NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The women's soccer team conceded a goal off a free kick in the 31st minute, then couldn't battle back on Sunday in a 1-0 loss to Iona at Mazzella Field.
 
Coming off her first collegiate shutout in a scoreless draw Thursday at Syracuse, senior goalkeeper Miranda Iannone was strong in her next outing with five saves – but she had no chance to stop the game's lone goal on Sunday. Long service on a line into traffic at the top of the 18-yard box was headed with power by Kedarjah Lewis into the net toward the far post.
 
Cornell (1-3-2) failed to score for a third straight game. While the Big Red's 11 shots were tied for its second-most in a contest this season, nine of those efforts were off target. Emma Havrilla needed to make just two saves to record the shutout for Iona (3-3).
 
"It's very disappointing. I guess you could say we got we deserved," head coach Rob Ferguson said. "The attitude and mindset that we started the game with was far too relaxed. We lacked intensity, we lacked desire, and we didn't execute tactically."
 
Entering a stretch of three games in six days as it goes into Ivy League play, the Big Red found itself in a position of favoring rest for some of its most leaned-upon players in the early going. That led to a starting lineup that largely differed from what the squad deployed against Villanova and Syracuse – its two most previous games that didn't result in any victories, but did produce encouraging performances against teams with lofty records. Among those starters was junior Ashley Durik, a recipient of All-Ivy League honorable mention in 2019 before missing the first four games of this season due to injury.
 
Durik was largely at the helm of the Big Red's attack all day, generating a team-high three shots. One of those came in the game's seventh minute to force a save from Havrilla – but undoubtedly Cornell's best scoring chance on the day came when a quick restart on a free kick from the left flank sent Durik around the edge of the defense. Her cross toward the top of the 6-yard box slipped between the goalkeeper's gloves and into prime scoring position, but a Big Red attacker put the rebound wide of the cage in the 22nd minute.
 
The Gaels would strike about nine minutes later after a foul about 30 yards from goal. Each of the goals conceded by the Big Red over the last three games have been created by set pieces – two off free kicks and one from the penalty spot.
 
Cornell applied pressure early in the second half. Senior Victoria Bubrick's shot from the corner of the 18-yard box narrowly went over the crossbar at the near post in the 47th minute. A couple minutes later, deft passing in tight quarters resulting in freshman Peyton Nichols' run into the box before a defender broke it up. The ensuing corner kick from sophomore Sophie Weeter created a tricky short-hop for the goalkeeper at the near post, but Havrilla was able to smother it.

"We huffed and puffed a little more in the second half, but there were 10 players behind the ball for the most part," Ferguson said. "It's very hard to break a team down that way."
 
With the Big Red starting to press forward more and more, Iannone made a pair of key saves later in the second half to keep the Big Red's deficit at a minimum. The first came in the 65th minute when she charged off her line to stop an open Kiera Haggerty shot from 10 yards; the second on a dive to her right in the 79th on Faith Perziosi's counterattack into the box.
 
Cornell's last gasps created some nervous moments for the hosts. With less than three minutes to play, a free kick from the middle third looked to be destined to roll over the end line before freshman Caroline Kirby outfoxed a shielding defender to keep the play alive. She then set up freshman Alex Brotherton for a shot inside the box that was blocked, then the rebound from there created a free kick from 22 yards after freshman Reinna Gabriel was fouled. The blast from the restart vaulted over the crossbar.
  
The Big Red returns home for its next game, when it hosts Binghamton at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Berman Field.

Assistant director of athletic communications Brandon Thomas is in his 11th season as his office's primary contact for the team. He can be reached at brandon@cornell.edu.

Starting XI