ITHACA, N.Y. — Freshman forward Alanna Colbert recorded her first collegiate goal, and senior forward Laken Gallman scored two of Cornell's three second-half goals, guiding the Big Red women's soccer team to a 4-0 clean sheet of UAlbany at a chilly Berman Field on Tuesday evening.

The four goals scored for the Big Red were the most since posting a 4-1 victory over Ivy League rival Dartmouth in the 2016 regular-season finale on Nov. 5, 2016. The four-goal margin of victory was the program's largest since defeating VMI, 5-0, on Sept. 12, 2014.

"Delighted with the team. Played well on both sides of the ball and got a clean sheet," Cornell women's soccer head coach Rob Ferguson said. "We controlled the ball. We said today, 'Controlling the ball, control the game.' We did that for the most part."

Joining Colbert and Gallman on the stat sheet was senior midfielder Reagan Pauwels, who logged her first goal since posting consecutive game-winning goals against Princeton and Dartmouth to conclude last year's schedule.

Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Medugno made three saves to increase her clean sheet total on the season to 3.5 for the Big Red (4-3-6, 0-3-2 Ivy League).

Colbert, appearing in her second collegiate match and making her first-ever start, opened the scoring in the 15th minute, capitalizing on a deflection of a Sophie Weeter cross off UAlbany's goalkeeper, Gabriella Terranova, who finished the contest with 12 saves.

The Big Red offense outshot the Great Danes (4-8-2, 1-3-2 America East) by a 30-8 margin. Shots on goal also heavily favored the Big Red, 17-4.

UAlbany threatened with a scoring chance three minutes following Colbert's opening tally, but sophomore defender Gaby Gonzalez was able to boot the ball over the crossbar in a last-chance effort to keep the Great Danes off the scoreboard.

Cornell posted five shots on goal during the remainder of the first half but was held scoreless.

Early in the second half, UAlbany had another chance at netting an equalizer, but Medugno came out of the goal area and saved a shot during a one-on-one opportunity against Claire Owens.

"I just said to her, walking off, you kept a clean sheet, but you had to do more than you should have," Ferguson said. "Based on how the game went, we should have defended better in transition. Those were the moments that led her to make some saves. She made some decent saves that she shouldn't have to make."

Pauwels eventually increased Cornell's lead with a goal in the 70th minute as she also benefited from a deflection off a UAlbany defender following a cross, this one taken by freshman defender Kayla Ristianto.

Gallman scored both of her goals over an 86-second span, tacking on a pair of insurance markers for the Big Red to boost its lead to four.

MATCH NOTES
• Cornell and UAlbany played for the ninth time on Tuesday evening, with the Big Red increasing its lead in the series to 4-2-3. The victory was Cornell's first over the Great Danes since prevailing in a 5-4 match, also at Berman Field, on Sept. 15, 2013.

• The Big Red's 30 shot attempts and 17 shots on goal were the most since its Sept. 15, 2013 victory over UAlbany when Cornell registered 31 and 17 shots, respectively.

• With Gallman's first goal, she became the sixth different player to have multiple goals scored this season. It is the first time Cornell has had at least six players with multiple goals in the same year since 1999.

• Gallman became the first Big Red player to register a brace since current teammate Ava Laden also scored twice in a 4-3 overtime loss to Stony Brook on Sept. 17, 2021.

• Weeter's assist on Colbert's opening tally was her first since Aug. 27, 2021, when she assisted on Peyton Nichols' goal against Canisius. Ristianto's assist on Pauwels' goal was her first collegiate point.

UP NEXT
Cornell will return to Berman Field for its final regular season home match when it faces No. 15-ranked Brown (9-1-2, 5-0-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m. Match action will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

The Big Red will host a ranked opponent for the first time since welcoming No. 18-ranked Harvard on Oct. 9, 2021. It will be the highest-ranked opponent to play on the Big Red's home pitch since playing No. 3-ranked Maryland on Sept. 4, 2011.

"We couldn't be more excited," Ferguson said. "We feel like we are ready to compete with anyone in this conference, and we've shown that in every game. We're going to go out on Saturday, we're going to be us, we're going to compete, we're going to get in their face, we're going to be well organized. Let's hope that when we get the chances, we'll get today bleeding over. I hope something comes from it — a bit far-fetched to make the assumption — but goal-scoring is a thing, right? Bring it on."