This time around, there wasn’t even a chance for an upset.
After escaping Ithaca with a hard-fought 1-0 victory last year, seventh-ranked Penn State pounced, trounced, and completely devoured the Cornell women’s soccer team (1-3, 1-0 Ivy) by a score of 3-0 last night in University Park, Penn.
The Nittany Lions (6-2-1) allowed only one Red shot in the entire game, while pouring out twenty of its own.
With both sides unable to find the back of the net for most of the first half, Penn State’s rookie forward Stephanie Smith scored off a throw-in from senior midfielder Jeannine Verdrager in the 42nd minute. Smith, the current Big Ten Player of the Week, continued her streak of torrid play and notched her 11th point of the season.
Penn State added insurance in the 51st minute when senior midfielder Shari Pickett found junior midfielder Megan Mills on one of the Nittany Lion’s 10 corners.
Classmate and forward/midfielder Bonnie Young converted a direct free kick into the lower left-hand corner of the goal in the 72nd minute to seal the game.
Senior goalkeeper Meghan Cauzillo made five saves in the first 56 minutes of the game, before sitting out for fellow senior Martha Shaugnessy, who recorded four saves of her own.
After playing four competitive road games, the Red should look forward to its home opener against Fresno State. The Bulldogs (2-0) come off two straight shutouts, winning by a combined 10-0. The game will be part of a doubleheader that includes the Cornell men, and will be staged at 4 p.m. this Friday.
Archived article by Simon Chan