Men's Soccer News Releases
Rams return home Saturday for IIAC match with Luther
Coming up - Saturday, Oct. 3, vs. Luther, Mount Vernon, 3 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 10 at Loras, Dubuque, 3:30 p.m.
Ram rewind - Slow starts plagued the Rams in three road losses over a 5-day span last week.
Cornell dropped a 4-1 decision against Ashford Sept. 23, followed by a 3-1 Iowa Conference setback Saturday at Coe and a 3-2 loss Sunday at Knox. The Rams (3-7 overall, 0-1 IIAC) scored all four of their goals last week in the second half after facing halftime deficits in all three matches.
The Rams were limited to five shot attempts against an Ashford squad (7-0-1) that built a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Junior Sungeun Kim (Kathmandu, Nepal/Lincoln) cut the deficit to 2-1 on an assisted goal from Kobina Essandoh (Worcester, Mass./Presec) at the 58-minute mark.
The Rams remained within striking distance until Ashford knocked in two goals in the final nine minutes of play. Ben Alleva (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove) collected 13 saves at keeper for the Rams.
Freshman William Helland (San Antonio, Texas/International School of Americas) notched Cornell's lone goal in the IIAC opener with Coe. His unassisted tally came at the 74-minute mark, after the Kohawks had forged a 3-0 lead. Alleva finished with three saves. The Rams were outshot, 10-7.
"We dug ourselves an early hole, came to life in the second half and made it a difficult game for them," Cornell head coach Derek Bell said. "We created enough chances to get the game back, but Coe responded well enough to finish the game."
Cornell rallied for two late goals against Knox, but the Rams ran out of time to complete the comeback in a 3-2 loss in Galesburg, Ill. Freshman Alex Beehler (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) paced the Rams' attack with a goal and an assist.
Beehler put Cornell on the scoreboard at the 73-minute mark. He then fed Kim for a score that pulled the Rams to within 3-2 with 3:06 remaining in regulation.
"Again, we came into the half down," Bell said. "We responded wonderfully to give ourselves a chance to win at the end."
The Rams outshot Knox, 20-13, and held a 10-4 edge in corner kicks. Alleva recorded six saves in a complete-game effort.
Home, alas - The Rams return home this weekend after going 2-4 on a six-match road trip. The recent road swing featured three double-overtime contests and four matches decided by one goal. Cornell plays four of its final seven matches of the regular season in Mount Vernon, including conference dates with Luther (Oct. 3), Central (Oct. 17), Buena Vista (Oct. 24) and Dubuque (Oct. 31).
Cornell hosts Luther (2-5-1, 0-1) in Saturday's IIAC matchup. The Norse have won 13 straight over the Rams in league play, including an 8-2 victory last year in Decorah.
Scoring leaders - Cornell's Beehler and Kim are tied for second in the IIAC with five goals apiece. Beehler ranks second among league scorers with 12 points, followed by Kim in third with 11 points. Joey Vandermause (Madison, Wis./Northland Pines) stands second in the league with four assists.
As a team, the Rams rank second in the conference in goals scored (2.0 gpg) and assists (1.1 apg). Cornell is also second in saves per game with 7.2.
