an extremely good soccer-playing team and this [match] gives us preparation for how quickly a ball will move around the field.”
Two games in, the Red looks ready to go toe-to-toe in high intensity matchups and come away with wins, building momentum for the rest of the season.
The Red will play at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Akron, Ohio. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
