They say all good things must come to an end. The women”s soccer team hopes that proverb remains true for the not-so good things.
Cornell (4-8-2, 1-4-0 Ivy) will look to end a seven-game losing streak tonight, when the booters visit non-conference opponent Buffalo (6-11-1, 5-6-1 MAC).
The Red is coming off a 3-0 loss to Brown last Saturday in Providence. R.I. The Bears scored two goals in the first half, and added an insurance goal early in the second half. Brown”s defense was then able to hold off Cornell”s late-game offensive push.
However, Cornell did take more shots Saturday than in any of its previous Ivy League games, and the Red played solid, cohesive soccer in the second half.
‘We play better when everybody”s on the same page. But we are young, so we”re still progressing,’ said sophomore Jessica Schindler.
Cornell played Buffalo last year in one of the Red”s most frustrating games of the 2003 season. The booters had a 2-1 lead in the second half, but the Bulls came back, scoring two goals late in the match.
‘Buffalo is very good team, but they didn”t really provide a serious tactical challenge,’ said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. ‘We didn”t handle our good fortune. We got lax, and gave them a chance to get back in the game.’
Buffalo plays a more physical kind of game than Cornell, a feature of the Bulls that led to problems for the Red in 2003.
‘We didn”t handle the physical play,’ Andeberhan said. ‘We went ahead and we kind of got complacent. That gave them momentum.’
This year, the Red has worked on staying poised against such teams. ‘We”ve definitely had some talk on how to protect ourselves [in those games], and maintain our level of play,’ said Schindler, who earned an assist last week at Army.
Cornell outshot Brown 17-12 on Saturday, but the Red could not convert on its opportunities. Sophomore goalkeeper Katrina Matlin had four saves for Cornell.
‘Obviously it”s not fun to lose,’ Andeberhan said. ‘But earlier in the season we were not generating offense. We are having difficulty finishing the chances. But [the team] has done everything we ask, and they”re maintaining a great work ethic.’
Buffalo will be closing out its regular season tonight. The Bulls have played four straight home games, winning three of them in convincing fashion. On Sunday, Buffalo upset Mid-American Conference champion Ohio, 2-0, giving the Bulls a chance to play in the MAC playoffs. Buffalo”s postseason future depends on the result of a Bowling Green-Toledo match on Thursday.
In net for the home team will be Anna-Lesa Calvert. The senior goalkeeper had 13 saves against Ohio, and she has earned a total of 39 saves during the Bulls” four-game homestand. Tonight”s game will be Cornell”s last road match of the year. On Friday, the Red welcomes nationally-ranked Princeton to Berman Field, before closing out the season against Dartmouth on Nov. 6.
Archived article by Ted Nyman
Sun Staff Writer