Cornell Men Move to 5-0 With Comeback Win

by Evan Drexler
September 16, 2012


ITHACA, N.Y. – Facing a deficit for the first time all season, the Big Red men's soccer team showed excellent resilience against a quality opponent, scoring two second-half goals to defeat Wofford 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Conor Goepel got the momentum going with a header goal in the 66th minute to breathe new life into the team, and Daniel Haber finished things off with a strike in the 86th minute, leaving the visiting Terriers little time to strike back.

Cornell (5-0) remains undefeated and untied on the season and has started 5-0 for the first time since 1996, while Wofford (4-3) finishes its trip to Upstate New York 1-1 after defeating Colgate 4-0 on Friday night. Cornell also tied the school record with its 21st consecutive game with a goal, equaling the mark set by the 1970-71 team. Cornell has not fallen in a non-conference game in its last 13 contests.

Things looked bleak for Cornell in the early going after the team failed to capitalize on quality chances inside the penalty box. Haber had a shot go high, and senior Nico Nissl missed an excellent chance as well.

The outlook worsened in the 26th minute when Wofford, breaking out of a mostly defensive effort to that point, got a goal by Alex Hutchins on a shot from the top of the penalty box that gave Cornell's Rick Pflasterer little chance at a save.

Multiple forays into the Terriers' box went without a goal for Cornell, and the team went into halftime down 1-0.

A free kick midway through the second half, though, finally got the Big Red on track. Haber took the free kick from the left side of the field into the penalty box, but it was bounced out of the box right away by a Wofford player. Patrick Slogic was nearby, however, and he headed the ball back into the box. Goepel was waiting, and he nudged the ball into the far corner of the net for the equalizer.

Twenty minutes later, Haber sealed the game after receiving a perfect through pass from Benjamin Williams. Haber, past his defender, shot accurately past Andrew Drennan for his seventh goal of the season, and Cornell only had four and a half minutes of clock to kill the rest of the match.

Cornell outshot Wofford 14-11 overall, but the team took just two shots on goal. Those shots were all it needed as it escaped with another late win. In the season opener at Cal State Fullerton, the Big Red also scored with just minutes to go, claiming a victory instead of sending the game to overtime.

Cornell's next contest is on Wednesday night, when the team will travel to Binghamton for a 7 p.m. contest with the Bearcats. Cornell defeated Binghamton 4-0 last season.

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