ITHACA, N.Y. – A gigantic crowd of 1,121 fans helped set a record and watched another one set as the Big Red men’s soccer team earned its program-best 12th consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon at Berman Field.

Second-half goals by Tyler Regan, Atticus DeProspo and Daniel Haber led the No. 16 Big Red to a 3-0 victory against visiting Yale, kept the team undefeated and untied on the season and wowed the largest soccer crowd in Cornell history.

“[The win] was a really good momentum push, especially in front of a great crowd,” DeProspo said. “We were really glad so many people came out, and it really helped us get the win today.”

Cornell (12-0-0, 3-0-0 Ivy League) is once again on top of the conference with nine points for the second consecutive year, while Yale (3-6-3, 0-2-1) was unable to score on Rick Pflasterer and was shut out for the ninth time this season.

"In the Ivies we were 3-0 last year, and we finished with a loss and three ties,” Regan said. “So we don’t think we’ve accomplished anything. … We’ve got to keep it going, and we’re not happy with 3-0 because we’ve been here before and had a let-up.”

With the victory, Cornell topped the 1995 team’s previous record of 11 consecutive wins and won a 12th game on the year for the first time since 1996.  Cornell also increased its own record for consecutive games with a goal to 28 and gave head coach Jaro Zawislan his 30th coaching victory.

Pflasterer did his part as well, earning his third shutout of the year and helping the Big Red to its fifth as a team.  In his 50th career appearance, Pflasterer had to make two saves, both in the first half. The Big Red back line of Slogic, Mardesich, Jake Rinow and Peter Chodas kept Yale at bay all afternoon and allowed the Bulldogs just two shots on goal.

In the first half, though, it seemed like Yale’s stingy defense was doing aterrific job. The Bulldogs, who had given up just nine goals in 11 games all season – equal to Cornell’s defense – hled the Big Red scoreless despite six Cornell shots on goal.

Senior goalie Bobby Thalman, at 6-foot-5, was all over the place for Yale, cleaning up any messes the defense let through. Though the game was tied 0-0 at halftime, Cornell had begun to push forward late in the first half and had a few dangerous chances.

Through 20 minutes of the second half, the Bulldogs continued to hold strong. But after a hard foul on Conor Goepel set up a free kick just on the offensive side of midfield, the Big Red capitalized.

Haber stepped back and took the free kick, sending it into the box where it was knocked up in the air by a Yale player who was unable to get a clean clearance thanks to the crowd of Big Red players around him. Regan got under the ball, heading it from the left side of the box over Thalman and into the right side of the net in the 66th minute. The goal was Regan’s third of the year and earned him his 20th career point.

“Before that, we kind of sensed it coming,” Regan said. “It’s everyone going up and not giving Yale a clean header. Pat Slogic, Matt [Mardesich], they’re all going up and making it so Yale can’t get a clean clearance. I got lucky. I put the ball up and it went in.”

Ten minutes later, Cornell got its insurance goal on a nifty bit of passing and trickery. Haber had the ball on the right side of the field, and he tried to send a ball through to the center of the field. Stephen Reisert was there to take the pass, but he faked a touch and let the ball keep going through to Nico Nissl. The senior then found DeProspo to his left, and DeProspo fired the ball hard off a Yale defender and into the back of the net for his second career goal.

“It was hard to break through their pressure, but we did a really good job and started to get the momentum in the second half,” DeProspo said. “I just got the opportunity with a great pass across.”

Haber then added a goal of his own – his 16th of the year – again thanks to his senior midfielder. Nissl had a great shot opportunity just outside the penalty box, and he ripped a shot that was deflected away by a Yale handball. Haber took the free kick right at the top of the arc, and he lofted it beautifully over the seven-man wall and past Thalman for the 3-0 Big Red lead.

Haber’s three points on the day tied him for fifth all-time in team history with 65, and he is now eighth all-time in school history with 13 assists. This season alone he has earned 39 points, which puts him in third all-time in a single season at Cornell.

The most important game of the season yet comes next week when the Big Red travels to Providence, R.I., for a 4 p.m. game against No. 19 Brown. Entering the day, the Bears were tied for second in the Ivy League behind Cornell.

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