PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Cleveland State men's soccer team defeated Cornell on Friday, 2-1, in overtime at the Duquesne Invitational.

The Vikings improved to 1-3 while the Big Red fell to 0-3.

Through the early part of the season, the Vikings have looked to get out fast. Friday, they did just that. Out-shooting the Big Red 7-3 in the first half, CSU grabbed its first lead of the season in the 30th minute on Gianluca DiFranco's first collegiate goal from 10 yards out, unassisted. Several others tallied shots in the first half including freshman Kurt Raney who made his CSU and collegiate debut, earning a starting nod.

The score remained 1-0 into the half.

In the second half, Cornell pushed forward and was able to equalize on a 59th minute goal by Jonathan Cullom. Despite four more shots by the Vikings in the second half, they were unable to find the back of the net and the two sides headed to overtime, 1-1. Both teams scored their lone goals of regulation on 11 shots.

In overtime, both teams battled back-and-forth for the first seven minutes before the door opened for the Vikings. After DiFranco was taken down in the box, it was Jake Lagania who struck gold on a penalty kick, giving the Vikings the 2-1 lead and their first win of the season. CSU improves to two-for-two on penalty kicks through the first four games.

Including goalkeeper Nick Ciraldo, Alec Nagucki, Dan Koniarczyk, James Milli, and Mustafa Raychouni all logged all 97 minutes for the Vikings. Victor Zamora and Kareem Banton also both nearly went the distance, tallying over 90 minutes apiece.

The Vikings will be back in action for the second leg of their trip to the Duquesne Invitational on Sunday (Sept. 13), this time for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff against the hosts. Cleveland State returns to Krenzler Field next Saturday (Sept. 19) to begin Horizon League play, hosting Wright State at 7:00 p.m.