The long road at the start of the season for the Cornell women's soccer team comes to close Wednesday when the Big Red's season-opening stretch of five games away from home concludes with a non-league game at Binghamton.
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #5: Cornell at Binghamton
DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012
TIME: 7 p.m.
SITE: Vestal, N.Y. – Bearcats Sports Complex
2012 RECORDS: Cornell 0-4, Binghamton 4-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 1-0, on Sept. 14, 2011 in Ithaca, N.Y.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 2-1-2
LIVE STATS: http://www.bubearcats.com/sports/wsoc/live/xlive.htm
VIDEO (fee): http://www.bubearcats.tv/

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell will be seeking its first win of the season after falling last weekend to Colgate and Albany by scores of 3-1 and 5-2, respectively. The Big Red held tough Friday against Colgate, the preseason Patriot League favorite, taking a 1-1 tie into halftime on the strength of Jayann Gabrio goal. The senior defender drilled a free kick from 50 yards that deflected off a defender's head and zipped by the Raiders' keeper for Gabrio's second goal off a dead ball in as many games. Senior Xandra Hompe then scored twice in the second half two days later against Albany, with less than 12 minutes separating the strikes. It was the first multiple-goal game in Hompe's collegiate soccer career — though she once scored two goals in a game for the women's hockey team. The goals tie Hompe with Gabrio for the team scoring lead with two goals for four points apiece.
 
ABOUT BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats are off to a hot start, winning four of their first five games — including an overtime triumph over Siena on Friday night. Senior forward Sarah Furminger scored the winner in the first minute of extra time, lobbing a sharp-angle shot over the Saints' keeper for her fourth goal in as many games. Furminger also has an assist, giving her the team scoring lead with nine points — three points ahead of classmate Jamie Holliday, who has one goal and four assists for six points. Juniors Stephanie Spiers and Carrie Martin have split time in goal, with Martin earning three of the squad's four victories. The Bearcats were selected to finish eighth among America East's nine teams in the league's preseason head coaches poll.
 
THE SERIES WITH BINGHAMTON
The Big Red is 2-1-2 all-time against the Bearcats, having gone undefeated in the last three matchups — including victories in each of the last two seasons. A scoreless draw in 2009 was followed up by a 3-1 Big Red victory on Sept. 22, 2010. Maneesha Chitanvis had a goal and an assist in that game, and Rachel Nichols scored her first collegiate goal later in the game. Last season's affair featured just one goal, scored by Cornell substitute Xandra Hompe in the 47th minute. The Big Red is 16-10-5 all-time against teams currently in the America East Conference.
 
HEAD COACH PATRICK FARMER
Now in his 20th season as a head coach in the NCAA, Patrick Farmer has been selected as the Cornell women's soccer program's fifth head coach. Farmer comes to the Big Red via the University of Wisconsin, where he served as an assistant coach with the Badgers' women's soccer team for three years. Prior to his stint at Wisconsin, Farmer has amassed a 261-97-40 record at Ithaca College, Penn State, Tennessee Tech and Syracuse. He also served as a head coach at the professional level for two seasons, heading the New York Power of the Women's United Soccer Association. Megan Ramey returns to Cornell for her second season as an assistant coach, and Dwight Hornibrook has also joined the staff as an assistant coach after serving as the head of SUNY Cortland men's soccer for the last eight years.
 
A YEAR OF FIRSTS
All three of the Big Red's goals during the season-opening D.C. Invitational were the first of the scorer's respective collegiate careers. Sophomore forward Jaclyn Katz tallied Cornell's goal in the opener against nationally ranked Georgetown, then senior defender Jayann Gabrio and sophomore midfielder Clara Gallagher scored on Labor Day at George Washington.
 
TWO-SPORT STARS
The Big Red roster features two players that compete in other varsity sports on East Hill. Senior forward Xandra Hompe is also a member of the women's hockey team, which has advanced to the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in each of the last three seasons, and sophomore Claire MacManus is a midfielder with the women's lacrosse team. Both Hompe (9) and MacManus (16) wear the same number in both sports.

YOUTH IS STILL SERVED
After dressing just two seniors in 2010 and six last season, the Big Red still has a decidedly young slant to its roster. Nineteen of the team's 30 players are underclassmen, including 10 sophomores and nine freshmen.
 
SHE'S HONORED
Senior forward Maneesha Chitanvis has earned All-Ivy League honorable mention in each of the last two seasons, despite often drawing double-teams from opposing defenses. Chitanvis had five goals and two assists for a team-leading 12 points in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons, scoring two of those goals in Ivy League play both years.
 
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
The Big Red will have tri-captains for the fourth time in six years with seniors Maneesha Chitanvis and Jayann Gabrio, and junior goalkeeper Tori Christ wearing the armbands. Chitanvis (Los Alamos, N.M.) is the program's first captain to come to East Hill via the Land of Enchantment. Christ (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Gabrio (Honolulu, Hawaii) are the first Big Red captains from their respective states since 2005, when the team's co-captains were Shannon Fraser (Hamilton, N.Y.) and Kara Ishikawa (Mililani, Hawaii).

NATIONAL APPEAL
The Big Red has 14 different states represented on the team roster, with its home state of New York having five players on the roster. Cornell has four players that hail from New Jersey, three from Michigan, two each from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California, Virginia, Connecticut and New Mexico, and single representatives of Hawaii, Ohio, Maryland and Colorado.

UP NEXT
Cornell will finally open the home portion of its schedule at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, when it plays host to Sacred Heart of the Northeast Conference. The Big Red will then close out a stretch of three games in five days with a Sunday matinee at La Salle before embarking on Ivy League play Friday, Sept. 21 at Columbia.