Dartmouth Visits Cornell for Key Ivy League Match

GAME 16

Dartmouth Big Green (6-4-5, 3-1-1 Ivy League) vs.
Cornell Big Red (1-12-2, 0-6-1 Ivy League)
Date: – Saturday, Nov. 5, 5 p.m.
Location: Ithaca, N.Y. – Berman Field
Series: Big Green lead 36-28-5

SATURDAY'S GAME
The Dartmouth men's soccer team heads to Cornell on Saturday for a key Ivy League showdown in Ithaca.

SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Cornell has not had the season it had hoped for in 2016, with just one victory in 15 games. The Big Red's lone victory came back on Oct. 11 in a 3-2 decision over Colgate in Hamilton, New York. In conference play, Cornell has only scored two goals all year in one-goal losses to Penn and Princeton. Overall, the Big Red have scored 12 times, as five players have found the back of the net twice, while two others have one goal apiece. In net, Ryan Shellow has seen the majority of the action with a 1-9-1 record and 58 saves.

LAST TIME AGAINST CORNELL
On Nov. 7, 2015, the Big Green defeated Cornell 2-0, to win the Ivy League championship for the second consecutive season. Alberto Gorini scored his first goal of the season in the 31st minute on a cross from Justin Donawa. In the second half, Eric Jayne added an insurance goal that ricocheted off the crossbar, giving Dartmouth the 2-0 lead in the 56th minute.

LAST TIME OUT
Last Tuesday, Dartmouth defeated Northeastern, 2-0 in Brookline, Massachusetts. The Big Green faced a familiar foe in Huskies' head coach Chris Gbandi, who served as an assistant at Dartmouth for two seasons alongside Bobby Clark Head Coach of Men's Soccer, Chad Riley. With 29 minutes to play in the first stanza Donawa lined up for a corner kick and sent the ball into the box where a waiting Wyatt Omsberg knocked in the first goal of the game. About 15 minutes later, Johnathan Nierenberg added to the Big Green's lead with his third goal of the season. Nierenberg took a shot from the top of the box that nestled into the lower left corner of the goal.

THE RACE FOR FIRST
Following the loss to Harvard, Dartmouth is now tied for second with Columbia in the Ivy League standings. With two games remaining in Ancient Eight play for all three teams, this weekend's Ivy League slate will dictate who has the upper hand before the final week of the regular season. A key matchup to keep an eye on this weekend will be when the Lions visit the first place Crimson on Saturday at 7 p.m.

RISING IN THE RANKINGS
The Big Green are ranked No. 20 in the nation in the NCAA Men's Soccer RPI rankings. Dartmouth is the highest Ancient Eight school on the list that is based on a team's wins, losses and its strength of schedule.

WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW
The Big Green have played to five double-overtime draws this season. The last time Dartmouth recorded four ties was in 2013 in Riley's first season at the helm. The most draws in a season for the Big Green is seven in 2004.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
James Hickok has performed well for Dartmouth in 2016. He is second in the Ivy League in save percentage (.828) and third in goals against (11).

TAKING CHANCES
Matt Greer and Donawa have been creating scoring chances for the Big Green this season. Donawa is ranked fourth in the Ancient Eight with 34 shots, while Greer is not far behind with 30.

FOLLOW ALONG
Can't make it to the game? The match can be seen live on the Ivy League Digital Network for subscribers. DartmouthSports.com will also provide live stats for those looking to follow along during the contest.

LOOKING AHEAD
Dartmouth returns home on Nov. 12 for Senior Day when Brown visits Hanover for the final game of the regular season.

Schedules