Coming off a 3-1 loss to Harvard, women’s soccer (3-3-6, 0-3-2 Ivy) traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, to face Yale (5-4-4, 0-3-2 Ivy) in their only matchup of the season.
The Bulldogs entered Saturday riding a three-match winless streak, having tied Penn before losing to both Brown and Princeton. With the teams sporting identical conference records and the last 13 meetings having been decided by one goal or less, the match looked to be a close one from the get-go.
Offensively, the Red came out strong, with quick passes and a free kick after a Yale offsides call. Only 2:52 into the match, senior defender Mia Gonzalez found an opening and shot towards the low left of the goal to put Cornell on the board, 1-0.
A couple of Yale fouls and offsides calls gave the Red three more free kicks in the first 10 minutes. Shots by Gonzalez and senior midfielder Reagan Pauwels were saved by goalkeeper Kyla Holmes, but the chances did not stop there. Minutes later, junior forward Peyton Nichols missed to the right of the goal before senior defender Jackie Lasseter shot high off.
Opportunities continued to come at a premium for the Red, while the Bulldogs did not record a shot attempt until midfielder Rebeka Roth missed right in the 23rd minute.
Junior goalkeeper Erica Fox matched Holmes’ first half total of two shots saved, taking the match to the half with the Red leading, 1-0.
The second half began with Yale and Cornell trading shots, taking advantage of offsides calls to move the ball downfield, but neither team was able to capitalize. The Red lost the corner kick battle in the second half, 3-2, and only put up three shots compared to its eight in the prior period.
With only 40 seconds remaining in regulation, Yale took one last shot and leveled the contest. A cross from the right side deflected off a Cornell defender, allowing midfielder Tanner Cahalan to shoot past Fox and find the equalizer, ending the match with a 1-1 draw.
Head coach Rob Fergsuon emphasized the aspects of the match the Red excelled in and the disappointment of the late Yale score.
“Proud and disappointed is equal measure today,” Ferguson said. “It was a heartbreaker and I feel for the team as they dominated for large parts of the game. Completely bossed it in the first half, but needed to capitalize with another goal. We put a lot into the game from a heart and intensity standpoint, and we executed our game plan very well. We feel we deserved to win it, plain and simple, and this is a tough place to come and get a result.”
Ferguson also noted the intensity and effort in the second half, sharing how the team’s play can set it up for future success.
“The second half was more even, but we still controlled it well for the most part,” Ferguson said. “To concede in that late fashion is tough. It’s also what high-level competition is about and we can all learn, grow, and be stronger for it, on and off the field.”
Following the draw to Yale, the Red took on the Great Danes on Tuesday, Oct. 17. A goal in the 14th minute by freshman forward Alanna Colbert put Cornell in front early, and it remained that way throughout the 90 minutes.
Sophomore Natalie Medugno started at goalkeeper, collecting four saves and keeping Albany off the board.
Second half scoring by the Red put the game away, with a goal by Pauwels in the 69th minute, and two by senior forward Laken Gallman in the 78th and 80th.
The Red will look to finish the season strong in its final two Ivy League matches, with the first being against No. 16 Brown (9-1-2, 5-0-0 Ivy) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Berman Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.