ITHACA, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Evanthia Spyredes scored her first goal of the season just three minutes into the first half, and the Cornell women's soccer team stayed unbeaten at Berman Field with a 1-1 tie against Binghamton on Wednesday night. The Big Red moved to 4-1-1 on the season, and its 3-0-1 record at home matches it best start at Berman since 2007.
 
Coming of its first loss of the season and with three starters out of the lineup, Cornell got a dream start. Though the goal was officially unassisted, freshman Sara DeGraw started the play with a long throw-in from the right touch line into the penalty area. There, senior forward Kennedy Yearby flicked the ball toward goal. The Binghamton (6-2-1) goalkeeper came out to corral it, but the ball slipped through her arms and underneath. That left a 50/50 ball between Spyredes and the last defender near the top of the 6-yard box, with the defender's toe-poke sending the ball off Spyredes' shin and into the net. It was Spyredes' second collegiate goal.
 
But instead of having an energizing effect, the Big Red sagged after taking the lead. The Bearcats took a significant advantage in time of possession and kept Cornell pinned in its own end of the field. By the 16-minute mark, Binghamton produced an equalizer. After a corner kick was partially cleared, Olivia McKnight quickly turned the ball back into the penalty area for Stefania Piantadosi to deftly deflect across the top of the 6-yard box. Erin Theiller managed to stay onside and booted it into a wide-open net.
 
Cornell regained its footing soon there after and had a couple of threats before the half. Spyredes sent a through ball from the right side to freshman Ashley Durik running up the middle, but her shot from the top of the 18-yard box labeled for the upper-right corner of the net was turned over the bar by Binghamton goalkeeper Haylee Poltorak. Less than three minutes later, freshman Emily St. John played Durik up the left side and into the box, but her shot from 12 yards sailed wide of the far post.
 
Senior Chrissy Mayer made four saves in goal, with perhaps the best coming at the 70-minute mark. Theiller served a long ball from the middle third over the back line for McKnight to run on to in the box, but Mayer was quick off her line to cut the play down. Six minutes later, the best of her handful of punches on the night thwarted deep service on one of the Bearcats' seven corner kicks.
 
The Big Red's first venture into overtime this season didn't result in a winner, though the Big Red had the only shot on target in the extra 20 minutes.
 
Cornell is back in action at 3 p.m. Saturday, when it travels to New York to take on St. John's. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.