Heading into its homecoming-day match against Princeton (5-3-0, 1-0-0 Ivy), women’s soccer (1-5-4, 0-1-0 Ivy) hoped to snap its six-game winless streak against Ivy League competitors.
But a low-intensity first half caused the Red to trail 3-0 at halftime, and a scoreless second half cemented the team’s third consecutive shutout loss.
After 18 minutes of play, a well-executed Princeton set piece dealt Cornell its first blow. Princeton’s Kate Toomey finished a foul kick by Heather MacNab to set off the Tigers’ scoring momentum.
To head coach Rob Ferguson, that essential first finish exemplified the Red’s inability to match Princeton’s drive.
“We didn’t defend that first goal of the game well at all,” Ferguson said. “You’ve got to win the first ball.”
The Red’s defense was overwhelmed again a few minutes later, when the Tigers returned senior goalkeeper Erica Fox’s goal kick back into the penalty box, setting up Princeton attacker Isabella Garces to net the team’s second score.
Cornell continued to struggle matching Princeton’s energy and coordination throughout the first 45 minutes of play, and the Tigers took advantage of each lapse. Four Red defenders couldn’t prevent the third score of the match — a close-range shot by Tiger forward Alexandra Barry.
Ferguson had three notes for the team heading into his halftime talk: “We didn’t run hard enough, we didn’t compete enough, we didn’t connect passes. Those are three very basic things in this game.”
The Red returned to the field with a noticeable increase in speed and aggression in the second half, especially from the team’s underclassmen. Sophomores Sydney Allen and Ava Jung increased pressure from the front line and midfield respectively, while freshman midfielder Ella Koschineg hung back and locked down the backfield.
Unfortunately, the reinvigorated Red’s efforts proved to be too little, too late, and Cornell succumbed to the 3-0 defeat. The result repeated the teams’ 2023 league opener, where Princeton defeated Cornell 4-2. Prior to Saturday’s match, Cornell had scored in its last 14 home contests.
“I asked them to play with pride and for each other,” Ferguson said. “Let’s show the person next to you how much you care and how much you love the team. I think they did. It was about something much bigger than [winning the game].”
The Red seeks Ivy League redemption with its next game against Dartmouth (6-3-1, 0-1-0 Ivy) on Saturday. The match begins at 1 p.m. at Berman Field.
Alexis Rogers is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].