LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — The Cornell women's soccer team will embark on its 35th season this weekend, kicking off the year Sunday at Siena. The Big Red is entering its fifth season under the direction of head coach Patrick Farmer, looking to build on a breakthrough 2015 campaign in which it posted a 9-4-4 record.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Cornell at Siena
DATE: Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016
TIME: 1 p.m.
SITE: Siena Field – Loudonville, N.Y. (natural surface)
2016 RECORDS (not including Friday's result): Cornell 0-0, Siena 0-0-2
LIVE STATS: http://www.sienasaints.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wsoccer.html?event=1506283&school=sien&sport=wsoccer&camefrom=&startschool=&

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is coming off a memorable season in which it accomplished a host of heights the program has not seen recently. The Big Red was the last Division I women's team in the country to concede a goal, recording 10 consecutive shutouts and a program-record shutout streak of 1,059 minutes, 19 seconds dating back to November 2014. Cornell's undefeated mark through 11 games was also a first in program history, and the team's final record of 9-4-4 marked its best finish since 1995. Both the starting goalkeeper (senior Kelsey Tierney) and both primary central defenders (senior Kailey Joyce and sophomore Zoe McCormick) return to the Big Red this year. ... Senior midfielder Elizabeth Crowell led the team in scoring for a second straight year with nine points. The All-Ivy League first team selection had four goals and one assist, with her goal total tying for the team lead with junior forward Paige DeLoach. Sophomore midfielder Jessica Ritchie had two goals and an assist for five points last year, while sophomore midfielder Carolyn Ruoff is the only returning player with two assists last year. … For a full preview of the Big Red's 2016 season, click here.
 
HEAD COACH PATRICK FARMER
Now in his 24th season as a head coach in the NCAA, Patrick Farmer is entering his fifth 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 fifth season as an assistant coach after serving as the head coach of SUNY Cortland men's soccer for eight years, and the Big Red has added two new coaches for this year. Longtime Le Moyne head coach Tracey Leipold will join the Big Red staff as an assistant coach, and Megan Giles is the new volunteer assistant coach after winning two All-Southland Conference honors during her four-year career at Oral Roberts.
 
TIERNEY'S TALE
Senior Kelsey Tierney played every minute of the historic season in goal for the Big Red last year, helping the team tie a program single-season record with 12 shutouts and earning All-Ivy League first team honors. Tierney led the nation in goals against average for much of the season and finished the year ranked seventh (0.50), and she also ranked 13th in save percentage (.868). Her 12 shutouts ranked fourth in the nation. Tierney's total of 18 clean sheets heading into this season ranks third in program history behind Melissa Gambrell (22) and Sue DeLong (20). Tierney also ranks tied for fifth in career victories (19) and sixth in career goals against average (1.10). Tierney and classmate Elizabeth Crowell gave the Big Red its first All-Ivy first-teamers since 1995.
 
A CALL TO ARMBANDS
Seniors Kelsey Tierney, Kailey Joyce and Elizabeth Crowell will serve as the Big Red's tri-captains this season. The group has three All-Ivy League selection between them, providing the Big Red with leadership that has logged significant minutes over their collegiate careers.
 
QUICK STARTERS
Cornell has had great success in the 32 season openers in the program's history, picking up a 18-10-5 mark in the first game of the season. Even though the Big Red played to a scoreless draw against Siena to kick off last season, the 2014 season began with a 1-0 victory at Massachusetts on the strength of a goal from Caroline Growney '16 in the final minute of the second overtime session.
 
BALANCING ACT
For the first time in Patrick Farmer's tenure as the head coach, the Big Red has a balanced roster in terms of age and production. Cornell is carrying a roster of 30 players, including seven seniors. There are also nine juniors, six sophomores and eight freshmen on the roster. Of Cornell's 108 points over the last two seasons, 63 were produced by players who are still on the team.

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 nine players. Cornell has three players each that hail from California and Maryland, two each from the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and one each from Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Texas. The nine players from New York marks the most on a Cornell roster since it had 15 Empire State natives on the 1997 squad.
 
ABOUT SIENA
The Saints enter Friday evening's game against Albany on the heels of consecutive draws to start the season for the first time in program history. Siena debuted with a scoreless deadlock at New Hampshire, then two days later rallied for a 1-1 draw at Lafayette on the strength of an 88th-minute goal from junior Kelsey Horst. That goal helped Siena push its record to 6-1-3 in its last 10 games dating back to last year, when it finished with a surge and won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship. The lone loss in that stretch was a 5-0 loss to nationally-ranked Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA tournament. … Senior back Tara Sobierajski is a two-time All-MAAC first team selection, and junior midfielder Madison Vazquez was an All-MAAC second team pick a season ago. Vazquez led the team in goals (seven) and points (16) last year, two points ahead of junior forward Meghan Riccardi. … Steve Karbowski is in his 18th season as the head coach of his alma mater.
 
THE SERIES WITH SIENA
The Big Red and Saints have crossed paths twice once before, including a scoreless draw in Cornell's season opener last year that saw the Big Red hold a dominating 22-3 advantage in shots. The previous meeting also came at Berman Field on Sept. 14, 2007, resulting in a 3-0 Cornell victory. The Big Red scored twice in the opening 15 minutes and eventually posted its second and final clean sheet of that season.

UP NEXT
Cornell will make its southern-most trip of the season when plays Friday, Sept. 2 at Loyola before returning to Ithaca for its home opener against Syracuse at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4 on the revamped natural playing surface on Berman Field.