Ka’s Goal, Friedberg’s Clean Sheet Lift Men’s Soccer Past UC Irvine
IRVINE, Calif. – Sophomore Alioune Ka headed in senior Connor Drought’s corner kick in the 54th minute aiding Cornell (2-0-0) to a 1-0 victory over UC Irvine at a sun-drenched Anteater Stadium on Monday afternoon.
Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg earned his first collegiate clean sheet for the Big Red, stopping the lone UC Irvine shot on goal.
“Today’s game, with the extreme heat, was always going to be about heart, and we did not falter in the slightest in that department,” said John Smith, the Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Soccer. “We did a good job of limiting a very good team to opportunities mainly to the outside of the box, while at the same time creating fantastic looks on their goal.
“To travel across the country to play against two teams tipped to win the Big West this year and come away 2-0 is phenomenal.”
In the setback, UC Irvine’s goalkeeper, Luke Pruter, stopped four Cornell shots for the Anteaters (0-3-1).
Due to temperatures being in the low-to-mid-90s and heat index values surpassing the century mark throughout Orange County, the referees implemented a hydration break at the 25-minute mark of each half.
Neither team could generate much offense before the first hydration break was called.
The only chance generated in the opening 25 minutes came in the 19th minute when Friedberg stopped Robert Mejia’s 20-yard strike before the ball deflected off the left post, exiting the 18-yard box completely.
Drought sent a perfectly placed cross from the left flank to the far-side post in the 28th minute, setting up Brandon Morales for a header, but Pruter made the save to keep the match scoreless.
Morales had another chance to score in the 37th minute following a set piece. Pruter punched the ball out of the box, but Morales was able to rip a shot that Pruter could get his hand on.
With 20 seconds left in the first half, Diego Otoya moved to evade a Cornell defender inside the 18-yard box, setting up a scoring chance for the Anteaters. Otoya’s shot missed the net to the right, hitting the outside netting.
Cornell had a shot attempt get blocked by a UC Irvine defender, ultimately setting up a Big Red corner kick. Drought’s set piece lofted to the near post, where Ka headed the ball into a tight window to break the scoreless tie in the 54th minute.
Set piece. Header. Goal.
Alioune Ka heads Connor Drought‘s corner kick into the right side of the net for the game’s first goal, giving the Big Red the lead❗️#YellCornell ? pic.twitter.com/Dj8ZixOVF7
— Cornell Video (@CornellVideo) September 5, 2022
Danny Lokko had a chance to increase Cornell’s lead to two in the 72nd minute as he stole the ball from a UC Irvine defender on the edge of the 18-yard box. Pruter saved Lokko’s shot before a teammate stepped up and blocked the rebound attempt.
Ka tried to net his second goal of the match in the 78th minute but his 20-yard strike went wide.
The closest UC Irvine came to scoring in the second half came in the 82nd minute when Ashish Chattha’s curving set piece from the deep left flank hit the crossbar.
Game Notes
• Monday’s match was the first meeting between the Big Red and Anteaters.
• Cornell played its 10th match in California, improving to 6-4 all-time in the Golden State. The Big Red has won five of its last six games in the state.
• The Big Red swept its California road trip for the second time in program history, joining the 2012 squad who beat Cal St. Fullerton, 2-1, and Loyola Marymount, 2-0.
• Cornell improved to 31-7-4 under John Smith when scoring the game’s first goal. Defensively, the Big Red are 33-7-6 when conceding one goal or less in a game under Smith.
• Ka has scored in both of Cornell’s games to open the 2022 season. He is the first Big Red player to score in the team’s first two games of a season since Emeka Eneli did so in his freshman year in 2018.
• Friedberg, after allowing the lone goal against UC Santa Barbara on Friday, now has a shutout streak of 141:53.
Looking Ahead
Cornell concludes its three-game road trip on Saturday when the Big Red play Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia at 5 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
