Cornell women’s soccer will return home to take on the defending Ivy league conference champions, Princeton, this weekend, still searching for its first Ivy League victory.
The Red (1-11-1, 0-5 Ivy) will hope to capitalize on its home-field advantage, coming off a loss in its final road contest of the season, a 3-1 game at Brown. Cornell, which has not won since August, scored for the first time in four games, but quickly surrendered its lead.
The Red took a 1-0 lead about 10 minutes into the game thanks to freshman midfielder Evanthia Spyredes’ first collegiate goal. Tied 1-1 at halftime, Brown scored on a penalty kick early in the second half and added another PK score late in the game.
Cornell will look to regroup and finally emerge successful at home in conference play, hosting Princeton (9-3-2, 3-1-1) in its penultimate contest.
“The goal is the win our last two Ivy games,” said senior captain and goalkeeper Meghan Kennedy. “And to just keep improving as a unit so that the program can bring some positives into the spring.”
It has been a season to forget for Cornell, whose 0-5 league record has it at the bottom of the Ancient Eight.
“Although our record this season is poor, we have still handled ourselves well in the conference and have tried our best to overcome the key injuries we suffered throughout the season,” said head coach Dwight Hornibrook. “Meghan Kennedy has been an essential player for us as she has been extremely formidable in goal.”
Having been outshot by the Bears, 22-5, and continuing its losing ways against Brown — the Red has not taken down the Bears since 2008 — Cornell takes on a high-powered Princeton offense this weekend.
“Princeton has posed an offensive threat in every conference game, primarily due to the talented strike force that has displayed exceptional attacking prowess,” Hornibrook said. “We need to be more careful while defending, especially in the second half. It is critical for us to maintain our defensive shape and make better challenges in the box.”
The matchup between the Red and Tigers starts at 2 p.m. Saturday.