Late-game heartbreak for men's soccer against Cornell

When it comes to Penn-Cornell, you may as well just watch the last two minutes.

With over 88 minutes gone in the Ivy season opener, Big Red captain Jimmy Lannon took a long throw that two Penn defenders failed to clear. The bouncing ball fell to Daniel Haber, whose half-volley from just inside the 18-yard box gave the Big Red a 1-0 win.

The result was an exact replica of last season’s matchup, when Travis Cantrell scored in the 89th minute to seal the Quakers’ victory in Ithaca.

PHOTO GALLERY: The best shots from the 2011 Men’s soccer season.

However, Cornell (5-1-3, 1-0 Ivy) would have none of that this year. Riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, the Big Red are off to their best start since 1999 and have already matched last year’s season win total at the expense of Penn (5-3-1, 0-1).

“It’s been a situation where the past five years, it’s been a one-goal game with these guys,” coach Rudy Fuller said.

“You know its going to be tight and you know chances are going to be few and far between, and tonight they got the chance.”

During the first 20 minutes of the game, the Quakers dominated possession. A few half-hearted shots from both sides followed, but Cornell had the first golden scoring opportunity when junior forward Tyler Regan slipped through to goal. However, he missed wide to the near post.

The Big Red almost broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when a glancing header off a corner kick forced a one-handed save from Penn keeper Max Kurtzman. Cornell players argued that the ball had crossed the line, but after discussing with his linesman, referee Michael Donovan disallowed the protests for goal.

The second half brought a more wide-open game, but the Big Red continued to organize well defensively, continually dropping eight men behind the ball and remaining as compact as possible.

“They took away the space in behind [and] we didn’t do a good job of looking for different avenues to goal,” said Fuller. “Credit to them, they came here and defended really well and they fought like hell.”

The Quakers had a few opportunities, but their best came late in the period when forward Duke Lacroix gathered a pass 30 yards from goal near the touchline, made an impressive move to get around a defender and played a dangerous ball through the six-yard box that nobody could finish.

Then, just a few minutes from extra time, Haber’s superb shot into the upper corner capped off a stunning upset.

The silver lining was a return to the starting lineup for Penn senior defender Eric Guo. Guo, who has been recovering from a partial MCL tear in his knee, looked sharp over the 60-plus minutes that he played and will provide even more stability to an already solid back line.

“This is a game that we felt like we should have won and now we look forward to the rest of the season,” said Guo.

For the Quakers, it is their first defeat by the Big Red since 2005, the same year the Quakers last fell in an Ivy opener.

“I don’t think we’ll have a problem bouncing back,” Fuller said. “I’m thankful we have a game on Tuesday and we don’t have to wait until Saturday. I think this group is looking to get back on the field.”

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