ITHACA, N.Y. —  The Cornell women's soccer team looks to open Ivy League play on a high note as the Big Red travels to Princeton, N.J., to take on the No. 14-ranked Tigers at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium on Friday night.

MATCH INFORMATION
Cornell at #14 Princeton
SITE: Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium – Princeton, N.J. (natural surface)
RECORDS: Cornell (2-0-4, 0-0-0 Ivy League), Princeton (5-1-1, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads, 28-8-4
BROADCAST: ESPN+
Stats: GoPrincetonTigers.com

LAST TIME OUT
Cornell and Villanova traded first-half goals before both sides held the opposition scoreless in the second half as the Big Red and Wildcats played to a 1-1 draw at the Higgins Sports Complex.

Senior forward Mia Gonzalez scored in the fifth minute for Cornell, who extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches with Sunday's result.

Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Medugno made a career-high five saves for the Big Red.

NO 'L' IN UNBEATEN
After concluding the 2022 campaign with Ivy League victories over Princeton and Dartmouth, Cornell is currently unbeaten over its last eight matches, posting a 4-0-4 mark during the stretch.

The eight-match unbeaten streak is currently tied for the fourth-longest in program history. It is the longest stretch of contests without a loss since posting a 9-0-3 record during a  12-match span over the regular-season finale in 2014 and the first 11 matches in 2015.

Cornell's eight-match unbeaten streak is tied with Canisius, Dartmouth, Kentucky, Old Dominion, Penn State, and Virginia for the 13th-longest active unbeaten streak in Division I soccer as of Wednesday morning. Liberty has the longest active streak, having not lost in any of its last 22 matches (19-0-3).

A win or tie on Friday night against Princeton would mark just the fourth time in program history in which the Big Red has logged an unbeaten streak of at least nine matches. The other instances occurred during the 1985-86, 1987-88, and 2014-15 seasons.

STARTING OFF STRONG
Cornell's 2-0-4 record (.667) is the best six-match start to a season since the Big Red went 4-1-1 (.750) over its first six matches in 2019.

With its current record, this season marks the fifth instance in program history in which Cornell has not lost any of its first six contests, joining the squads from 1986, 1991, 2005, and 2015.

With a win or tie on Friday, it would be Cornell's fourth time in program history in which the Big Red has not lost in any of its first seven matches, joining the teams from 1986, 1991, and 2015.

Should Cornell record a victory over Princeton on Friday, it would signal the Big Red's best seven-match start to a season since opening the 2015 season with a 5-0-2 mark (.857). A tie or loss would be Cornell's best seven-match start since 2019 when it went 4-2-1 (.643).

IVY OPENERS
Cornell is opening Ivy League play against Princeton for the 10th time in program history and the first time since 1999.

This year is the first time Cornell is not opening conference play with Columbia after doing so in each of the last 14 seasons of competition. Additionally, Cornell had opened 20 of its previous 22 Ancient Eight schedules against its Empire State rival.

With a victory on Friday afternoon, Cornell would record its first victory in an Ivy League-opening match since defeating Columbia, 1-0, at Berman Field on Sept. 25, 2021. The triumph over the Lions snapped the program's 21-match winless streak against Ivy League opponents (0-19-2).

The last time the Big Red won a conference-opening match on the road was on Sept. 14, 2002, when it defeated Columbia by a 2-1 score.

Since Cornell elevated its women's soccer program to varsity status in 1982, it has an overall record of 19-20-2 in its first match against Ancient Eight opponents.

NOBODY WINS
After setting the single-season record for ties with five last season, Cornell is already on the verge of matching that mark this season.

Cornell has played to four draws so far this season, which is tied for the second-most in a season along with the 2002 (8-5-4) and 2015 (9-4-4) seasons.

The last three matches Cornell has played in have resulted in ties, marking the second time in program history in which three consecutive contests have ended in a tie. The other instance occurred when it tied with Providence and St. John's at the 2002 ECAC Tournament before drawing with Stony Brook in the 2003 season opener.

FACING RANKED OPPONENTS
Following the announcement of Princeton being ranked No. 14 in the country in the United Soccer Coaches poll on Tuesday, Cornell will end up playing a ranked opponent for the seventh consecutive season.

It will be the first time Cornell plays a ranked Princeton squad since Oct. 27, 2018, when the Big Red lost 2-0 to the No. 24-ranked Tigers at Berman Field. Friday's meeting will be the third time in the last seven years in which Princeton will be ranked at the time of the contest.

Last year, Cornell faced No. 25-ranked Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., where the Crimson defeated the Big Red by a 5-1 decision. Then-sophomore forward Sydney Malaga netted the lone goal for the Big Red, which was also her first collegiate tally.

Friday's match will be the highest-ranked opponent the Big Red will have played since squaring off against No. 4-ranked Maryland at Berman Field on Sept. 4, 2011, in the team's home opener. The Terrapins prevailed in the contest, 4-0, behind a trio of second-half goals.

ANCIENT EIGHT'S SUCCESS
Through matches completed Tuesday, the Ivy League has excelled on the pitch, registering a combined 35-9-15 record, leading to a .720 win percentage, good enough for third among conferences that sponsor Division I soccer. The Ivy League is behind the SEC (66-17-23 — .731) and Big Ten (66-18-22 — .726) for the top win percentage for a conference.

All eight members of the Ivy League have win percentages north of .500 entering conference play. Seven of the Ancient Eight programs boast at least .600 win percentages.

IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Cornell was picked to finish sixth in the 2023 Ivy League women's soccer preseason poll, the conference office announced on Aug. 24.

Brown received 12 of 16 possible first-place votes, finishing with an Ivy League-best 123 points. Harvard recorded three first-place votes, placing second with 113 points. Yale was the only other school to receive a first-place vote, garnering 88 points and the last first-place vote.

Princeton (78 points) and Columbia (74 points) were picked fourth and fifth, respectively, and Cornell (35 points) was picked sixth. Dartmouth (33 points) and Penn (32 points) rounded out the poll.

SCOUTING PRINCETON
Princeton enters Friday's match with a 5-1-1 overall record, with a notable victory over then-No. 10-ranked Georgetown, 3-2, last week.

One of the more potent offenses in Division I women's soccer, the Tigers are averaging 2.71 goals per contest, which ranks 29th as of matches completed on Tuesday. The program also ranks in the top 20 in assists per game with its 2.71 assists-per-game clip, ranking 15th nationally.

Sophomore forward Pietra Tordin, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year, has had a torrid start to her second collegiate season as she ranks within the top 10 in numerous statistical categories, including total goals (9 — 7th), goals per game (1.29 — 3rd), game-winning goals (5 — t-1st), total points (21 — 8th), points per game (3.00 — 4th), shots per game (5.00 — 4th).

Although the offense tends to be centered around Tordin, eight Princeton players have combined to net the remaining 11 goals scored by the Tigers, even though two of the 11 goals have been credited as own goals. Kayla Wong is the only other Princeton multi-goal scorer, notching two goals and three assists to her credit. Wong's three assists are tied with Tordin, Lily Bryant, and Drew Coomans for the team lead.

Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium has been kind to the Tigers in 2023, as Princeton has a 4-0-1 record on its home turf. The lone non-winning result came against Rutgers when the programs played to a scoreless draw on Aug. 31.

PRINCETON'S LAST TIME OUT
Princeton is coming off a 4-2 victory over Quinnipiac at the Quinnipiac Soccer/Lacrosse Turf Complex on Sunday, as the Tigers netted three first-half goals to create separation from the Bobcats.

Madison Curry, Heather McNab, Pietra Tordin, and Jen Estes all found the back of the net for the Tigers in the victory. The goals for Curry, McNab, and Estes were all their first markers of the season.

Tyler McCamey and Cecila Cerone split time in goal as McCamey made two saves over the first 78:01 of action before giving way to Cerone for the remaining 11:59 of the contest.

41 YEARS, 219 MILES, 40 MEETINGS
Princeton has the advantage in the series, 28-8-4, dating back to the first meeting between the two Ivy League programs in 1982.

Cornell snapped its 25-match losing streak to Princeton last year with a 2-1 victory over the Tigers at Berman Field. Reagan Pauwels netted the eventual game-winning goal in the 50th minute to guide the Big Red to its first victory over Princeton since 1995. Laken Gallman had the other tally for the Big Red, who had a five-save performance by Erica Fox in goal.

Last year's two-goal effort against Princeton was the first time Cornell registered a multi-goal performance against the Tigers since logging a 5-0 victory on Sept. 25, 1994. Over the previous 26 meetings, Princeton had conceded just nine goals to the Big Red (0.35 goals per match).

Home field has greatly favored Princeton as it has a 14-3-3 record against Cornell on its home pitch. The last victory for the Big Red on the Tigers' home turf came on Sept. 23, 1995, in a 1-0 triumph at Lourie-Love Field as Michelle Lauermann recorded the game-winning marker.

UP NEXT
Cornell will return to action Tuesday when it welcomes Central New York rival Colgate to Berman Field. First touch between the Big Red and Raiders is scheduled for 7 p.m.