LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Cornell Big Red took advantage of limited opportunities on its way to a 4-1 win over IUPUI at the University of Kentucky Invitational Tournament on Sunday afternoon. Cornell's Brian Kuritzky had a big game, providing the victors with two goals and an assist.
The Jaguars (0-2-0) dictated the pace early and outshot Cornell 6-2 in the first half. Unfortunately, both of Cornell's first half attempts found the back of the net.
"We pressed the play a little, because we thought we had come out flat in all three matches so far," IUPUI head coach Steve Franklin said. "And for the most part, we controlled possession and had opportunities."
Sophomore Justin Darvish hit a post less than three minutes into the game, while IUPUI had three corner kicks in the first 12 minutes.
Kuritzky broke the tie with 7:47 left in the first half when he intercepted a pass near midfield, then put a shot on net from well beyond the perimeter of the 18-yard box. The ball slipped through IUPUI goalkeeper Francisco Maia's hands before crossing into the lower left portion of the goal.
Dana Flanders made it 2-0 with 2:14 left in the half when he one-timed a pass from David Browning into the lower left corner.
Franklin challenged his squad to score early in the second half to claw back into the match. His club responded as senior Adrian Conrad used his elite athleticism to cut the lead in half with 25:38 to play.
Fellow senior Vangel Nacovski lofted a free kick from 25 yards out, allowing the 6-foot-2 Conrad to rise above the defense and head a shot past Cornell's Luca Cerretani. For Conrad, it was his first goal since Oct. 16, 2005 as he missed nearly all of last season due to injury.
The Jags offense dried up from there and Cornell (2-0-0) added a pair of insurance goals in the final nine minutes. Browning scored on a Kuritzky assist in the 82nd minute, and Kuritzky scored again in the 86th minute.
The win gave Cornell the UKIT championship as the Big Red had beaten Kentucky 2-0 just two days earlier on its home pitch.
"They're a very veteran team and we're pretty young right now," Franklin said. "I think they're pretty much all juniors and seniors, and we only have two seniors on the field for us right now."
Maia allowed two goals in his first career start, while junior Mike Rietveld allowed two goals and made two saves in the second half.
Conrad attempted a team-high three shots and IUPUI finished with a 10-8 shot advantage.
"We're doing the job defensively, we just need to shore up between the posts," Franklin said. "We made some strides this weekend. Today was a much better performance than on Friday."
For their individual efforts, freshmen Weston Hawkins and Nate Ohmer were named to the All-Tournament Team.
IUPUI will return to action next weekend when it takes part in the Western Kentucky Invitational. The Jaguars will take on Appalachian State on Friday, before playing the hosts on Sunday.
