After winning its Ivy League opener on Friday, the women’s soccer team will look to continue its strong play tonight, with a non-conference road match at Bucknell.
The Red (6-0-0, 1-0 Ivy) is coming off a 1-0 home win over Columbia at Berman Field. The match was hard-fought, and it was Cornell’s toughest game of the year so far. Sophomore Molly Easterlin scored Cornell’s only goal, and the Red defense limited the visitors to seven shots in the game. Freshman Taylor Hendren earned her second shutout of the year in net, as Cornell remained undefeated.
“It was a very good game for us,” said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. “Generally – with a lot of [Cornell] teams in the past – when it turns into a battle, we would not respond well to that. On Friday, we were able to get enough scoring chances-It was a big step forward in that sense.”
The win against Columbia also presented Cornell’s defense with some new tactical issues. Andeberhan noted that the back line, led by 2004 All-Ivy honorable mention sophomore Leslie Campbell, was able to respond well to Columbia’s playing style.
“It was a different kind of challenge,” he said. “We were searching for long balls from Columbia. It was a challenge in the air, and we had to stay organized. This was the best job Leslie has done of using the threat of the offside trap, and organizing the team. And Taylor, in goal, responded very well.”
Cornell’s goalies – which include Hendren, along with junior Katrina Matlin and freshman Jessica Lebo – have allowed only three goals this year.
Meanwhile, senior co-captains Shannon Fraser and Kara Ishikawa have led Cornell on the offensive side of the field. They have each scored four goals, and Ishikawa has added three assists. Eight different players have scored goals for Cornell, and junior Caitlin Oliver and Easterlin have recorded two goals each.
Bucknell (5-4-0, 0-0 Patriot) is coming off a 3-2 win over St. Francis last Tuesday. The Bison opened this year with a 1-4 record, but have since won four straight games. Bucknell went 7-8-1 last year, with 2-4-1 record in the Patriot League.
The Bison are led on offense by forwards Jennifer Margolis and Krista Lee Gentile. Margolis has scored eight goals, while Gentile has recorded six goals and four assists.
Goalies Samantha Hecht and Katie Dye have shared time in net for the Bisons this year. Hecht has a 1.99 goals against average, while Dye has a 2.06 goals against average. They have both recorded a .600 saves percentage.
Bucknell also has a new head coach this year, Ben Landis. He was previously head coach at Dartmouth before returning to his alma mater this year.
“They’ve been doing well,” Andeberhan said of Bucknell. “We may expect similar tactics to what Dartmouth used to play. We should have a nice, even match-up with them. But, above all, I want us to play a good game, and compete well.”
Archived article by Ted Nyman
Sun Staff Writer