Schedule just dropped and there's some good games on there including a west coast trip, but there's also a treat for those of us in Ithaca with us hosting three very good teams in Western Michigan, Akron and Syracuse.
https://cornellbigred.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule/2025
Looking at the roster, Ryan Friedberg and Andrew Johnson are listed despite both of them being in the MLS super draft (and Johnson actually being selected). It's a huge boost to the potential of this team to keep those two.
Losing Harris is big and it will be hard to compensate for all of the scoring that he did for us. Harris has mostly been playing for the Rapids II squad and with his style of game I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he never manages to lock down a spot in the MLS.
I think the bigger piece that we lost is actually Alioune Ka. Ka fit coach Smith's formation and style of play so well with his work rate, scoring touch and size and I'm not sure we have anyone else that can play the winger in our 4-4-2 nearly as well.
Overall I am very confident in our defense with Friedberg, Johnson, Melly and Martin being some of the best players on the team. Our midfield should also be solid with tons of depth and plenty of experience. Up top is where we will be challenged. We're left with pretty much nobody with legit experience up top. A bunch of our recruits are listed as forwards but I have no clue about the talent of any of them, hopefully one will be able to step into a starting role.
I think fair expectations for this team are to finish in the top half of the Ivy League. I wouldn't expect us to make the NCAA tourney without winning the Ivy tourney but I sure hope I'm wrong. Those bad weather NCAA tournament games at Berman are some of my best Cornell sports memories. Looking forward to a fun season starting August 23 with an exhibition against Cortland!
Ranked #22 preseason. Feels generous but nice to see national recognition. It is truly remarkable what coach Smith has done for this program, hope we're able to hang on to him.
First game at Lemoyne 4pm. Excited to see who slots in up top for us and how the offense looks. Midfield and defense should be more than solid.
Dominating 3-0 win over an overmatched opponent.
Quote from: scoop85Dominating 3-0 win over an overmatched opponent.
Looked great on set pieces, still not sold on our forwards considering all goals came from defenders but we looked good overall. West coast trip up next against two tough teams.
West coast game against UCSB today, for anyone up for a late night
Quote from: chimpfoodWest coast game against UCSB today, for anyone up for a late night
It's a showdown of my two almae matres! (Or should that be almarum matrum since it's genitive?)
0-0 at half, our guy got sandwiched in the box last play but no call. Tremendous broadcast by UCSB, really well done.
Quote from: jtwcornell91Quote from: chimpfoodWest coast game against UCSB today, for anyone up for a late night
It's a showdown of my two almae matres! (Or should that be almarum matrum since it's genitive?)
That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about UCSB's graduate schools. Beat the tortilla tossers.
Wow 89th minute winner by Liam May, great win. Anything we get against UCI is gravy now.
Quote from: jtwcornell91Quote from: chimpfoodWest coast game against UCSB today, for anyone up for a late night
It's a showdown of my two almae matres! (Or should that be almarum matrum since it's genitive?)
De matribus almus. Prepositional phrase. The possessive is kinda "hidden" in the idiom.
Tough one, though. Had to think about it. "Of" is oversubscribed in English.
Note: we won 1-0 (https://cornellbigred.com/news/2025/9/6/mens-soccer-vs-ucsb-recap.aspx).
Ugh can't find a stream for this game, annoying
Just seeing we lost 1-0 on a goal against in the 71st minute. Outshot UCI 12-6, but it seems we haven't found the guy(s) to replace Harris or Ka as of yet. Lots of time to figure out who steps up.
Big 3-0 bounce back win over western Michigan. Looked really good today.
What is the soccer post season like? Is there a conference tournament? Is there an Ivy auto bid to the NC$$?
LMGTFM (AI so assume it is all wrong):
QuoteThe Ivy League holds a four-team conference tournament. The winner receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
QuoteThe NCAA tournament involves single-elimination rounds played at campus sites, with the winners advancing to the "College Cup," a predetermined neutral site for the semifinals and championship. The Division I tournament features 64 teams, with the top 16 seeded and receiving a bye in the first round.
Last year (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_soccer_tournament):
QuoteThree Ivies will continue on to the 2024 Men's Soccer College Cup as Cornell, Penn, and Princeton all earned berths to the NCAA Tournament.
Penn earned the number six overall seed in the College Cup as the Quakers finished the regular season with a 14-3-1 overall record and ranked seventh in the RPI metrics. Penn recorded a variety of notable non-conference wins throughout the season with victories over Pittsburgh, Hofstra, and Fordham. With the seeding, the Quakers earned a first-round bye and will take on the winner of UMass and Evansville.
Princeton, who earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, didn't have to stress throughout the selection show as the Tigers took down Penn, 3-1, in last weekend's conference tournament championship game. The Tigers (12-6, 5-2 Ivy) enter the tournament having won three of their last four games and will take on Akron in the first round.
Cornell received an at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament after a terrific regular season that saw the Big Red finish 12-3-2 overall and 5-2 in Ivy League play. Cornell is led by Co-Offensive Player of the Year Alex Harris who ranks second in the nation in goals per game. Cornell will take on Fordham in the opening round.
Most recent 2025 poll (https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-di-men/).
[b]Rk School Prv Points W-L-T[/b]
1. Indiana 4 197 5-0-1
2. Clemson 3 192 3-0-1
3. Akron 11 180 4-0-1
4. Wake Forest 6 178 3-0-1
5. NC State 5 167 3-0-1
6. Louisville RV 162 4-0-0
7. Gardner-Webb 13 152 5-0-0
8. Stanford 1 143 4-1-0
9. Portland 24 135 5-0-0
10. Marshall 2 128 1-0-2
11. Greensboro 12 126 4-0-1
12. High Point 15 112 3-0-1
13. Vermont 9 103 3-0-2
14. Virginia Tech 8 97 2-0-2
15. West Virginia 6 88 3-1-1
16. Utah Valley 18 80 5-0-0
17. Bryant NR 64 4-0-1
18. Kentucky 17 54 2-0-1
19. Duke 14 35 2-0-2
20. San Francisco NR 34 4-1-0
21. UNC RV 25 3-1-1
22. Cal-Irvine RV 24 4-0-1
[color=#b31313]23. Cornell NR 23 2-1-0[/color]
24. Saint Louis 16 19 3-1-1
25. San Diego NR 15 3-1-1
That Akron home game on October 7 could make this a special season.
Quote from: TrotskyWhat is the soccer post season like? Is there a conference tournament? Is there an Ivy auto bid to the NC$$?
LMGTFM (AI so assume it is all wrong):
QuoteThe Ivy League holds a four-team conference tournament. The winner receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
QuoteThe NCAA tournament involves single-elimination rounds played at campus sites, with the winners advancing to the "College Cup," a predetermined neutral site for the semifinals and championship. The Division I tournament features 64 teams, with the top 16 seeded and receiving a bye in the first round.
Last year (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_soccer_tournament):
QuoteThree Ivies will continue on to the 2024 Men's Soccer College Cup as Cornell, Penn, and Princeton all earned berths to the NCAA Tournament.
Penn earned the number six overall seed in the College Cup as the Quakers finished the regular season with a 14-3-1 overall record and ranked seventh in the RPI metrics. Penn recorded a variety of notable non-conference wins throughout the season with victories over Pittsburgh, Hofstra, and Fordham. With the seeding, the Quakers earned a first-round bye and will take on the winner of UMass and Evansville.
Princeton, who earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, didn't have to stress throughout the selection show as the Tigers took down Penn, 3-1, in last weekend's conference tournament championship game. The Tigers (12-6, 5-2 Ivy) enter the tournament having won three of their last four games and will take on Akron in the first round.
Cornell received an at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament after a terrific regular season that saw the Big Red finish 12-3-2 overall and 5-2 in Ivy League play. Cornell is led by Co-Offensive Player of the Year Alex Harris who ranks second in the nation in goals per game. Cornell will take on Fordham in the opening round.
Most recent 2025 poll (https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-di-men/).
[b]Rk School Prv Points W-L-T[/b]
1. Indiana 4 197 5-0-1
2. Clemson 3 192 3-0-1
3. Akron 11 180 4-0-1
4. Wake Forest 6 178 3-0-1
5. NC State 5 167 3-0-1
6. Louisville RV 162 4-0-0
7. Gardner-Webb 13 152 5-0-0
8. Stanford 1 143 4-1-0
9. Portland 24 135 5-0-0
10. Marshall 2 128 1-0-2
11. Greensboro 12 126 4-0-1
12. High Point 15 112 3-0-1
13. Vermont 9 103 3-0-2
14. Virginia Tech 8 97 2-0-2
15. West Virginia 6 88 3-1-1
16. Utah Valley 18 80 5-0-0
17. Bryant NR 64 4-0-1
18. Kentucky 17 54 2-0-1
19. Duke 14 35 2-0-2
20. San Francisco NR 34 4-1-0
21. UNC RV 25 3-1-1
22. Cal-Irvine RV 24 4-0-1
[color=#b31313]23. Cornell NR 23 2-1-0[/color]
24. Saint Louis 16 19 3-1-1
25. San Diego NR 15 3-1-1
That Akron home game on October 7 could make this a special season.
NCAA tourney is 48 teams with the top 16 getting a bye, not sure how 64 teams would work with that system.
Akron lost yesterday so they'll probably drop to around #10 this week.
Early season RPI doesn't respect our schedule. Currently at 74. Too much SOS early in the season Dartmouth is higher at 1-3. Princeton is top 10 and lost their only game against a good opponent.
https://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/search/label/RPI%20Rank
Quote from: ugarteEarly season RPI doesn't respect our schedule. Currently at 74. Too much SOS early in the season Dartmouth is higher at 1-3. Princeton is top 10 and lost their only game against a good opponent.
https://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/search/label/RPI%20Rank
Yeah I wouldn't worry much about RPI for individual teams yet but one encouraging sign is that the Ivy League average RPI is currently at .5076. I don't expect it to stay that high but with what looks like a clear top 3 of Penn, Princeton, and Cornell, that number could be enough to get all 3 in the big dance.
Quote from: chimpfoodBig 3-0 bounce back win over western Michigan. Looked really good today.
Not sure why Cornell didn't post the highlights from the game since it was in Ithaca and on ESPN+. First goal was a nice volley off a set piece, second and third were great counterattacking passes into space followed by clean finishes after nice runs right at the box. WMU defense probably got an earful during film review over the latter pair.
Quote from: ugarteQuote from: chimpfoodBig 3-0 bounce back win over western Michigan. Looked really good today.
Not sure why Cornell didn't post the highlights from the game since it was in Ithaca and on ESPN+. First goal was a nice volley off a set piece, second and third were great counterattacking passes into space followed by clean finishes after nice runs right at the box. WMU defense probably got an earful during film review over the latter pair.
I found the highlights on the Cornell Athletics YouTube channel.
Quote from: dbilmesQuote from: ugarteQuote from: chimpfoodBig 3-0 bounce back win over western Michigan. Looked really good today.
Not sure why Cornell didn't post the highlights from the game since it was in Ithaca and on ESPN+. First goal was a nice volley off a set piece, second and third were great counterattacking passes into space followed by clean finishes after nice runs right at the box. WMU defense probably got an earful during film review over the latter pair.
I found the highlights on the Cornell Athletics YouTube channel.
they usually embed it in the game recap but thanks for the tip.
Dominant win over NJIT. My goodness our finishing needs work tho
Ivy opener vs Yale today. let's not screw this one up!
Quote from: ugarteIvy opener vs Yale today. let's not screw this one up!
Cornell up 2-1 at the half. Cornell getting more shots, Yale committing more fouls. Keep the score with the run of play. Just turned the game on and heard that Yale saved a PK late in the half to keep it close.
Slow start with Yale scoring first; Cornell with 2 toward the end of the first half. Let's hope they stay focused.
Cornell scores while I was away from my computer then rings one off the post as soon as I got back.
Another great save from the Yale goalie.
Dominant second half. 3-1 final but Yale never came close to scoring again and with slightly more touch we win by 5. Cornell was constantly dispossessing Yale and getting the ball into space. Looked great.
Saw Schafer at the game, he must be good luck
All 3 goals scored by frosh
And with our win we are rewarded with a 20 spot drop to 93 in the RPI! God I hate the soccer RPI sometimes
This was a sweet win for Cornell coach Smith. It was Cornell's first win over Yale since 2015, covering Smith's entire tenure at Cornell.
Not only did the men's soccer team defeat Yale for the first time since 2015, but the women's soccer team also beat Yale, 1-0, scoring just 58 seconds into the game. It was the women's soccer team's first Ivy road victory since 2015. We may have lost the football game to Yale, but at least the soccer and field hockey teams all beat the Yalies this weekend.
Quote from: chimpfood on September 27, 2025, 06:33:45 PMAnd with our win we are rewarded with a 20 spot drop to 93 in the RPI! God I hate the soccer RPI sometimes
Yale is the lowest ranked team in the Ivies. it'll get better, kind of. Princeton is the game that matters: currently #1!
Didn't watch because I was too busy stressing over the Red Sox but we had an absolutely dominant 5-0 win over Binghamton today. We really look like one of the better teams in the country right now, it's a shame our schedule has been so weak that our chances of getting an at large bid are seriously hurt. The committee doesn't rely on the RPI as strictly as in hockey but it still would be nice to be able to drop "bad wins" in the soccer RPI. I believe we have dropped from about #40 to #90 over the course of our 4 game win streak. That's just silly.
Quote from: chimpfood on September 30, 2025, 09:45:06 PMDidn't watch because I was too busy stressing over the Red Sox but we had an absolutely dominant 5-0 win over Binghamton today. We really look like one of the better teams in the country right now, it's a shame our schedule has been so weak that our chances of getting an at large bid are seriously hurt. The committee doesn't rely on the RPI as strictly as in hockey but it still would be nice to be able to drop "bad wins" in the soccer RPI. I believe we have dropped from about #40 to #90 over the course of our 4 game win streak. That's just silly.
From the NCAA's RPI, the remaining schedule looks like this (by rank):
1. Princeton
20. Akron
47. Harvard
51. Brown
76. Syracuse
89. Penn
97. Colgate
99. Cornell 111. Dartmouth
161. Columbia
Quote from: chimpfood on September 30, 2025, 09:45:06 PMDidn't watch because I was too busy stressing over the Red Sox but we had an absolutely dominant 5-0 win over Binghamton today. We really look like one of the better teams in the country right now, it's a shame our schedule has been so weak that our chances of getting an at large bid are seriously hurt. The committee doesn't rely on the RPI as strictly as in hockey but it still would be nice to be able to drop "bad wins" in the soccer RPI. I believe we have dropped from about #40 to #90 over the course of our 4 game win streak. That's just silly.
I watched the game, and it was as thorough a beatdown as a D1 soccer game could be. Our defense remains rock solid, and the offense is starting to find it's groove. While Ka and Harris are surely missed, this team looks as deep and dangerous as any Cornell team in recent memory.