Things have not been going that well for the Cornell women’s soccer team; this is all about to change.
This afternoon the Red faces Fresno State at 4:00 p.m. in its home opener, and according to senior co-captain Sarah Natchez, “It’s time to start winning and turn this season around.”
Cornell enters the contest at 1-3 (1-0 Ivy) after a rough first couple of games. In Tuesday’s game against seventh-ranked Penn State (6-2-1) the Red got only one shot off on goal, while the Nittany Lions had 20.
Head coach Berhane Andeberhan responded to this barrage by focusing Wednesday’s practice on shooting, passing, and trying to lift the players’ spirits.
Natchez has high hopes for the contest.
“I know we’ve had a rough start, but our goal is to bounce back and finish the season 14-3,” she said.
Senior forward Erica Olson echoed Natchez’s positive outlook, saying, “We don’t know a whole lot about [Fresno State]. We’re just going to play our game — if we can do that, we’ll do great.”
Tonight’s contest could be a great opportunity to accomplish this. This is the first time in history that these two teams play each other, so there is a unique opportunity to set a precedent.
The unranked Bulldogs enter the game with a 5-3 record. The Red will have to watch out for senior forward Jill Pearson, who scored five goals and three assists in her last two games. This effort earned her WAC Player of the Week honors last week. Bulldog goalkeeper Mary-tyler Wahl is also expected to be a force – her goals against average is only .736 per game, and she has started in all eight games this season.
Olson, however, is optimistic.
“We went into the game [against Penn State] scared. This time we’re going to try to have some fun,” she noted, adding, “Our squad this year has the most talent and promise of any group I’ve played with here, and I really think we can start winning and pull up our record.”
Archived article by Sun Staff