Box Score
ITHACA, N.Y. — When junior forward Xandra Hompe scored in the 47th minute of Wednesday night's game, there was a new shot of energy within the Big Red women's soccer team. But that energy paled in comparison to the feeling that followed the game. Hompe's unassisted goal proved to be the only tally on the night, giving Cornell a 1-0 victory over Binghamton at Charles F. Berman Field.
Just 1 minute, 35 seconds into the second half, the Big Red crossed the ball toward the top of the Bearcats' 18-yard box. Under pressure from Moonie Mancho, a Binghamton defender was only able to knock the ball back toward the middle and into the path of the oncoming Hompe. She deftly dribbled around a defender scrambling back into position and calmly guided a shot just inside the right post to give Cornell its first lead since the team's debut on Sept. 2.
It was just the sort of break the Big Red needed after a four-game losing streak that included a long scoreless streak. Just like in the squad's previous game against Bucknell, Cornell was far superior in ball possession. But unlike that contest against the Bison, the Big Red came out on the right side of a 1-0 scoreline on Wednesday.
“We learned a lot over those four games,” head coach Danielle LaRoche said. “Tonight, we put it all together for the first time. All the things we've been working on in practice really came together tonight.”
The Big Red held a 17-7 advantage in shots, though the Bearcats' counterattack looked menacing on a pitch that began to slicken on a cool late evening. Cornell defenders Abageal Vonderweidt, Sidra Bonner, Annmarie Irwin and Sydney Cetrullo drew three offsides calls and assured that senior keeper Kelly Murphy would have to make only two saves for the shutout. The best scoring chances from Binghamton (3-5) occurred on free kicks from greater than 25 yards out in the second half — one by Emily Nuss that Murphy punched wide and another by Kaitlyn Cook that sailed just over the crossbar.
Cornell (1-4) had plenty of offensive chances, too. Freshman forward Jaclyn Katz made a run up the left side with 5:10 left in the first half before dishing off to Hompe, whose shot from 15 yards forced a diving save from Bearcats starting keeper Carrie Martin. Hompe had a chance from similar range just a minute after her goal, but the shot bounded wide of the right post. In the 80th minute, freshman Claire MacManus collected a blocked shot from sophomore Alysse Godino that narrowly missed the target. Five minutes later, Vonderweidt's long ball skipped over the Bearcats' defense and left senior Brook Chang approaching goal on a semi-breakaway that concluded with an attempted chip slicing wide.
The Big Red continues its busy stretch with three more games in the next six days, starting with a pair of weekend contests at the Red Fox Invitational. Cornell takes on host Marist at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, before wrapping up the weekend against Hartford at noon on Sunday, Sept. 18.
