ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's soccer team turned in its best effort in several weeks and dominated Colgate in terms of possession and scoring chances for much of Tuesday night's game, but the Raiders took advantage of an opportunity in the 82nd minute to secure a 1-0 non-league victory on a crisp night at Berman Field.
 
Cornell (4-6-1) had eight of the game's nine shots in the first half, including five on target that forced saves from Colgate (2-8-3) goalkeeper Sophia Boggs. The Raiders' lone shot didn't come until just 32 seconds remained before the intermission, when Nicole Apuzzi's shot from 25 yards forced freshman goalkeeper Nicole Shulman to stretch for a save near the crossbar.
 
The Big Red kept some pressure on early in the second half, with sophomore Evanthia Spyredes coming closest to a goal with a lengthy shot in the 56th minute that sailed over Boggs only to hit high off the left post. The Raiders then found some traction inside the final 20 minutes of the game, leading up to the winner.
 
Colgate took a throw-in from the right about 20 yards off the goal line, leading to a cross from Dom DeMarco. A mix-up in defensive assignments left the Big Red exposed in the middle, essentially giving the Raiders a two-on-one from 10 yards. Abby Sotomayor steered the cross into the pass of Hannah Pinkus, who took a shot that was parried away. But the ball came right back to her, and she buried the second chance with just 8:05 left on the clock.
 
Freshmen Emily St. John and Ashley Durik led Cornell with three shots apiece, collectively accounting for half of the team's total of 12 for the night. Freshman Liza Mariner forced saves with both of her shots. Shulman finished the game with three saves.
 
Cornell returns to Ivy League play for the rest of its season, starting with a visit to upstart Yale at 1 p.m. Saturday.