LEWISTON, N.Y. — Emma Davies scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute for Niagara, aiding the host Purple Eagles to a 3-2 victory over Cornell in women's soccer action at Niagara Field on Thursday evening.
 
Joining Davies in the scoring column for Niagara was Amanda Cripps and Djeynaba Thiem, who found the back of the net in the first half for the Purple Eagles (2-1-1).
 
Junior Laken Gallman and senior Ashley Durik scored consecutively, bringing the Big Red (0-3-0) back from a two-goal deficit.
 
"I was happy with how the team fought hard to get back in to the game from two goals down," Cornell head coach Rob Ferguson said. "We felt we deserved to get back to 2-2. The end was tough to swallow. It's a steep learning curve and we need to learn.
 
"The positives were there, but right now we need to be prepared to learn from some of the negatives. We have to make teams work harder for their goals. This group won't quit. They have built a strong culture and that's important in getting through tough moments."
 
Niagara threatened early in the contest as Cornell goalkeeper Nicole Shulman made two of her three saves on scoring opportunities.
 
Annie Ibey had the first scoring chance just 20 seconds into the contest with Shulman corralling the shot and preventing a rebound. Five minutes later, Shulman made a diving save on a shot by Cripps, who made a couple of moves to elude Big Red defenders inside the 18-yard box.
 
Following a lull in scoring chances, goals came quick for both sides as Cornell and Niagara combined for three goals in a stretch of five-plus minutes.
 
Niagara scored twice within a span of 3:39 with the first one coming in 23rd minute. A chipped pass attempt inside the 18-yard box was misplayed by a Cornell defender, leading to a no-look, back-foot pass by Emily Hähnel to Cripps for the first Purple Eagles tally.
 
Djeynaba Thiam increased Niagara's lead as she dribbled past a pair of Cornell defenders on the left side of field before sending a right-footed strike into the goal.
 
Gallman responded to Niagara's pair of goals with one of her own 91 seconds following Thiam's marker. Freshman Tanum Nelson's attempted cross was knocked down by a Niagara defender inside the penalty area right to Gallman, who exhibited patience before sending her first Division I goal into the top right corner of the goal.
 

 
Shulman made another point-blank save, keeping the contest at a one-goal game, stopping Ebba Noren's shot inside the goal area late in the first half.
 
After a couple of scoring chances did not go Cornell's way, a handball by Niagara led to a Big Red penalty kick with six minutes left.

Ashley Durik was selected to take the kick and her shot deflected off of the hand of Niagara's goalkeeper before hitting the mesh of the net for her second goal of the year.
 

 
Two minutes after Durik's equalizer, Davies scored the eventual game-winning goal as sophomore goalkeeper Erica Fox came out of the net in an attempt to break up a cross by the Purple Eagles. As Fox was out of the goal area, Davies deposited the game-winning shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Game Notes

• Thursday was the seventh all-time meeting between Cornell and Niagara. The Big Red are now 2-5 all-time over the Purple Eagles. It was Cornell's first time playing at Niagara since Sept. 6, 2009.
• Dating back to last season, Cornell has lost its last five games all by one-goal differentials.
• Gallman scored her first Division I goal Thursday. It was her fourth collegiate goal and her first since scoring against Palm Beach Atlantic on Oct. 2, 2021, when playing at the University of Tampa.
• Durik's penalty kick goal was the Big Red's first since Evanthia Spyredes did so on Oct. 5, 2019, in a 4-2 loss at Penn.
• Freshman defender Gaby Gonzalez made her first collegiate start for the Big Red, playing all 90 minutes and recording a pair of shot attempts.
• Fellow freshman Abigail Bishara made her collegiate debut Thursday near her hometown of Clarence Center, N.Y. Bishara logged 54 minutes of action.

Looking Ahead

Cornell returns home for another match at Berman Field on Sunday when the Big Red welcome Villanova. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and game action will be broadcast live on ESPN+.