ITHACA, N.Y. – The women's soccer team created its fair share of opportunities on Friday night, but Buffalo proved more opportunistic in scoring a pair of second-half goals to depart Berman Field with a 2-0 victory over the Big Red.
 
Cornell (1-1) held a slim 15-14 advantage in shots with nine on target, marking the first time an opponent has made nine saves in a victory against the Big Red since Albany on Sept. 9, 2012.
 
"We did a great job of generating chances and we went toe-to-toe with the other team, but a lot of shots went straight at their goalkeeper," head coach Dwight Hornibrook said. "It all came down to the fact that we didn't put any chances in, and they did. That was it. End of story."
 
Buffalo (2-1) forward Carissima Cutrona broke the ice in the 50th minute with her first goal of the season off a post-corner kick scramble, then she set up Marcy Barberic's goal on the break in the 73rd minute. But both goalkeepers were tested repeatedly earlier.
 
Making her return to the lineup after nearly a year on the shelf with an injury, Karli Berry got involved immediately. Aidan Julia Reineman's deft pass put Berry behind the defense in the seventh minute, and only a diving left-handed save from Buffalo goalkeeper Emily Kelly kept it out of the net.
 
The Bulls countered three minutes on a strong offering from about 20 yards from Gianna Yurchak, but Meghan Kennedy got a strong hand to it and cleared it over the crossbar. Kennedy was called upon to make another big save in the 34th minute, coming off her line to paw away a shot from Barberic. Kennedy would cap the night with five saves.
 
After Buffalo took the lead, Reineman generated a couple of threats to pull Cornell even before Barberic's insurance goal. The first came in the 60th minute, when she took a shot from about 25 yards that required Kelly to push the ball over the bar. About three minutes later, Reineman made a slick move around a defender on the left side and teed up Juliana Comer for a shot from the top of the box that Kelly corralled.
 
Cornell continues a busy stretch of four games in 10 days with a holiday road trip to Siena at 3 p.m. Monday before returning home to take on Le Moyne at 7 p.m. Wednesday.