Cornell faced off against neighboring Binghamton this past Sunday looking to snap a three-game losing streak, but instead extended it to four in a disappointing 0-2 loss.
The Red began the game looking strong, posting a number of shots on the goal in the first 15 minutes. But Binghamton’s 19th minute goal seemed to shut down the Red’s momentum, which shot five times in the first half, but only two in the second.
“The team can definitely improve when it comes to finishing our chances near the goal,” said freshman midfielder Aidan Reineman.
The midfielder was responsible for two of the Red’s shots on goal, but acknowledged that the team’s inability to capitalize on offensive opportunities gave Binghamton an insurmountable advantage.
“Binghamton was a very fast and technical team that had strong finishers up top,” Reineman said.
While Cornell’s offense struggled to convert shots into goals, the loss would have been far worse had it not been for senior goalkeeper and captain Meghan Kennedy’s 11 saves, far outpacing Binghamton’s one.
“Our goalie and captain, Meghan Kennedy, had a great performance yesterday,” Reineman said.
“She consistently made lots of amazing saves throughout the game.”
Kennedy’s impressive number of saves was a career high for her, tied with a game last October against Princeton.
As Cornell has proven highly adept at protecting the net, its efforts will mostly focus on uplifting what has proven to be a largely plodding offense, with the hopes of keeping afloat conference ambitions.
“Some of our goals for the rest of the season are to have a positive goal differential and to finish in the top half,” Reineman said.
Last year, the team placed eighth in the Ivy League, making its goal this year to finish at least fourth highly ambitious — especially as the squad has won only one of its first five games. But Cornell is confident that a combination of new freshmen talent and hardwork will be enough to right the ship in time to make that vision a reality.
Women’s soccer will next travel to Philadelphia this Sunday to take on St. Joseph’s.