Game #3 vs. Cornell (Ivy League)
Info: Saturday, August 30
Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Field | 4:00 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row .... Live Stats: lemoynedolphins.com
Cornell Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's soccer team will play their first home game of the 2025 season on Saturday against Cornell University. The first-ever matchup between the Dolphins and the Big Red will kick off at 4:00 p.m. at Ted Grant Field, and will be streamed on NEC Front Row.

Admission to the match is free for all spectators. Fans in attendance can also enter a raffle to win a Le Moyne gear prize basket. Visit the @lemoynedolphins Instagram page for more information on how to enter the raffle.

DOLPHIN RUNDOWN:
Le Moyne (0-2) is coming off a narrow 1-0 defeat at Lafayette College on Wednesday. Both sides earned a penalty kick during the 90 minutes, with Le Moyne missing their opportunity just before halftime, and Lafayette converting the winner from the spot in the 60^th minute.

Graduate forward Francesco Pagano (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius/Syracuse/Coastal Carolina) recorded a team-high three shots for the 'Phins, while redshirt-sophomore midfielder Diego Martinez (Veracruz, Mexico/Gulf Coast (Fla.) and graduate forward Jakob Priestman (Leek, England/Westwood/Missouri State) each recorded a shot on goal.

Junior goalkeeper Wyatt Dupell (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) made his 30^th career start against the Leopards and recorded five saves, marking the 10^th time in his career that he registered at least five saves in a game.

Saturday's match will mark the first time that the Dolphins have taken on an Ivy League opponent in the regular season.

Following Saturday's match, the Dolphins will continue a three-game home stand as they host St. Bonaventure University on September 3, followed by Binghamton University on September 7.

SCOUTING THE BIG RED:
Saturday's contest will mark the season opener for Cornell. The Big Red were ranked No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches National Preseason Poll, but were bumped out of the first poll after not playing during the first week of the season.

Cornell was picked to finish tied for second in the 2025 Ivy League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, receiving one first place vote. Penn was picked to finish first with 10 first place votes, while Princeton was tied with Cornell, garnering five first place votes.

Over the last five seasons under head coach John Smith, Cornell has compiled a 56-20-10 record with two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022 following a win over Maryland, then they advanced to the second round in 2024 after putting together a 12-2-2 record during the regular season, including 5-2 against Ivy League competition.

The Big Red will be led by a quartet of captains: senior midfielder Sam Latona, senior midfielder Daniel Samways, senior defender Andrew Johnson, and junior midfielder Connor Miller.

Miller is coming off an outstanding 2024 campaign during which he tallied four goals and nine assists on his way to being named a First Team All-Ivy League honoree, a First Team All-Northeast Region selection, and a Third Team All-American.

Miller, who was also a First Team All-Ivy choice as a freshman in 2023, was one of 29 players named to the 2025 Hermann Trophy Watch List.

Miller was joined on the 2024 First Team All-Ivy and First Team All-Region squads by Andrew Johnson, who started 18 games and logged a total of 1,535 minutes with two goals for the Big Red in 2024. Johnson was selected in the second round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by Charlotte FC. He also represented the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Team in Gold Cup qualifying matches.

Samways appeared in all 19 games with 18 starts during the 2024 season, distributing six assists with one goal in 1,130 minutes played, while Latona recorded four points last season via one goal and two assists.

Sophomore defenders Aidan Martin and Justin Melly are also back in the fold after logging 1,678 minutes each last season, tied for the second-most on the team. Along with contributing to eight shutouts as part of the Big Red back line, Martin produced two goals and two assists on his way to being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

The Big Red also boast some experience in goal with the return of junior keeper Ryan Friedberg. Friedberg was tied for ninth among all Division I goalkeepers last season with eight shutouts to go along with a 1.04 goals against average and .706 save percentage. Through his first three seasons in Ithaca, Friedberg has made 50 starts in goal and is tied for third in program history in career clean sheets with 14.

Junior forward/midfielder Liam May (1,167) and senior midfielder Westin Carnevale (1,054) both also logged over 1,000 minutes for the Big Red last season.

Following their season opener in Syracuse, the Big Red will head to California to take on University of California Santa Barbara on September 5, following by a match at UC Irvine on September 8.