Like most of the Cornell athletic squads this weekend, the Cornell women’s soccer team has some business to conduct in Cambridge, Mass.
The team headed to Cambridge yesterday to compete in the Harvard Invitational. Today the Red faces the Crimson at 3:00 p.m., followed by University of Vermont on Sunday.
The women (1-6 overall, 1-2 Ivy) are off to an unimpressive start. Although the young talent has performed valiantly, its inexperience has been its Achilles’ heel. Of the six losses, only one game against heavily favored Penn State has been by more than one goal.
Coach Berhane Andeberhan has been working with the team’s consistency all season. The Red twice went into halftime with leads, but could not sustain its intensity through the second forty-five minutes.
Recently, the Red offense has begun to wake up. Freshman forward Emily Knight has played brilliantly at times. After getting her first career goal against Syracuse, she has become more aggressive on the field. Classmate midfielder Darra Messing became the second rookie to score a goal.
The Red has improved its play throughout the season as it has gotten more comfortable with each other and the new coaching staff.
The Crimson (5-2 overall, 1-1 Ivy) will no doubt give the Red trouble. Harvard has won three consecutive Ivy titles, winning 26 out of 28 in league play for the last three seasons.
UVM is not as intimidating as Harvard on paper. The Catamounts (3-7, 1-3 American East) dropped its previous meeting against Harvard 7-1.
The Red needs its offense to continue to be aggressive and most importantly capitalize on its scoring chances. Meanwhile the defensive transitions must be tighter. Senior netminder Meghan Cauzillo has been a stay in the back, but the team cannot rely on her to keep the Red in games.
Cornell has four more conference games including today’s. The Red can still salvage its season if it ignites its potential.
Archived article by Amanda Angel