By Brandon Thomas
Cornell Athletic Communications
 
ITHACA, N.Y. — Senior Evanthia Spyredes scored in the 83rd minute, classmate Miranda Iannone made four saves for her second collegiate shutout, and the Cornell women's soccer team did something on Saturday that it hadn't done since anyone on its team bench arrived on East Hill – win an Ivy League game. Cornell's 1-0 victory over Columbia at Berman Field was the program's first in Ancient Eight play since Nov. 5, 2016, serving as a pivotal benchmark in the program's rebuild under head coach Rob Ferguson.
 
"It's enjoyable and the emotions are off the chart, but what it really is – it's justification," he said. "It's justification for what we've done. For how much hard work they've put into it; for how much they've bought into not just how we want to play or how we want to train, but the culture, the attitude and the mind set. And, really, we're not even close to where it can end up."
 
But for now, it's a moment to savor.
 
In ending a seven-game winless skid, Cornell (2-5-2, 1-0 Ivy League) went shoulder-to-shoulder with a historically strong program and not only generated the breakthrough goal late in the second half, it played with poise in the final seven minutes to stay in front and send the players into an exuberant celebration befitting of ending a 21-game drought against Ivy League competition. And yet, within a positive result that's proved elusive over recent years, there was a sense of expectation.
 
"I think our coaches implemented a really, really strong training plan this week to prepare for conference play," Spyredes said. "I think we were kind of burned out at the end of out-of-conference play. We had a lot of games back-to-back-to-back. I think we just needed that two-day rest during Homecoming to regroup mentally and physically. So we came in fresh."
 
The mid-season reboot followed a physically demanding stretch of three games in six days. The losses to Iona on Sept. 12 and Binghamton on Sept. 15 were particularly disappointing in most facets, but the most recent setback was different – and in a way, it set the stage for Saturday's scene.
 
Last Friday at two-time defending America East champion Stony Brook, the Big Red took a one-goal lead with a goal in the 84th minute. It was the team's best chance to win since its season debut against Canisius on Aug. 27 and essentially pick itself up of the mat heading into the gantlet of Ivy League play.
 
But that window of opportunity proved to be fleeting. Stony Brook scored its own equalizer to send the game to overtime, and the hosts needed less than two minutes of extra time to net a golden goal and escape with a 4-3 victory over Cornell. The hard times of the Big Red's recent years were on full display in allowing the Seawolves to rally.
 
"We left Stony Brook thinking we have to learn how to win," Ferguson said. "We have to believe we deserve to win, because we should have won at Stony Brook. But we scored today similar to the time there, but against Stony Brook we froze. We panicked. We dropped off. Everything changed."
 
It was a different script against the Lions, really as it had been since the start. The entire game featured energy and urgency befitting of the teams' Ivy League debut. After conceding a goal within five minutes in its two most recent games, the Big Red prioritized a better start to the game and delivered. Iannone made her presence known early on with a save on Madi Pilla's lofted shot from 25 yards in the 15th minute, which the goalkeeper pushed over the crossbar.
 
About three minutes later, Cornell made a bid to take an early advantage in the aftermath of a corner kick. Freshman Cecily Pokigo and fifth year Naomi Jaffe kept the play alive in the 18-yard box to set up sophomore Ava Laden with a toe-poke from near the penalty spot that beat the goalkeeper – only to be cleared off the line inside the far post by the Lions' Rylee Hanna.
 
Columbia (5-3-1, 0-1), which came into the day on a five-game winning streak, had its best chances to strike first early in the second half. Pilla's direct shot off a corner kick in the 55th minute was swatted away by Iannone, then she faced a clear breakaway from Nata Ramirez three minutes later. Iannone came off her line and forced Ramirez to dribble around her, but junior Kendall Patten's full-stride retreat to the goal mouth forced a rushed shot from Ramirez on the angle to miss wide of the near post.
 
"Starting strong was a process goal for the week: Win the momentum of the game," Ferguson said. "The outcome goal was to score first. It took 83 minutes, but we did that."
 
That came on Spyredes' fifth career goal. Patten – who anchored the central defense alongside Pokigo – earned the assist with free-kick service from near the center circle. The ball came in on a line, and Spyredes stepped in front of a defender near the spot to perfectly angle a header back on one bounce inside the near post.
 
"It's been a long time coming, and to be honest, the goal was a team goal. 100%," Spyredes said. "It was for all of our players who have gone down with career- and season-ending injuries. This was a great team win."
 
Armed with a little traction, Cornell heads into its next game at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 at Penn. And it showed that the tribulation of unfavorable results can serve a positive purpose in short order.
 
"There were so many things that we could draw from that (Stony Brook) game that were really positive," Ferguson said. "We had a good talk right after the game, and there were plenty of tears with the defeat.
 
"But today was different," he added. "Happy tears everywhere."
 
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.