GAME INFORMATION
GAME #3: Colgate at Cornell
DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011
TIME: 7 p.m.
SITE: Ithaca, N.Y. – Charles F. Berman Field
2011 RECORDS: Colgate 2-3; Cornell 0-2
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 15-14-3
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 2-0, on Oct. 3, 2010 at Hamilton, N.Y.
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com
Colgate Game Notes

In search of its first win in 2011, the Cornell women's soccer team will play host to regional rival Colgate at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Berman Field. The contest is part of a four-game homestand for the Big Red as it prepares for the start of Ivy League play later this month.

"It's always intense and it's always physical. It's one of those games that both teams have no problem getting up pretty high for it," Cornell head coach Danielle LaRoche said.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 game in its season debut on Friday at Fordham, falling in overtime after holding a two-goal lead with 18 minutes remaining in the second half. Junior forward Maneesha Chitanvis wasted no time in getting the Big Red's season off on the right foot with an unassisted goal 16 seconds into the game. She then scored on a rebound of an Annmarie Irwin shot about 15 minutes later before assisting on a goal by Brook Chang in the second half. Cornell then held No. 3 Maryland to one goal through 68 minutes before the visiting Terrapins sprinted away with a 4-0 victory on Sunday. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Murphy made 10 saves in her second start for the Big Red.

ABOUT COLGATE
The Raiders are coming off a 1-0 loss to Seton Hall on Sunday at the West Point Classic, surrendering the winning goal on a penalty kick just 1:07 into the game. It was Colgate's third loss of the season, all coming via shutout. The Raiders opened the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Stetson on Friday, getting two goals from Jenna Raepple. The freshman forward is tied for the team scoring lead with junior Jillian Kinter. Junior co-captain Ashley Walsh has started all five of the Raiders' games in goal, making a season-high eight saves on Sunday against Seton Hall.

"They had a lot of injuries last year, and I think they're a lot healthier now and playing a lot better," LaRoche said.

THE SERIES WITH COLGATE
Cornell has won the teams' last two meetings to regain the series lead after Colgate won five straight clashes from 2004-2008. Junior Maneesha Chitanvis has scored twice in her two career games against the Raiders. Brook Chang scored the winning goal in the Big Red's 2-0 victory over the Raiders last year before Chitanvis provided an insurance goal in the waning moments of the second half. Hannah Labadie teamed with Chitanvis for the Big Red's goals in another 2-0 victory on Sept. 16, 2009. The Central New York rivals have played each other at least once per season since the Big Red program gained varsity status in 1982.

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 13-47-3, 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 Plourde, both in their first season with the Big Red.

YOUTH IS STILL SERVED
After sporting just two seniors on its roster last season, the Big Red still has fewer seniors on its squad than any other class. Twenty of the team's 33 players are underclassmen, while just six – Megan Bartlett, Kelly Murphy, Abigail Apistolas, Abageal Vonderweidt, Brook Chang and Sidra Bonner – are seniors.

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 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 welcomes Patriot League foe Bucknell to Berman Field on Saturday, Sept. 10 before wrapping up the homestand against Binghamton on Wednesday, Sept. 14.