VILLANOVA, Pa. — It may have been a second straight multiple-goal loss for the Cornell women's soccer team on Sunday, but the 2-0 decision against Villanova at Campolo Field had a completely different feel than the season's first setback.
 
The Big Red fell behind in just the game's fourth minute and then saw the deficit double before the half was out, but the balance of play outside those two brief moments was largely among the team's strongest efforts through four games. For the first time, no goals came out of the resilience, but Cornell (1-2-1) kept the result in doubt longer than Villanova (5-0) would have liked.
 
"A full 90 minutes against a top team in the country and they couldn't break us down," said head coach Rob Ferguson. "We came here with a very different plan (than the first three games). We've had this game on the schedule for 18 months so that we could prepare for the Ivy League season better than we have in the past."
 
In a way, the Big Red can hope Sunday's game was a look into the future – not so much in terms of the result, but as in the evolution of its opposition. While Cornell's foray into reinvention is still essentially somewhere between a crawl and a walk, Villanova is now between a trot and a jog under the direction of head coach Chris McLain – a former long-time assistant at Colgate.
 
Employing a technical approach with a willingness to build from the back that the Big Red can relate to, the Wildcats have quickly turned a corner from a 3-10-2 team in the 2020-21 season to what appears to be a Big East contender less than a year later.
 
That acumen was on display early on Sunday, when a free kick from dangerous territory led to Emma Weaver's slick feed to Chloe O'Neill for an early strike.
 
"They outfoxed us on a clever little play," Ferguson said. "It was an Intelligent and well-planned set piece. We're really disappointed in the way it happened, but you learn from it. And, hey, it was 1-0 inside of 4 minutes. It could have deteriorated pretty badly if we didn't have the right group of young ladies out there taking the right approach."
 
Freshman goalkeeper Erica Fox made five of her seven saves during the first 45 minutes, including a diving stop on Susanna Soderman from 15 yards in the 34th minute. But some misfortune would ensue a couple minutes later, when a deflected cross bounced into a defender's hand in the 18-yard box and led to a Villanova penalty kick. Brice McInroy converted.
 
There were more palpable positive results in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Niagara, when Cornell scored the contest's final two goals – but those came with an outcome no longer in doubt. Still very much in the game against Villanova, Cornell outshot the hosts over the final 45 minutes while continuing to stay disciplined and adept defensively.
 
"We were unhappy in the first half with how we used the ball when we got it," Ferguson said. "We tried to give them some confidence at halftime and, boy, did they ever run with it."
 
In the 60th minute, senior Jadyn Matthews threaded a beautiful diagonal pass to spring sophomore Sophie Weeter up the right wing – only to have a dangerous, though well-timed tackle from a defender thwart the play at the top of the 18. Three minutes later, Matthews sent a similar ball from the middle third to Weeter in near identical fashion. While a subsequent pass proved to be a little too heavy for sophomore Ava Laden to run on to, freshman Peyton Nichols continued pressure and forced a turnover at the feet of the goalkeeper and forced Villanova's defense into frantic recovery to preserve the clean sheet.
 
"Jadyn showed such maturity and composure on the ball. It was really nice to see," Ferguson said. "It really epitomizes who she's been this year – mature, hard-working and positive. They're just great attributes."
 
Junior Sara DeGraw generated a few chances from her post on the left wing, and Laden's powerful shot from a little outside 25 yards forced a diving save from the Wildcats' goalkeeper in the 71st minute.
 
Cornell continues its travels – though a lot closer to home – at 7 p.m. Thursday, when it travels to Syracuse to take on the Orange at SU Soccer Stadium.
 
Assistant Drector of Athletic Communications - Content Manager Brandon Thomas is in his 11th season as his office's primary contact for the team. He can be reached at brandon@cornell.edu.