ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's soccer team will be seeking its best start to a season since 2005 this weekend, when it takes on Cleveland State and Akron at the Alumni Classic, hosted by St. Bonaventure. The Big Red is 1-0-1 after a scoreless draw against Siena and 2-0 victory vs. Loyola.
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #3: Cornell vs. Cleveland State
DATE: Friday, Sept. 4, 2015
TIME: 4 p.m.
SITE: Tom '80 and Michelle Marra Athletics Field Complex – Olean, N.Y. (artificial surface)
2015 RECORDS: Cornell 1-0-1, Cleveland State 3-1-1
LIVE STATS: GoBonnies.com
 
GAME #4: Cornell vs. Akron
DATE: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015
TIME: Noon
SITE: Tom '80 and Michelle Marra Athletics Field Complex – Olean, N.Y. (artificial surface)
2015 RECORDS (not including Friday's games): Cornell 1-0-1, Akron 2-0-1
LIVE STATS: GoBonnies.com


ABOUT CORNELL
Playing the program's first two August home games, the Big Red came through games with Siena and Loyola undefeated and defensively unscathed last weekend. Cornell clearly had the upper hand both contests, including a wide 22-3 margin in shots in the scoreless draw against Siena. While Sunday's game against Loyola was more territorially even, the Big Red broke through with freshman midfielder Jessica Ritchie's first collegiate goal in the 34th minute on a glancing header off freshman defender Zoe McCormick's free kick from the right side. Sophomore Paige DeLoach scored her second career goal in the second half after freshman midfielder Rowan Glass' shot from 15 yards bounced off the post.
 
STINGY START
For the second straight season, the Big Red has not conceded a goal in either of its first two games. In fact, junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney was not even called upon to make her first save of the season until 185 minutes, 25 seconds of game time had elapsed. Tierney later made a second save against Loyola en route to her eighth career shutout, which moves her into sole possession of seventh on the program's all-time leaders for clean sheets. She also ranks seventh in all-time victories (11) and sixth in goals-against average (1.38). As of Wednesday, the Big Red is one of 15 teams nationally that has yet to concede a goal.
 
THE HUNT FOR HISTORY
With two wins this weekend, the Big Red would be undefeated through four games for the first time since 2005. Cornell got off to a 3-0 start with three clean sheets last season, but lost to Temple in its fourth game.

LOOKING BACK
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 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 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.
 
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 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.
 
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 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 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 THE ALUMNI CLASSIC
The Alumni Classic is in its inaugural season, though it's related to and will follow the same format as Cornell's 2014 Big Red Shootout. In both seasons, Cornell and St. Bonaventure are in the tournament field but won't play each other, though the team traveling to the tournament hosts the other team in a non-league game later in the season. The non-Cornell games at the event are Akron vs. St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. Friday and Cleveland State vs. St. Bonaventure at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The tournament format will award three points for a victory, one point for a draw and no points for a loss. The order of tiebreakers to declare a champion are head-to-head result, goals scored, then goal differential. An all-tournament team of 11 players is expected to be announced by Sunday evening.
 
ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE
The Vikings are off to a solid 3-1-1 start, though they're coming a 4-2 loss Tuesday at Akron in which all six goals were scored in the second half. Senior Allie Sieradzki scored on a penalty kick, and junior forward Kaila Sargema converted a loose ball in the 87th minute. The loss ended a three-game winning streak against Chicago State (7-0), Eastern Kentucky (2-1) and Ohio (2-0). Cleveland State kicked off the campian with a 1-1 draw against Butler. … Sargema, an all-league second team pick in 2014, leads the team with three goals and six points, while senior Chloe Fadenholz ranks second with five points on two goals and an assist. Senior forward Vicki Havas and Sieradzki also have two goals apiece, and freshman McKenna Vento had a team-high four assists. … Junior Jamie Daniels (3-1-1, 1.24 goals-against average, .813 save percentage, one shutout) has started the last four games in goal.
 
ABOUT AKRON
The Zips are off to a 2-0-1 start under first-year head coach Noreen Herlihy after posting a 6-12-1 record last season. Akron started with a 4-0 rout of Bryant on Aug. 21, then hit the road for a scoreless draw against Niagara last Friday. The Zips then scored four second-half goals in a 4-2 victory over Cleveland State on Tuesday night. … Senior forward Katie George has four of Akron's eight goals to date, and sophomore forward Raechel Eck has accounted for two more. Junior forwards Sarah Sivic and Karin Norman have the other two goals, while Sivic and freshman forward Rachel Baughman have two assists apiece. Junior Annabelle Hegeman (2-0-1, 0.64 goals-against average, .750 percentage, one shutout) has started all three games in goal after primarily serving as the backup to senior Klaire Adee last season.
 
NEW FACES IN A FAMILIAR PLACE
This weekend will be the first time Cornell has played Cleveland State or Akron, though both games will be played on a field at St. Bonaventure that the Big Red saw last season. These games are also Cornell's only contests this season against opponents from the Mid-American Conference (Akron) and Horizon Conference (Cleveland State).

UP NEXT
The Big Red travels to Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 11 before returning home to take on St. Bonaventure at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13 at Berman Field. Cornell's last two non-conference games before Ivy League play starts are Sept. 17 at Seton Hall and Sept. 20 against regional rival Binghamton at home.