Unable to find a scoring groove in its first two games of the season, the
Cornell women’s soccer team (1-2, 1-0 Ivy) blasted two goals into the Columbia net for a 2-1 victory in New York on Saturday.
Junior defender Ellen Daly tallied the game-winner on a free kick with just fifteen minutes remaining in the match. After hitting the goal post on her previous attempt, Daly took the shot from just outside the penalty box and curled it around the Columbia wall and into the upper right corner of the net. Outstretched Lions’ rookie goalie Janine Lerardi made a diving effort, but could do little to save the shot.
“She didn’t have a chance,” said freshman Alicia Doolittle.
The Red, able to control most of the contest despite fighting injuries, received its first score in the 43rd minute on a perfectly timed header from sophomore forward Erica Olsen. Classmate and defender Caitlin Ramsey provided the assist with a cross from the right side of the goal.
A controversial call, however, almost spoiled the Ivy opener for Cornell. The first goal of the match was awarded to Columbia senior Jamie Pannone for a kick that never hit the back of the net. The shot stayed airborne the whole time, and flew off the fist of Red keeper Meghan Cauzillo. But officials claimed the wind blew the ball past the line, before Cauzillo hit it out.
The spark for the comeback can probably be attributed to the aggressive five-player midfield. Columbia played Cornell even for most of the first-half, but eventually succumbed to the pressure from the Red attackers.
“We definitely had the upper-hand in the midfield,” Doolittle recalled.
“It was hard for us the first two games, but we basically got things together and developed some team chemistry,” she continued.
On Tuesday the Red look to start a early winning streak when it visits Penn State (4-1-1), currently the nation’s eighth-ranked team. The Nittany Lions barely prevented an upset by the Red in last year’s meeting, escaping with a 1-0 victory.
Archived article by Simon Chan