**This recap was edited on Sept. 14, 2026 to include an assist correction on Cortland's second goal**
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Three different players scored a goal to lead the nationally 11th-ranked Cortland men's soccer team to a 3-0 road victory at Vassar on Saturday afternoon. Cortland improves to 4-0-0 on the year, while Vassar drops to 1-2-1.
Sam LaMendola (Buffalo/Williamsville South),
Iago Lopez (Ithaca), and
Owen Brant (Loudonville/Shaker) each tallied a goal for the Red Dragons. Brant,
Jacob Kempton (Corning/Corning-Painted Post), and
Aidan Miller (Savannah, GA/Richmond Hill) each registered an assist in the game.
Jordan Ott (Fort Worth, TX/Southwest Christian) made one save for the victory.
Neither team had any shots on target over the opening 20 minutes of the match, as the teams were in a feeling out period to begin. Alejandro Martinez headed a shot just wide of the left post in the 22nd minute for Vassar's first scoring opportunity.
Cortland's first chances came just past the half-hour mark as
Gaetano Corrao (Thornwood/Iona Prep) had a shot blocked, and
Jake Hutter (Smithtown/Smithtown West) fired just over the crossbar.
Shortly after, Cortland took the lead on LaMendola's first goal of the season in the 34th minute. Kempton had his shot blocked in front by a Vassar defender, but LaMendola was in great position to strike the rebound low and into the left corner. It was also LaMendola's second consecutive season scoring a goal against Vassar, as the senior tallied the Red Dragons' opening goal in a 2-1 home win last year.
Diego Rivera (East Meadow/Cairo-Durham) forced Vassar goalkeeper Jacob Raphan into a great save, his first of the game, turning aside the shot for a corner with a dive to his left in the 83rd minute.
Cortland doubled its lead on the ensuing corner kick in a similar style to the opening goal. Brant fired a shot off the corner that was blocked by a defender, but Lopez was first to react and sent a right-footed shot into the roof of the net for his first goal of the year.
Immediately off the restart, the Brewers forced Ott into his lone save of the game. A lofted pass was headed from the center of the 18-yard area by Eli Torrey, but Ott used strong reactions to turn the ball out for a corner, which was then defended well by Cortland to prevent further chances.
Cortland added a third goal in the 88th minute, as Miller dribbled past a Vassar defender near the end line and slid a low pass to the middle to Brant for a shot into the bottom right corner of the net and securing the win.
