Sept. 1, 2006
ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Fairfield University men's soccer team jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second half before settling for a 2-1 win over Cornell University in the first round of the University of Hartwick tournament. The Stags will play the host school in their second game of the tournament on Sunday.
Head Coach Carl Rees watched his team take control early in the game, as Alex Cunliffe converted a pass from Steve Desmond just 12 minutes into the contest. After scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over Pitt last week, Desmond's assist on the first goal raised his team-leading scoring total to five points.
The Stags held their one-goal advantage through the remainder of the first half and took that edge into intermission. Just five minutes into the second half, Sam Bailey accepted a pass from Paul McQuade after a Cornell miscue off a goal kick. Bailey beat the Cornell goalkeeper to the left side of the goal, which pushed the Stags lead to 2-0.
Cornell made the game interesting when it scored three minutes later off a free kick opportunity. Miyad Movassaghi served the ball from the right side of the box, which Kyle Lynch tracked down and headed past Fairfield goalkeeper Jon Paul Francini. The Stags defense clamped down on all Big Red attacks from that point, and strong play from Francini insured the Stags second win in three outings.
Cornell held a slight advantage in shots at 11-10, while both goalkeepers made three saves in the contest.
