GAME INFORMATION
GAME #15: Cornell at Princeton
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011
TIME: 1 p.m.
SITE: Princeton, N.J. — Roberts Stadium
2011 RECORDS: Cornell 2-11-1 (0-4-1 Ivy League), Princeton 5-9-1 (1-4)  
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads, 18-7-4
LAST MEETING: Princeton won in overtime, 2-1, on Oct. 30, 2010 in Ithaca, N.Y.
LIVE STATS: http://www.goprincetontigers.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPSID=46562&SPID=4233&DB_OEM_ID=10600&LIST_SPORT_ID=W_SOCCER

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is coming off a 2-1 loss to Brown last weekend in which it staged a frenetic rally only to come up a little short. The Bears scored twice in the first half, then held on for the victory behind sophomore goalie MC Barrett, who went on to win Ivy League Player of the Week honors. She made a diving stop on a penalty kick by Big Red junior forward Xandra Hompe early in the second half to keep Brown ahead by two goals. The save loomed large after Cornell got on the board a little later. Freshman Kerry Schubert cashed in a rebound of a Maneesha Chitanvis shot that hit the post for her first collegiate goal in the 70th minute. Chitanvis, a junior forward who earned All-Ivy honorable mention as a sophomore, has scored five of Cornell's 12 goals this season to lead the team in scoring with 12 points. Senior forward Brook Chang and Hompe have two goals apiece.
 
ABOUT PRINCETON
Under head coach Julie Shackford, The Tigers have double the amount of corner kicks and nearly double the amount shots as their opponents, but only a slight edge in goals, 25-23. Junior forward Jen Hoy leads the team in goals (7) and points (18). She is also one of four players on the squad with four assists — freshman midfielder Lauren Lazo (4-4—12), freshman midfielder Melissa Downey (2-4—8) and senior midfielder Sara Chehrehsa (2-4—8) are the others. … Junior defender Alison Nabatoff and junior forward Caitlin Blosser were second-team All-Ivy picks last season, and sophomore midfielder Gabriella Guzman earned honorable mention. … Princeton had three yellow cards in its last game, a 2-1 loss at Harvard. The Tigers lead the Ivy League in fouls with 155 through 15 games (10.33 per game). … The Tigers have used five different goalkeepers this season, but have appeared to settle on Kristin Watson. She has started six of the last seven games, posting a 3-3 record with a 1.09 goals-against average. … The Tigers also feature an Ithaca native — Rebecca Shmoys.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST PRINCETON
Princeton holds the all-time advantage in the series, 18-7-4, thanks to its active winning streak of 15 games. But the games have been close lately, with overtime needed to settle the last two meetings. Kalie Bartholomew provided the winner in 2010 at Berman Field, with Alexandra Valerio doing the honors the previous year. The Big Red's last win against the Tigers came in the form of a 1-0 decision on Sept. 23, 1995 in New Jersey.

COMMON OPPONENTS
vs. La Salle (Princeton lost 1-0 on Sept. 18;; Cornell lost 2-0 on Sept. 20). ... vs. Yale (Princeton lost 2-0 on Sept. 24; Cornell lost 2-1 in OT on Oct. 15). ...vs. Brown (Princeton lost 2-1 on Oct. 8; Cornell lost 2-1 on Oct. 23). ... vs. Columbia (Princeton won 4-1 on Oct. 15; Cornell lost 3-1 on Sept. 23). ... vs. Harvard (Princeton lost 2-1 on Oct. 22; Cornell tied 2-2 on Oct. 8).
 
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 15-56-4, 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.
 
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 wraps up its season on the road at Hanover, N.H., where it will face Dartmouth at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov 5.