ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's soccer team will embark on its 34th season this weekend, marking the earliest two home games in program history. The Big Red is looking to build on its best season in 12 years as it enters its fourth year under the direction of head coach Patrick Farmer.
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #1: Siena at Cornell
DATE: Friday, Aug. 28, 2015
TIME: 7 p.m.
SITE: Charles F. Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
2015 RECORDS: Cornell 0-0, Siena 0-1-1
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
 
GAME #2: Loyola at Cornell
DATE: Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015
TIME: 1 p.m.
SITE: Charles F. Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
2015 RECORDS (not including Friday's games): Cornell 0-0, Loyola 0-2
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com

ABOUT THE BIG RED
What a difference one win makes. With sophomore Brenna Mockler looping a shoot from 20 yards into the net for a 1-0 victory over Dartmouth in the season finale, the Big Red won its eighth game in a season and its second game within Ivy League play for the first time since 2002. The program is now three years into its transformation under head coach Patrick Farmer, who has amassed 277 victories over his career. The team started strong in 2014 with wins in five of its first six games. Among the victories in that stretch was a 3-2 come-from-behind win against Buffalo, which then went on a 14-game unbeaten streak and MAC championship. … Junior Elizabeth Crowell led the team with six goals and 14 points, the latter of which was one better than senior Caroline Growney. Both earned All-Ivy Honorable Mention, as did senior defender Charlotte Tate. Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney had four shutouts in her first season as the primary starter and has already moved into the program's Top 10 all-time lists in wins (10), shutouts (six) and goals-against average (1.50). … Cornell is seeking its first winning season in 13 years. The Big Red was 8-9 in 2014.
 
ABOUT SIENA
The Saints kicked off their season on the road last weekend with a 3-3 tie against Holy Cross and a 4-1 setback at Hartford. In the opener against the Crusaders, Sophomore Madison Vasquez scored twice in the opening 46 minutes, then assisted on sophomore Kaela Mahoney's equalizer with 1:15 left in regulation time. Senior Kirby O'Keefe had Siena's other goal on the weekend, breaking up Hartford's shutout bid in the 89th minute of Sunday's contest. … Junior defender Tara Sobierajski, an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first team selection last season, earned her second assist of the season on O'Keefe's goal. … Senior goalkeeper Liz Rogan has 14 saves over the two games. … Steve Karbowski is in his 17th season at the helm of the Saints.
 
THE SERIES WITH SIENA
The Big Red and Saints have crossed paths just once before, resulting a 3-0 victory for Cornell on Sept. 14, 2007 at Berman Field. The Big Red scored twice in the opening 15 minutes and eventually posted its second and final clean sheet of that season. The win kicked off a three-match winning streak.
 
ABOUT LOYOLA
The Greyhounds have dropped their first two games of the season, suffering a 2-1 loss in double overtime against Delaware on Friday and a 2-0 setback against Monmouth in a Tuesday matinee. Loyola's first road game is scheduled for Friday afternoon at Temple before its visit to Berman Field. … Senior midfielder Rosy Hayes has Loyola's lone goal, assisted by junior defender Morgan Crable. Grad student Colleen Folan has 12 saves while conceding four goals. … Naomi Meiburger is in her second season as Loyola's head coach, leading the team to a Patriot League tournament berth last year. The Greyhounds were 6-9-4 in 2014.
 
THE SERIES WITH LOYOLA
This season marks the 23rd in which both Cornell and Loyola have fielded varsity women's soccer teams, but Sunday's game between the two will be the first in their histories. Alongside Boston University, the Greyhounds are one of the newest members of the Patriot League.
 
HEAD COACH PATRICK FARMER
Now in his 23rd season as a head coach in the NCAA, Patrick Farmer is entering his fourth season as the Cornell women's soccer program's fifth head coach. Farmer came 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. Dwight Hornibrook is in his fourth season as an assistant coach after serving as the head coach of SUNY Cortland men's soccer for eight years, and 2012 D3Soccer.com Goalkeeper of the Year Becca Salant has joined the staff for the 2015 campaign.
 
A CALL TO ARMBANDS
Senior defender Charlotte Tate and senior midfielder Shanay Fischer are the Big Red's co-captains this season. It's just the third time in the last nine years that the Big Red has had fewer than three captains, with 2014 (Sydney Cetrullo and Claire MacManus), 2011 (Abigail Apistolas and Sidra Bonner) and 2009 (Katie Hayes and Lena Russomagno) being the other occurrences in that span. Fischer is in her third season with the Big Red after starting her collegiate career at Saint Peter's, and Tate is a four-year starter who earned All-Ivy League honorable mention in 2014.
 
QUICK STARTERS
Cornell has had great success in the 32 season openers in the program's history, picking up a 18-10-4 mark in the first game of the season. That trend resumed last season, with a 1-0 overtime victory at Massachusetts on the strength of a last-minute goal from senior Caroline Growney.
 
YOUTH IS SERVED
The Big Red is carrying a roster of 29 players this season, but only five are seniors. There are also eight juniors, nine sophomores and seven freshmen on the roster. Of Cornell's 127 points over the last two seasons, 99 were produced by players who are still on the team, and 81 were produced by underclassmen.

NATIONAL APPEAL
The Big Red has 12 different states and the District of Columbia represented on the team roster, with its home state of New York claiming seven players. Cornell has five players that hail from California, three each from Illinois and Ohio, two each from Maryland and Oregon, and single representatives from Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.

UP NEXT
Cornell will play three consecutive games away from home for the only time this season, starting with neutral-site contests against Cleveland State on Friday, Sept. 4 and Akron on Sunday, Sept. 6 at St. Bonaventure's Alumni Classic. The Big Red travels to Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 11 before returning home to take on Bona at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.