ITHACA, N.Y. – Lafayette men's soccer returned to the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night at Cornell, but fell 4-0 to the Big Red in the first round. Cornell tied the series against Lafayette in the competition with Thursday's win, as the Leopards previously led in the series with their victory over the hosts back in 1995.

After an initial flurry of half chances for the Big Red, they opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Sergio Zapata was cleverly slipped through on goal as he timed his run well. The forward was heading for the byline before chopping back on his right foot. He finished the move with a curled strike that beat senior captain Eric Axtman at his far post.

The hosts continued to dominate possession as the match carried on and the Maroon and White's back line was on high alert. Head coach Dennis Bohn's group looked for attacking opportunities on the counter and found one in the 25^th minute. Lafayette was swinging the ball around the back when it noticed a defender slightly out of position. The ball eventually found junior Nikolas Hadjimitsis who took a great first touch. The Larnaca, Cyprus native blew by his man and fired off a long shot, but it veered wide.

With 45 minutes left to play at Berman Field Cornell led 1-0.

Connor Miller doubled the Big Red's lead in the 51^st minute. The move began near midfield with the ball at the feet of Zapata. After he skipped by a Leopard, the ball was worked wide and quickly finished off by Miller in the penalty area.

With its commanding lead, Cornell continued to manage the match and more importantly the clock. The hosts' large spells of possession kept Lafayette pinned back, stifling its offensive opportunities.

Cornell tacked on goals in the 58^th and 68^th minutes to seal its trip to the second round, where they'll face No. 13 Connecticut.

Patriot League Tournament MVP Axtman tallied six saves in the loss.

Lafayette finished the 2025 season with an 8-7-7 record and was crowned Patriot League champions for the first time since 2012.