GAME INFORMATION
GAME #14: Brown at Cornell
DATE: Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011
TIME: 3 p.m.
SITE: Ithaca, N.Y. — Charles F. Berman Field
2011 RECORDS: Brown 9-4-1 (2-2 Ivy League) Cornell 2-10-1 (0-3-1)
SERIES RECORD: Brown leads, 18-7-4
LAST MEETING: Tied, 0-0, on Oct. 24, 2010 at Providence, R.I.
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is coming off a heart-wrenching 2-1 overtime loss last weekend at Yale, a game in which the Big Red fought off an early deficit and was defeated only by way of two flawlessly executed free kicks from about 20 yards. Senior goalkeeper Megan Bartlett made a handful of spectacular saves, finishing the game with nine stops. Junior forward Xandra Hompe scored two minutes into the second half from close range off a feed from sophomore midfielder Rachel Nichols.

The Big Red's last appearance at home was a quality 2-2 draw with Ivy League-leading Harvard Senior midfielder and co-captain Abigail Apistolas set up junior forward Maneesha Chitanvis for the equalizing strike with less than two minutes in the second half. Apistolas also scored the Big Red's first goal on an assist from Hompe. The tie broke Cornell's seven-game losing streak to Harvard, and it was the first time the Big Red has scored two goals in a game against the Crimson since 1991. Chitanvis, who earned All-Ivy honorable mention as a sophomore, has scored five of Cornell's 11 goals this season to lead the team in scoring with 11 points. Brook Chang and Hompe have two goals apiece.

ABOUT BROWN
With a 1-0 victory Tuesday night at Holy Cross, the Bears have assured themselves a winning season for a second straight year. A win over Cornell would give Brown its first 10-win campaign since 2003. Junior Eliza Marshall scored the winner against Holy Cross in unassisted fashion. She has three goals in her last three games to take over the team lead in goals (five) and points (13). Kiersten Berg and Chloe Cross have just six starts between them, but they have four goals apiece.

The back line includes to All-Ivy selections from 2010 — seniors Allison Kagawa (first team) and Gloria Chun (honorable mention). Brown has used a steady rotation of the same two goalies as it did last year, with sophomore Amber Bledsoe starting each game and classmate MC Barrett entering the game at halftime. But that streak finally ended at Holy Cross with Barrett playing the entire 90 minutes. Sunday will be a homecoming for Barrett, who graduated from nearby Lansing High School. Her father, Chris, is a professor in Cornell's Applied Economics & Management department.

THE SERIES AGAINST BROWN
Brown holds the all-time advantage in the series, 18-7-4, though the teams played to a scoreless draw last year in Providence, R.I. Megan Bartlett made six saves for her third shutout of the season. The last time the Big Red defeated the Bears at home was 1998, a span of five games (0-3-2).

HEAD COACH DANIELLE LAROCHE
Now in her fifth season directing the Big Red women's soccer program, Danielle LaRoche has assembled a team that is on the verge of a breakout. The fourth coach in Cornell history, she holds a career coaching mark of 15-55-4, but the Big Red is coming off its best season since 2005. She picked up her first collegiate head coaching victory on Sept. 7, 2007, when Cornell defeated Hartford, 1-0, in double overtime. LaRoche's career also includes stops as an assistant coach at George Mason, Binghamton and Howard. A 1995 graduate of Maryland, LaRoche played two seasons for the Terrapins under April Heinrichs, who would later go on to serve as the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team. LaRoche is assisted by Megan Ramey and Danielle Sambur, both in their first season with the Big Red.
SENIOR SALUTE
Sunday's game will mark the last game at Berman Field for the Big Red's six seniors — co-captains Sidra Bonner and Abigail Apistolas, goalkeepers Megan Bartlett and Kelly Murphy, central defender Abageal Vonderweidt and forward Brook Chang. The group represents the first recruiting class brought onto East Hill by head coach Danielle LaRoche.

IVY HONORS
Senior midfielder Abigail Apistolas was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after posting a goal and an assist in the Big Red's 2-2 draw with visiting Harvard two days prior. Apistolas became Cornell player to win the award since Emily Knight on Sept. 15, 2003.
 
SWEET HOMECOMINGS
Freshman midfielder Claire MacManus and junior forward Xandra Hompe celebrated returns to their respective home states in style. MacManus scored her first collegiate goal Sept. 30 in the Big Red's visit to Penn, which plays its games roughly 20 miles from her hometown of Rosemont, Pa. Hompe then scored Cornell's goal Oct. 15 at Yale, which is less than hour's drive from her hometown of New Canaan, Conn.
 
WASHED OUT
Cornell lost a game on its schedule after heavy rain and frequent lightning forced the cancellation of a Sept. 28 non-league date at Lafayette. Even with the cancellation, the Big Red played a program-record 11 games in September. The team is scheduled for just four games in October before closing out the regular season Nov. 5 at Dartmouth.

WELCOME BACK
Sophomore midfielder Rachel Nichols made quite an impact in her season debut on Sunday, Sept. 25. Nichols re-entered the game against Niagara in the second half with a throw-in deep in the offensive third, leading to Maneesha Chitanvis' game-winning goal in the 60th minute. Nichols was tied for the team lead in assists as a freshman.

TOAST OF THE TOURNAMENT
Senior co-captain Sidra Bonner was named to the Red Fox Invitational all-tournament team. The central defender plays an integral role in the center of the Big Red's defense, also coming forward as a threat in the air on set pieces.

ALL-IVY ANCHORS
Not only did Cornell lose just one starter to graduation after a 2010 season that saw the team record its highest win total in five years, but it returns a decorated pair of seniors. Central defender Sidra Bonner and goalkeeper Megan Bartlett, both named second-team All-Ivy League players last season, return to anchor a Big Red back line that surrendered just 17 goals while racking up six shutouts last season.

FOLLOW THE LEADER
Seniors Sidra Bonner and Abigail Apistolas serve as co-captains for the Big Red. Both were also captains in 2010 and have played in every one of the team's games in each of the last two seasons.

NATIONAL APPEAL
The Big Red has 13 different states represented on the team roster, with Virginia having six players on the roster. Cornell has five players that hail from California, four from Massachusetts, three from New Jersey and New York, and two apiece from Minnesota, Michigan, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. States with a single representative include Hawaii, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon.

UP NEXT
Cornell plays its final two games of the season on the road, visiting Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 29 before travelling to Hanover, N.H. to face Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov 5.