The Cornell men’s soccer team, ranked 23rd nationally, secured a 1-0 win over Columbia in New York on Saturday evening. The victory ensures Cornell the number two seed in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament. The team finished the regular season with a record of 12 wins, two losses, and two draws.
Blake Donahue scored the only goal of the match, assisted by Sergio Zapata. Goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg made three saves and recorded his eighth shutout of the season. For Columbia, Alexander O’Brien stopped four shots in defeat.
“This was a very tough game and a significant win. Columbia are well coached and they play good football. We did a good job limiting their looks on our goal, and Blake showed great awareness and composure on his goal,” said John Smith, Dr. Daniel P. Wood Head Coach of Men’s Soccer.
The decisive moment came in the 30th minute when Zapata maneuvered inside the penalty area before passing to Donahue, who volleyed the ball over O’Brien for the lead. Despite pressure from Columbia for an equalizer, Cornell’s defense held firm for the remainder of the match.
Friedberg concluded his regular season with eight clean sheets, matching his total from last year and placing him second all-time for single-season shutouts at Cornell. “Ryan and the guys in front of him did a great job protecting the goal, and for Ryan to end the regular season with 8 clean sheets is fantastic,” Smith added.
Reflecting on the team’s performance this season, Smith stated: “The league has been fantastic again this year—it’s such a tough conference with a number of very good teams and so to finish 2nd is certainly something to be proud of. We now get to be part of another exciting Ivy League tournament, and a great opponent in Penn.”
Saturday’s match marked the 65th meeting between Cornell and Columbia; Cornell now trails slightly in their all-time series with 27 wins to Columbia’s 28.
Cornell will next face Pennsylvania as the number two seed in its second consecutive appearance at the Ivy League Tournament semi-finals. The match is scheduled at Princeton’s Myslik Field with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m., broadcast on ESPN+.
