Lady Booters Beat Rain, Brown

The women's soccer team won its second Ivy contest of the season, defeating Brown on Saturday 2-1 in Providence, R.I. With the win, the Red (8-4-1, 2-4 Ivy) has clinched its first winning season since 1999, and the first under head coach Berhane Andeberhan. The Bears (5-7-2, 0-4-1) failed to win its first conference game this season and have now dropped six of their past eight games

"Saturday's win was a very, very sweet victory for the team. It got us all excited and it was a very satisfying win," said Andeberhan.

Against a very physical Brown squad, the booters came out strong from the beginning, dominating play for most of the first half. Andeberhan has implemented a new system in the past few games to prevent the team from coming out flat-footed and on Saturday the Red had no such problems.

"We've been playing well lately, and there was an added challenge in playing Brown because they play a very physical game, whereas we play a technical game," remarked Andeberhan. "Traditionally, we haven't been very good against physical teams. We continued to play a constructive game against Brown, where in the past we would try to be physical. We were able to weather the physical game and still play a creative one," he continued.

The teams battled constant rain and poor field conditions throughout the first half, but neither team was able to put up any goals. The Red opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half. Junior Jo Galardy brought the ball up the left wing to the corner, and crossed it to freshman Shannon Fraser in the middle. Fraser then slipped it to senior co-captain Sarah Olsen who had just entered the box. Olsen then calmly placed the ball past Brown goalie Sarah Gervais for her fifth goal of the season and third in the past two games.

Last year against Brown, sophomore goalie Katie Thomas hurt her knee after being pushed from behind by a Brown player as she went up to clear the ball from a Brown corner kick.

"Thomas was very steady in goal, she played a great game. Brown does some unusual things on corner kicks. We complained to the referee after Katie got hit last year. Katie is very vulnerable when she jumps in the air to clear the ball during a corner, so we made the adjustment for this game," said Andeberhan.

Brown struck back after a Cornell miscue. The Red's defenders stopped because they thought the ball had gone out of bounds. The Bears took advantage of this, as senior Kristin Nabb collected the ball and sent a long cross into the box. Junior Molly Cahan then one-timed it past Thomas to tie the game in the 68th minute.

"We were very business like, really intense after Brown's goal. We definitely had more determination after they scored against us," commented Andeberhan.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Red notched the game-winning goal. Fraser collected the ball after a Brown turnover at midfield, and beat three players out on the right side, just as freshman Ali Gombar was making a run at the defenders. Fraser then made a diagonal pass to Gombar, who received it cleanly, and made a run to the goal on a breakaway. She then beat out Gervais for her first collegiate goal, and secured the game for the Red.

"Shannon basically wrecked the defense. It was a really professional goal. Our defending at midfield helped set up the score," said Andeberhan.

Thomas finished the game with five saves, with Gervais stopping 12 for the Bears. Cornell outshot Brown 16-15, with the Bears getting called for 10 fouls during the game. Fraser has notched four assists in the past two games and remains the team's leading scorer with 12 points, while Olsen recorded her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

The Red will travel to Syracuse on Wednesday, where it will look to go perfect in non-conference play this season. Next Saturday, the booters return home for their final game of the season against Princeton, who had been the only unbeaten, untied team left in the country, until Harvard handed the Tigers its first loss of the season this past weekend.

Lady booters take momentum into match

The women's soccer team will look for its second Ivy League win of the season when it faces Brown (5-6-2, 0-3-1 Ivy) tomorrow in Providence, R.I. for a 5 p.m. contest. The Red (7-4-1, 1-4) is coming off a big 4-0 win against Wagner on Wednesday night at Berman Field, while the Bears failed to secure its first Ivy win of the season last weekend, losing to Princeton.

"In some ways, it's a lot easier for us to play an away game because we're all together. Obviously weekend games are easier that way, because you have concentration, not like a weekday game where you have school all day, and then a game," commented head coach Berhane Andeberhan.

On a chilly night, the booters came out red-hot against a weak Wagner squad, notching the first goal in the 17th minute. Senior co-captain Sarah Olsen had the scoring touch, finding the back of net twice on feeds from freshman Shannon Fraser. Olsen now leads in the team in goals with four, while Fraser maintained her role as the team's top scorer. Junior Leigh Ann Schwartz recorded her first collegiate tally and junior Emily Knight scored her third goal of the season in the win. The Red defense was also superb, only allowing Wagner one shot throughout the entire contest.

Brown jumped out to an early lead against No. 15 Princeton on Saturday, with junior Michaela Sewall connecting on a feed from senior Caitlin Carey in the 7th minute. The Bears would hold on to the lead until the 70th minute, when Princeton tied the game. Ten minutes later, the Tigers would seal the victory to remain the only unbeaten, untied team in the country. Junior keeper Sarah Gervais had seven saves in net for the Bears, who were outshot 18-3 by the Tigers.

Last year, the Red and the Bears battled to a 1-1 tie at Berman Field. The booters have been shutout in four out of five Ivy contests this season. Cornell has only allowed 10 goals this season, which is the second fewest in the Ivy League behind Princeton. Those goals have all come in conference games.

"Tactically, the things we want to do we are pretty clear on. Theorizing about them as a coach and then putting it to practice on the field isn't always easy. We'll review the kind of things we need to do for the game," said Andeberhan.

Brown has been struggling of late, dropping four of its last six contests. In four Ivy matches this season, the Bears have come away with a tie against Columbia. The Red will need to come out strong from the beginning against a Brown team that is hungry for its first Ivy win this year.

"There are a couple of things they do that are kind of marginal, shall we say, to be polite, on corner kicks, and we're prepared for them. Ultimately, if we just settle down and play our game, and play for five minutes at a time, I feel relatively confident that we can win," remarked Andeberhan.

The booters will hit the road next week for an in-state battle at Syracuse before returning home for the final game of the season against Princeton next Saturday in Ithaca.

W. Soccer Stays Unbeaten Against Non-Ivies

The women's soccer team notched its seventh win of the season last night with a 4-0 win against Wagner under the lights on Berman Field. The Red (7-4-1, 1-4) continued its domination in non-conference play, improving to a 6-0-1 record. The Seahawks (3-12-2) extended their winless streak to six games, over which they have lost five games and recorded one tie. Senior co-captain Sarah Olsen netted two goals in the win, upping her season total to four.

"We've had a series of really tough, intense games, so we were able to relax a little bit tonight. I still wanted us to play well. Against Marist in Vermont, we had a relatively easy game, and we just never relaxed enough to take advantage of it," remarked head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "Obviously as a coach you're always about one thing or another, and I was worried about that, but the kids came out well, and we were able to relax pretty quickly after the first goal."

The booters controlled the ball from the get-go, registering a shot in the first minute of play. After seven minutes, the Red had already won four corners and recorded numerous shots against Wagner keeper Dana Honcharuk.

Olsen recorded the first of the Red's four goals in 17th minute. Freshman Shannon Fraser passed back to Olsen, who then chipped the ball over Honcharuk's head. Olsen would have several more scoring chances in the first half before she was subbed out.

Coming off the bench for the Red, junior Leigh Ann Schwartz scored her first collegiate goal in the 31st minute. After Cornell stole the ball from a Wagner defender, Schwartz took a pass from freshman Kara Ishikawa and fired a high shot that beat Honcharuk on the right side.

Cornell dominated the first half, with Wagner unable to register a single shot. The few chances that the Seahawks did have were immediately stopped by the Cornell backs, who didn't let the ball get through to sophomore keeper Katie Thomas. By the 30th minute, Andeberhan had replaced every midfielder and forward, with the backs replaced at the beginning of the second half.

"I'm grateful that finally I get a chance to play my whole team. That's not the primary thing, but they've been working so hard, a lot of these kids have been working hard and have wonderful attitudes, it's rewarding to finally get them a chance to play. I'm happy in that sense," commented Andeberhan.

Senior Kristin Lotito came in to replace Thomas in goal for the second half. The Red tacked on another score in the 54th minute. After a Cornell free kick in the Wagner zone, junior Emily Knight recovered the ball on the left side after a shot by junior Jo Galardy and hit the back of the net for her third goal of the season.

Freshman Michelle Quensell generated a number of scoring chances for the Red. She stole a loose ball from the keeper, but was unable to convert on the opportunity, and later in the half hit the right post on a shot from the right side.

Olsen would finish up the scoring for the Red in the 62nd minute on a feed from Fraser. Unlike in past games, the booters did not get complacent in the second half, leading by their biggest margin of the season. Wagner found it difficult to get the ball past a stifling Cornell defense.

"These kinds of games are not easy to play. You can easily lose your rhythm because you're not feeling the pressure, and so in that sense you get out of your game. I think the team kept playing well and maintained a good level of concentration," said Andeberhan.

The Seahawks were finally able to register a shot with 22 minutes remaining in the game. Wagner's initial shot was deflected into the middle of the box, and Lotito came out to smother the ball. One of the Seahawks beat her to it, and fired the ball at the open net. Fortunately for the Red, sophomore Ann Hubert was on the goal line, and made a nice clear to preserve the shutout. In seven non-conference games this season, the Red has yet to allow a goal.

Cornell outshot Wagner in the contest, 39-1. Wagner keeper Honcharuk had 10 saves, while Thomas and Lotito had none.

The booters will travel to Providence this weekend for a 5 p.m. contest versus Brown. Next Wednesday, the team will face off against in-state rival Syracuse in Syracuse before finishing out the season at home on Nov. 2 against Princeton.

W. Soccer Loses to Dartmouth, 1-0

The women's soccer team lost a tough match to No. 22 Dartmouth 1-0 Saturday on Berman Field. The Red (6-4-1, 1-4 Ivy) battled the Big Green (8-3-1, 3-1), keeping the game scoreless until the 87th minute, when Dartmouth back Janet Light found the net for the game's only score. With the win, Dartmouth extends its winning streak to seven games.

The players had to contend with rain during the first half of play and a wet field that made the ball move unpredictably at times. The booters were still able to put up an impressive performance against a talented Dartmouth squad.

"I'm absolutely delighted with the team's performance. They played a great, great game," commented head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "We were simply unlucky today. I think we got outplayed the first 10 to 15 minutes, but from then on, it was either even or we had a little bit of an edge."

Dartmouth controlled the game early, pressuring the Cornell defense. The Red's only offensive spurt in the early part of the half came when freshman Shannon Fraser stole the ball and tried to find junior Emily Knight upfield. The Green drew Knight offsides, and the scoring chance was negated. Dartmouth had numerous corner kicks in the first half, but sophomore keeper Katie Thomas was able to clear each attempt.

The Green's first scoring opportunity came 10 minutes into the first half. A Dartmouth forward brought the ball down the left side of the field, and launched a high shot to the right. The ball sailed over a leaping Thomas, but hit the top corner of the right post. Thomas was tested early, with 10 shots and five corners in the first half.

"Dartmouth had the edge, but we found our game. We defended well, that was the plan against these top teams, teams in the top half of the Ivy League," said Andeberhan. "The system we've adapted is to observe a bit of pressure early, defend well, defend well, defend well, and then we'll find our game. In the past games this season, we would come out of the gate flat-footed, and to avoid that we changed the system."

The Red's offense found its game late in the first half, after recording no shots in the first 25 minutes of play. Senior co-captain Sarah Olsen sparked the Cornell offense late in the half, as she charged upfield on the left side. Beating out several Dartmouth defenders, Olsen launched a shot to the right side, but Dartmouth keeper Julia Shields came up with a great save.

Fraser, who had been stifled by the Green defense early in the half, also generated some scoring chances late in the half. She brought the ball upfield on a breakaway, drawing Shields out close to the 18 yard line. Shields stopped her initial shot, but the ball deflected to the left side, and Fraser recovered it with the keeper severely out of position. Unfortunately for the Red, Fraser couldn't find anyone in the middle, and Dartmouth was able to clear.

The Red's best scoring chance came on another Fraser breakaway in the last 10 minutes of the half. This time, Shields stayed in net, and Fraser fired a shot towards the left post. Shields came up big again, as she tipped the ball to the left, and deflected it out of bounds.

Dartmouth changed keepers for the second half, bringing in sophomore Anne Marbarger. The Red kept its momentum from the end of the first half, and penetrated into the Dartmouth zone early on. The Green still was able to work its way into the Cornell zone, and nearly netted a goal in the opening minutes. A Dartmouth shot from the left side beat Thomas, but sophomore back Natalie Dew cleared the ball from the goal line. A later Dartmouth shot hit the crossbar, and bounced forward before it was cleared. Despite Dartmouth's early chances, Cornell controlled the ball for most of the second half, defending well at the midfield.

"The biggest improvement is our defending at midfield. That has been shaky at times, and we've been practicing a lot, and they did a tremendous job," said Andeberhan. "Defending by Shannon and Emily was phenomenal. Defending against four people and playing a good game is tough, I think they were caught out of position only once or twice, so they really initiated our defending. If our forwards initiate our defending, we can stay organized and our midfield can defend well. Today was probably the best we've played in that sense," he continued.

Despite its better offensive push in the second half, the Red only recorded three shots in the half, none of them on goal. The Red also did not utilize its bench, making only two substitutions in the entire game, compared to six made by Dartmouth.

In the last 10 minutes, the Red seemed determined to break the scoreless tie, controlling the ball at midfield and pressuring the Dartmouth defense. Cornell had two consecutive corners with six minutes remaining, but could not convert. With time winding down, Dartmouth midfielder Anne Pieck sent the ball from midfield up to the 18-yard line. Thomas came out to recover the ball, but Light beat her to it, and hit the back of the net in the 87th minute to seal the victory for Dartmouth.

Thomas finished the day with five saves, with Shields recording two for Dartmouth. The Green outshot the Red 20-5 on the day, and held the advantage in corners with 11 to Cornell's five. The Red has been shutout in all four of its conference losses this season. Andeberhan was very optimistic, despite the loss.

"If we play this well in our upcoming games, we're fine. The idea was to play well and win most of the games where we feel we are closely matched, and then try to steal one or two games where we know the teams are stronger than us, as Dartmouth was," he said. "It is gratifying that our team believes that we can play with anybody."

Cornell will look to rebound on Wednesday, when it faces Wagner under the lights on Berman Field at 7 p.m. The booters will then travel to Providence next Saturday for a contest against Brown.

W. Soccer Blanks Bison, 2-0, for Third Straight Shutout

The women's soccer team notched its sixth win of the season with a 2-0 win against Bucknell under the lights on Berman Field last night. The Red (6-2-1, 1-2 Ivy) continued its domination of Patriot League teams this season, blanking all three teams it has faced from that division, with freshman Shannon Fraser recording the game-winning goal last night. The Bison fell to 5-5-1 on the year, and will look to rebound against Army on Saturday. The Red was able to double its offensive production from last weekend, when it only scored one goal in two games against Vermont and Marist.

"I was very pleased [with the team's performance]. They've been playing well, and at least tonight we were rewarded with a couple of goals and they were good goals, so I'm happy," commented head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "We were very frustrated last game not being able to score, so I'm very pleased with the team."

The booters had trouble gaining control of the ball in the opening minutes of the first half, but soon found their rhythm and began to push towards the Bucknell end. The Red got on the board early when junior Emily Knight brought the ball up the left side of the field. She found her favorite target in a streaking Fraser, who received the pass in the middle and beat the lone defender. Fraser then booted the ball to the right side of the net, beating out Bucknell goalie Laurie Purse in the 12th minute. The goal was Fraser's third on the season, while Knight tallied her third assist. Knight has had an assist on each of Fraser's goals this season, which have all been game-winners.

The Red had several scoring chances in the first half, while the Bison did not muster any offense until the latter part of the half. Fraser nearly connected on another shot from far out, but Purse deflected the ball over the crossbar. With Bucknell making a push in the last 10 minutes of the half, Knight received the ball downfield and beat out several defenders before launching a high shot over the goal.

"I think we played with a little more rhythm, but in the latter part of the first half, we started to do some things that made us inefficient in the last game, so we talked about it at halftime," remarked Andeberhan. "I'm glad to see we were able to eliminate the cozy, complacent play. When things are going well for you, that's when you've got to strike, and we tended to play the simple available play and not challenge the defense."

At the beginning of the second half, the Red challenged the Bison defense. A high ball sailed over Purse, and the Red rushed to attempt to convert another score, but the Bison defenders headed the ball over the goal. After the ensuing corner kick, Fraser was tripped up, leading to a Red free kick from the right side. Senior co-captain Sarah Olsen placed the ball to the left side of the net, but Purse was there to make the save.

Bucknell began to generate some offense, keeping the ball in the Cornell zone and winning the battle in the midfield. The Red's defense held firm, and sophomore Katie Thomas was sparkling in net. With several Bison pursuing an open ball in the box, Thomas charged forward to smother the ball.

"The defense played well. I've been concerned with the defense at midfield and they really picked it up," said Andeberhan. "Our back line has been playing well all year, and I can only think of one mistake the whole season. We haven't really made a lot of mistakes in the back."

The Red had two more good scoring chances before it was able to notch the second goal of the game. Sophomore Megan Healey brought the ball down the left side of the field and crossed it into the middle to sophomore Kelley Hess. Hess's header beat Purse, but the ball inched just wide to the right. Later in the half, Fraser had the ball downfield with only two defenders to beat, but Bucknell tried to draw sophomore Emily Wyffels offside, and the drive was broken up.

Bucknell put together its best scoring chances of the night in the last 10 minutes of the game. After a corner kick in the Cornell zone, Bucknell took a hard shot from the 18-yard line which was blocked by a Cornell defender. Another Bison shot from far out came through traffic, but Thomas was able to follow it and make the save.

In the last minute of play, Fraser brought the ball downfield on the left side and found Olsen in the middle of the box. Olsen broke free from the defenders and hit the back of the net on the right side in the 90th minute to seal the win for the Red. This was Olsen's second goal in three games, with Fraser recording her second assist of the season. The freshman standout now leads the team in scoring with eight points on the year, in front of Knight, who upped her total to seven.

Thomas recorded her fifth shutout of the season, with her goals against average falling to 0.625. With the win, the Red remains undefeated in non-conference play this season with a record of 5-0-1, and has not allowed a goal in all six of those games. The Red's next game will be on Saturday, when it travels to Cambridge to face Ivy foe Harvard.