Men's Soccer Catholic Athletic Communications

Catholic Falls Short at Cortland in NCAA Second Round

CORTLAND, N.Y.  — The Catholic men's soccer team looked to get through regional weekend on a snowy Sunday afternoon against the hosts of the weekend, Cortland, in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Dragons were able to overcome a 1-0 second half deficit, scoring the winning goal in the final two minutes to capture a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.

The Cardinals played on the front foot for a good portion of the first half as they outshot the Red Dragons 6-2, and Catholic gained six corners to zero for Cortland. Catholic put three shots on target, and Donik Elshani ripped a shot just below the crossbar that was saved by Jordan Ott to help keep the game tied at 0-0 going into halftime.

The goals came early in the second half for both teams as Catholic earned a corner in the first four minutes of the action to create the opportunity for its first goal. Graham Leary received the ball on the left side of the goal and delivered a perfect cross that Corey Magro headed in to put the Cardinals on top, 1-0.

The Red Dragons did not trail for long, however, as just three minutes later, Owen Brandt scored a goal to tie things back up at one. Dylan Peterson and Alberto Reyes linked up to create the chance for Brandt, who was able to put it away.

The Cardinals got eight more shots off in the second half, but Ott continued to keep them from earning a second goal, making six saves throughout the half to keep the Red Dragons in the game. The contest remained squared at one until the final three minutes when Josh Carroll got in behind the defense and found the back of the net to give Cortland a late 2-1 lead.

Catholic was unable to find an equalizer in the final two minutes, and Cortland came away with a 2-1 victory to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals finished their 2025 campaign with a 14-1-6 record and their first NCAA Tournament win since 2022.

With his appearance in today's match, Ben Zimmer has now played in 82 matches in his career, which is the most by any player in DIII program history. Zimmer played and started in all 21 matches this season.

Magro's goal was his second of the season, making him the eighth Catholic player to score multiple goals this season. Leary's assist was his first of the year and the first of his collegiate career. 

Magro and Leary, along with Carson Shamoo, Ellington Andrews, Owen Allegro, and Charlie Paparella, played the full 90 minutes for Catholic in the match. Magro finished the season as the only Catholic player to play every minute of every game throughout the season.