MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's men's soccer team couldn't get on track in Thursday's season opener, falling 5-0 on its home turf to a tough Luther squad out of the American Rivers Conference.
 
A matchup between double-digit win teams from last year, Luther (1-0) set the tone with an early score two minutes in and never relinquished momentum. The Norse went ahead 2-0 at the 29-minute mark and tacked on three more goals in the second half for the final margin.
 
The Rams (0-1), who won a school-record 15 matches last fall, had 22 players see the field in this non-conference contest. The Norse, who received two first-place votes in the A-R-C Preseason Poll, used 30 total players.
 
The Norse controlled possession and limited Cornell to one shot, from George Archer. Cornell goalkeeper Will Bickel posted four saves and allowed four goals in 75 minutes of action. Jeremy Spina finished the match in net.
 
Luther fired 19 total shots and held a 12-2 advantage in corner kick chances.   
 
Coming up – The Rams play host to another strong A-R-C foe Sunday in Simpson. Start time is 3 p.m.