A 1-0 double overtime loss at Cornell on Sunday gave the men's soccer team its fourth-straight one goal loss and ended any aspirations the team may have had for the Ivy League crown.
The loss, which was the Big Green's third straight Ivy League defeat, dropped the team to 2-11 overall and 1-3 in Ivy League play. The game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, was played Sunday due to rain.
The lone goal of the game, a header by Cornell's Eric Kusseluk, came with 2:55 remaining in the second overtime after 120 minutes of scoreless play. Kusseluk's goal came as he headed a crossing pass from teammate Adomo Norotamino into the back of the net to give the 12th ranked Big Red their fourth Ivy League victory of the year.
Once again, the Big Green mounted a dismal offensive attack, forcing Big Red goalkeeper Quinn O'Sullivan to make only one save in the entire contest. The Big Green didn't even get off a shot in regulation, while Cornell went on the offensive the entire game. Big Green goalkeeper Matt Nyman '99 made five saves on the afternoon.
"It's frustrating to play a nationally ranked team like Cornell and to hold them to one goal in 120 minutes and have that not be good enough to get a victory," midfielder Alan Lemley '99 said. "This game was a lot like the UMass game except that this is harder to swallow because it was against an Ivy League rival."
In their last four games, the Big Green have lost two games to nationally ranked opponents Brown and Cornell, losing 2-1 and 1-0 respectively. A 1-0 loss to the University of Massachusetts and a 2-1 loss to Princeton are the other one game losses in the Big Green's four game losing streak.
While earlier in the year the defense was suffering lapses that caused the Big Green to start the season 0-6, in recent games it has been the offense that has struggled, scoring only two goals in the last four games and only four goals in four Ivy League contests. In no game this year has the Big Green totaled more than two goals against an opponent.
The Big Green will look to change this non-scoring trend tomorrow afternoon when they travel to the University of Maine to compete in another non-league game.
