ITHACA, N.Y. — Undefeated after seven games for just the second time in program history and one of the country's two stingiest defenses, the women's soccer team wraps up Homecoming weekend with a 4 p.m. Sunday matchup against region rival Binghamton at Berman Field.  

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #8: Binghamton at Cornell
DATE: Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015
TIME: 4 p.m.
SITE: Charles F. Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
2015 RECORDS: Cornell 5-0-2, Binghamton 1-6-1
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
ALL-TIME SERIES: Cornell leads, 4-2-2
 
ABOUT CORNELL
The Big Red enters Sunday's game not only undefeated, but also unscathed defensively with seven shutouts through seven games. Most recently, Cornell (5-0-2) used a ninth-minute goal from sophomore forward Tess Pullano and three second-half saves from junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney to secure a 1-0 victory on the road Thursday against Seton Hall. Freshman forward Carolyn Ruoff earned the assist on Pullano's first collegiate goal by chipping a pass over a defender on a give-and-go. Last weekend, the Big Red outlasted heavy pressure from Syracuse to the tune of a scoreless draw before last Sunday's 1-0 victory at home against St. Bonaventure. … Freshman midfielder Jessica Ritchie scored her second goal of the season against the Bonnies and, alongside one assist, she now holds the team lead in scoring with five points. Junior midfielder Elizabeth Crowell and sophomore forward Paige DeLoach are tied with Ritchie for the team lead with two goals, and they are tied for second in team scoring with four points. Senior midfielder Amanda Gaggioli and Ruoff have the Big Red's other two goals this season.
 
RARIFIED AIR
There are 335 women's soccer programs in the NCAA Division I ranks, and Cornell joins nationally-ranked Rutgers (8-0) as the only two remaining teams in the country yet to concede a goal this season. Dating back to last season, which ended with a 1-0 victory over Ivy League contender Dartmouth, Cornell has eight consecutive shutouts and a run of 794 minutes, 5 seconds without retrieving the ball out of its own net. That's the second-longest such streak in the program's 34-year history, trailing a stretch of 939:24 from Oct. 7, 1987 to Sept. 17, 1988. … Cornell is also undefeated through seven games for just the second time in program history. The Big Red was 7-0-1 through eight games in 1991.
 
TIERNEY'S TALE
Not surprisingly, junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney (5-0-2, 16 saves) — who has played every minute of the season to date — has been raking in both regional and national accolades for the team's defensive prowess. Tierney was consecutively named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Sept. 7 and Sept. 14, the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9, and she was named the lone goalkeeper on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week for Sept. 6. The Ivy honors mark the first time Cornell has taken league player of the week accolades in consecutive weeks since 1988. Tierney has more than doubled her career shutout total in four weeks of this season, with her current total of 13 clean sheets ranking tied for fourth in program history with Katie Thomas (2001-04). Tierney also ranks sixth in career goals against average (1.17) and victories (15).
 
NONE SHALL PASS
While junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney hasn't surrendered a goal yet this season, she's also had a minimal workload in five or the Big Red's seven games. Excluding Tierney's six-save effort last Friday at Syracuse, she's only been called upon to make 10 stops in the Big Red's other six games — most of which were of the pedestrian variety. That's a credit to Cornell's back line, which has primarily featured junior Kailey Joyce and freshman Zoe McCormick as central defenders and senior Charlotte Tate and sophomore Whitney Farber on the flanks. Junior Taylor Wright and sophomore Kaylee Fitzgerald have seen time as reserves, and — after graduating three-time All-Ivy selection Claire MacManus '15 — the Big Red has received terrific play in the defensive midfield from seniors Shanay Fischer and Brenna Mockler, junior Aimee Tavzel and Fitzgerald.
 
TOPS IN THE TOURNEY
The Big Red won the Alumni Classic, which was hosted by St. Bonaventure from Sept. 4-6, with victories over Cleveland State (3-0) and Akron (2-0). As a result, Cornell placed four players on the all-tournament team — freshman forward Carolyn Ruoff scored her first collegiate goal, junior Elizabeth Crowell scored goals in both games, junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney made five saves and senior defender Charlotte Tate was a key part of both shutout victories.
 
LOOKING BACK
What a difference one win makes. With Brenna Mockler looping a shoot from 20 yards into the net for a 1-0 victory over Dartmouth in the 2014 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 282 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. … Cornell is seeking its first winning season in 13 years.
 
HEAD COACH PATRICK FARMER
Now in his 23rd season as a head coach in the NCAA, Patrick Farmer is in 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 served as a head coach at Ithaca College, Penn State, Tennessee Tech and Syracuse, and his career record as NCAA head coach now stands at 286-140-45. 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 as an assistant coach 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. 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.
 
YOUTH IS SERVED
The Big Red is carrying a roster of 28 players this season, but only four are seniors. There are also eight juniors, nine sophomores and seven freshmen on the roster. Of Cornell's 127 points over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, 99 were produced by players who are still on the team, and 81 were produced by underclassmen.

NATIONAL APPEAL
The Big Red has 11 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, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.
 
ABOUT BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats lost their sixth straight game on Friday, when they conceded an early goal and couldn't rally in a 1-0 setback at Fairleigh Dickinson. Since a season-opening 2-1 victory over St. Bonaventure nearly a month ago, Binghamton has scored just twice in its next seven games. … Julianne Johnston and Stephani Church have two goals apiece, and Sierra Barr and Leighann Bennett — the latter a graduate of nearby Dryden High School — have the squad's two assists to date. … Katie Hatziyianis has started all eight games in goal, accruing a 1-6-1 record with a 1.97 goals against average and .750 save percentage.
 
THE SERIES WITH BINGHAMTON
The Big Red expanded its all-time series lead against Binghamton to 4-2-2 last season when senior midfielder Shanay Fischer converted a header on a cross from sophomore forward Tess Pullano in the final minute of the first overtime period to give visiting Cornell a 1-0 victory. Junior Kelsey Tierney made one save in the first half, but junior Dana Daniels earned the victory without making a save over the final 54-plus minutes of the game. Cornell also won the last meeting between the teams at Berman Field, 2-0, on Sept. 18, 2013.

UP NEXT
Cornell opens Ivy League play at 7 p.m. Friday against Columbia at Berman Field. The Big Red then hits the road for a non-league contest at 3 p.m. Sunday against Wagner on Staten Island.