The women’s soccer team will look to return to its winning ways tonight, as the Red meets Colgate tonight at Berman Field.
Cornell (6-2-0, 1-1-0 Ivy) is coming off a 2-0 loss at Penn on Saturday. The Quakers scored two first half goals to earn the win, although Cornell, according to head coach Berhane Andeberhan, the Red improved as the game went on.
“We didn’t play really well in the first half,” he said. “But [Penn] is rather awkward for us to play. Their tactics consist of sending long balls down the flanks – We handled it well physically, but I don’t think we handled it well emotionally. In the second half, the most important thing was to continue to battle on defense, and then be calm on offense.”
Remaining calm will be important tonight against Colgate (6-3-1, 1-0-0 Patriot), as the Red Raiders will offer Cornell a solid challenge on both offense and defense. Colgate features a well-rounded attack, and goalkeeper Luisa Miller was a recent Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
The Red Raiders are led on offense by sophomore Franny Iacuzzi, one of the top forwards in the Patriot League. She has recorded six goals and four assists this year. Freshman Josie Johnson has also added five goals and four assists for Colgate.
Miller has seen most of the time in net for the Red Raiders this year. She has recorded a 1.03 goals against average, and a .847 saves percentage.
Colgate is coming off a 2-0 win over Bucknell on Saturday after defeating Columbia, 3-2, in double-overtime, the previous week.
“[Colgate] plays a very good, intense, physical game,” Andeberhan said. “We need to play well for 90 minutes. I expect a good, strong battle.”
The Red will look to counter the Red Raiders’ offense with solid goalkeeping. Freshman Taylor Hendren has seen the majority of time in net this year, recording a 1.33 goals against average and a .750 saves percentage, while junior Katrina Matlin and freshman Jessica Lebo have also seen time in net for the Red this season.
Cornell’s offense has been led this year by senior co-captains Shannon Fraser and Kara Ishikawa. However, junior Caitlin Oliver and sophomore Molly Easterlin have recently added some offensive power for the Red. Both players have recorded three goals this year, and Easterlin scored Cornell’s only goal in the Red’s 1-0 win over Columbia over a week ago.
Oliver is currently playing at forward, although she had primarily been a midfielder last year. Easterlin, now a wing midfielder, had been more of a defensive player in 2004.
“Molly is a complete player,” Andeberhan said. “She reads the game well. She’s one of our hardest working players, and she has really helped us a lot. Caitlin Oliver is a pure forward – she really has the personality of a forward. [Oliver and Fraser] are a nice combination [on the frontline], and Caitlin has really blossomed.”
The Red lost to Colgate, 2-0, last year in Hamilton, N.Y., as Iacuzzi scored two early goals for the Red Raiders in the win.
Archived article by Ted Nyman
Sun Staff Writer