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ITHACA, N.Y. -- On an unseasonably chilly mid-September night at Berman Field, Rachel Nichols showed the ability to keep her cool in the most dramatic of times. After being taken down in the penalty box in overtime Friday night, the senior midfielder calmly converted the ensuing penalty kick to lead the Big Red women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Marist.

It took all of four games in the 2013 season for the women's soccer team to ensure itself of a better year than 2012. Cornell is now 2-1-1 heading into Sunday's match with Albany, as part of a three-game home stand.

As has been the trend in the early going this season, the Big Red held a decisive edge in first-half play. Junior midfielder Claire MacManus tested Marist starting goalkeeper Andrea Wicks twice in the first 16 minutes, and sophomore Caroline Growney also had an early opportunity.

Even though she didn't appear on the scoresheet, Growney played a key role in the Big Red's first goal by sending a long ball from the midfield onto the path of freshman Dempsey Banks. She continued her run into the left side of the box before cutting the ball back across the middle for classmate Elizabeth Crowell. She was able to step into a shot from 12 yards that sailed past the charging keeper and splashed into the middle of the net in the 27th minute. The goal is the first two points of Crowell's collegiate career, while Banks now has two assists.

But Marist (2-3-1) countered in the second half, finding the equalizer just shy of six minutes after the intermission. Similar to the Big Red goal, a long run into the left side of the box -- this time by Amanda Epstein -- preceded a pass to the middle that was converted to the right of the keeper. Tierney was aggressive off her line, but could do little more than get her fingertips on Samantha Panzner's finish, tying the game at 1.

It was the first goal Tierney has surrendered in 144 minutes this season. She was making her third appearance, but it was the freshman's first collegiate start. She finished the game with three saves.

The game nearly ended before overtime when Cornell threatened with a pair of corner kicks with about three minutes remaining in the second half. When the second one was cleared toward the midfield, freshman defender Kailey Joyce sent the ball back into traffic and sophomore midfielder Shanay Fischer set up Growney for a high menacing shot that was turned onto the bar by Marist's relief keeper, Tyler Shelby.

Overtime lasted 8 minutes, 6 seconds before Nichols was upended on a defender's challenge about 12 yards from the post to Shelby's left. Nichols then lined up a strike from the spot that skipping inches off the slick turf, leaving little chance for Shelby to slide to her right fast enough to intercept.

Cornell is over .500 four games into its season for the first time since 2005, when the Big Red enjoyed a season-opening six-game winning streak.