ITHACA, N.Y. — A first-half goal by senior Mia Gonzalez and a two-save clean sheet by sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Medugno guided the Cornell women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over its Central New York rival Syracuse at a muggy Berman Field on Sunday afternoon.

Gonzalez's game-winning marker was her first collegiate goal, while Medugno registered her third career clean sheet in her fourth collegiate appearance on Sunday.

The victory for Cornell (2-0-1) was its first-ever win over its Central New York rival, snapping a 13-match winless streak against the Orange (2-4-0).

"Delighted with the win, delighted with most of the performance," said head coach Rob Ferguson. "I thought we started the game very well in the first 15 minutes. Syracuse then got the better of it for the next 15 minutes, and that's when we found the goal. I thought the last 15 [minutes of the first half] was our worst. The adjustment and message at halftime they took from the staff they couldn't have executed any better. That's why the second half was intense and finished one-nil. At the same time, it was comfortable and dominant, and we should have scored three or four goals."
 

Cornell started the match strong offensively, recording three shot attempts in the first 22 minutes of action. Senior forward Ava Laden had the lone shot on goal during the span in the fourth minute but was stopped by Syracuse goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch, who finished the contest with five saves.

Following a Big Red throw-in, sophomore midfielder Abigail Bishara headed the ball toward Syracuse's goal. Junior Sydney Malaga quickly played the ball out of mid-air to Gonzalez on the right side of the 18-yard box. A blistering right-footed strike from Gonzalez was initially blocked by Vanderbosch's gloves but trickled over her head and into a wide-open net to put Cornell ahead in the 35th minute.

Gonzalez and Malaga are playing new roles for the Big Red this season, and Ferguson has enjoyed seeing the transition from both players.

"They're both making good adjustments to somewhat new positions," Ferguson said. "Malaga's transition is a little bit easier. She has good attributes: holding the ball up, flicking things, and causing problems with or without the ball. She does that whenever she's on the field. Mia is adapting to this role. From an attacking standpoint, she's doing better. Tactically, Mia is still evolving and developing into being a winger and what it entails defensively. That will take time. That's natural in that position. I'm delighted with both of them."

Syracuse logged both of its shots on goal in the first half as Medugno made saves on Kate Murphy and Erin Flurey in the 28th and 39th minutes, respectively.

Laden had another scoring chance in the 48th minute, but Vanderbosch kept the Big Red's lead at just one.

Other scoring chances later in the second half for Cornell came from Malaga and sophomore defender Gaby Gonzalez on a set piece, but Vanderbosch saved both attempts.

Overall, Cornell's defense again stood firm for 90 minutes of action, conceding just seven shot attempts. Syracuse logged three shot attempts over the final 45 minutes but could not generate a shot on goal. Junior Cecily Pokigo, sophomore Gaby Gonzalez, and freshman Kayla Ristianto played the entirety of the match. Senior Jackie Lasseter played most of the contest on the back line, logging 74 minutes of action.

"They're doing a great job," Ferguson said. "They're better tactically than they were last year. They're better emotionally than they were last year, which is important. In the middle of games, when things get exciting and intense, their focus has remained consistent. Don't celebrate too much or get too down, and that's the root of that. The story is how we're defending as a team. A back-four and goalkeeper are not going to keep them clean sheets. It has to be relentless in front of them. It has to be organized and disciplined, and we want to be aggressive. We want to press and be intense. It's part of the identity. We've seen it in every game."

MATCH NOTES
• Sunday's victory was the first time Cornell defeated an ACC opponent since Oct. 13, 1990, when it beat Duke, 4-1, in the first match of the Cornell Classic held at Robison Alumni Fields.

• Cornell has logged clean sheets in consecutive matches for the first time since not conceding a goal in three straight contests during the 2019 season.

• Medugno extended her shutout streak to a career-best 185 minutes and 45 seconds, dating back to the team's season-opening match against Lehigh on Aug. 27.

• The Big Red extended its unbeaten streak at Berman Field to eight matches, the program's longest streak since going 6-0-2 during the 1995 season. The longest streak in program history is nine when Cornell posted an 8-0-1 record over the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

• Along with its unbeaten streak at home, Cornell is 4-0-1 over its last five matches, registering the program's longest overall unbeaten streak since the Big Red went 9-0-4, spanning the final contest of 2014 and the first 11 matches in 2015. It is Cornell's 12th time posting at least a five-match unbeaten streak.

• Dating back to last season, Cornell is 3-0-3 over its previous six non-conference matchups.

• Under Ferguson, the Big Red is 7-1-1 when scoring first and has won each of its last four matches when doing so.

• Malaga's assist on Gonzalez's game-winning goal was her first collegiate assist.

UP NEXT
After playing three matches in a week, Cornell will return to action next Sunday when it travels to Western New York to face Buffalo. First touch between the Big Red and Bulls from UB Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. The match will be streamed live on YouTube.