ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's soccer program opens its 2024 campaign and 42nd season of varsity competition on Sunday afternoon when it travels to Hamilton, N.Y., to face its Central New York rival Colgate at Beyer-Small '76 Field.

MATCH NO. 1
Cornell at Colgate
SITE: Beyer-Small '76 Field – Hamilton, N.Y. (artificial surface)
RECORDS: Cornell (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Ivy League), Colgate (0-2-0, 0-0-0 Patriot League)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 22-18-4
SERIES STREAK: Cornell, Won 3
WEATHER FORECAST: 77°, partly cloudy, 10 percent chance of rain; Winds: WNW 5-10 mph
BROADCAST: ESPN+
Stats: CornellBigRed.com

SEASON OPENERS
The Big Red holds an all-time record of 23-12-6 across its previous 41 season openers, which features Cornell logging a 6-2-2 record in its last 10 season-opening matches.

Following last year's season-opening 2-2 draw with Lehigh, the Big Red is winless in its last two season openers after dropping a road decision to Canisius, 2-1, on Aug. 26, 2022.

Over its last 22 season openers, Cornell has found the back of the net 18 times. The only campaigns in which the Big Red were held scoreless to begin a season since 2001 was in 2004 (Stony Brook), 2009 (Binghamton), 2015 (Siena), and 2017 (Syracuse).

Sunday will be the third time Cornell will be facing Colgate in a season opener. The previous two instances came in 1989 (Ithaca) and 1990 (Hamilton), where the Big Red posted victories of 4-1 and 3-0.

NON-LEAGUE DOMINANCE
Entering Sunday afternoon's match, Cornell is riding an 11-match unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents that dates back to the 2022 season.

Last year, Cornell went 4-0-4 against non-Ivy League opponents, registering victories over Marist, Syracuse, Colgate, and UAlbany, and playing to draws with Lehigh, Buffalo, Binghamton, and Villanova.

The last setback in non-league play for Cornell came against Syracuse, 3-0, on Sept. 11, 2022.

As a conference last season, the Ivy League collected a non-league record of 46-16-18 (.688). The .688 win percentage led the nation, finishing seven points ahead of the SEC (.681). The Ivy League was one of seven Division I conferences with a cumulative non-conference win percentage above .600, joining the SEC, Big Ten (.676), Pac-12 (.659), ACC (.649), Big 12 (.612), and Sun Belt (.610).

CONFERENCES WITH CUMULATIVE .600+ WIN PERCENTAGE IN NON-CONFERENCE MATCHES
Last Season
1. Ivy League (46-16-18) — .688
2. SEC (82-31-28) — .681
3. Big Ten (82-33-24) — .676
4. Pac-12 (61-27-19) — .659
5. ACC (74-34-26) — .649
6. Big 12 (76-45-18) — .612
7. Sun Belt (66-39-18) — .610

KNACK FOR THE NET
Cornell scored 21 goals last season, marking the most by the program since potting 22 markers during the 2014 campaign.

The Big Red's 21 goals across its 15 matches computed to a 1.40 goals per match average, ranking as the program's highest average since 2005 (23 goals in 15 matches — 1.53).

Last year, Cornell scored in 14 of its 15 matches, the program's most contests with at least one goal since 2003, when it logged goals in 14 of its 16 matches.

The Big Red were held scoreless just once last year, signifying the fewest amount of matches being shut out in a season in program history. The previous record was two, previously done in 1986 and 2003.

FEWEST MATCHES WITHOUT A GOAL
Cornell Program History
1. 2023 — 1 shutout (15 matches)
T2. 1986 — 2 shutouts (14 matches)
T2. 2003 — 2 shutouts (16 matches)
T4. 1987 — 3 shutouts (15 matches)
T4. 1988 — 3 shutouts (14 matches)
T4. 1995 — 3 shutouts (19 matches)

THE FINISHING TOUCH
Cornell has scored at least one goal in 33 of its 47 matches, dating back to the 2021 campaign which served as the first season of competition under current head coach Rob Ferguson.

The 70.2 percent of contests with a goal ranks as the highest clip in Cornell program history, surpassing Randy May, the first head coach in program history, who saw his teams score in 68.1 percent of the 282 matches he coached during his 18-year tenure (192 games with a goal).

HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF GAMES WITH A GOAL
By Coach — Cornell Program History
Rob Ferguson (2020-Present) — 33 of 47 matches (70.2 percent)
Randy May (1982-99) — 192 of 282 matches (68.1 percent)
Berhane Anderberhane (2000-05) — 64 of 97 matches (66.0 percent)
Gretchen Zigante (2006) — 11 of 17 matches (64.7 percent)
Patrick Farmer (2012-16) — 51 of 82 matches (62.2 percent)
Danielle LaRoche (2007-11) — 37 of 77 matches (48.1 percent)
Dwight Hornibrook (2017-19) — 17 of 44 matches (38.6 percent)

As of late, the Big Red has displayed its scoring touch, registering goals in each of its six contests, 16 of its last 17 matches, and 19 of its previous 22 fixtures, dating across its last two seasons.

ANCIENT EIGHT'S SUCCESS
Last year, the Ivy League excelled on the pitch, registering a combined 68-38-30 record. The conference's cumulative win percentage of .610 paced all of the 31 Division I conferences that sponsored women's soccer last season.

The Ivy League's .610 win percentage was 20 points higher than the SEC's .591 cumulative win percentage and had a 22-point lead over the Big Ten (.588). Rounding out the Power Five conferences, the Ivy League was ahead of the ACC (.573) by 37 points, Pac-12 (.571) by 39 percentage points, and the Big 12 (.556) by 55-hundredths of a point.

BEST CUMULATIVE WIN PERCENTAGE BY CONFERENCE
Last Season
1. Ivy League (68-38-30) — .610
2. SEC (134-83-64) — .591
3. Big Ten (139-90-50) — .588
4. ACC (128-88-58) — .573
5. Pac-12 (111-77-51) — .571

Five Ancient Eight programs concluded the 2023 campaign with a winning record, all of whom boasted win percentages north of .600 (Brown, Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Princeton).

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Six of Cornell's first seven matches will feature the Big Red either playing a contest within the Empire State, with the lone exception being its Sept. 8 contest against Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.

Dating back to Sept. 4, 2022, the Big Red has an 8-4-9 record (.595) in matches that have been played in New York State.

Across its last 15 matches within New York, Cornell is unbeaten in 13 contests, posting a 7-2-6 record (.667) during the span. The lone setbacks came in Ivy League matchups last year at Berman Field against Harvard (3-1 — Oct. 7) and Brown (2-1 — Oct. 21). Cornell's last loss within New York in a road match was Sept. 24, 2022, at Columbia (1-0).

LEADERSHIP GROUP
For the third consecutive season, Cornell will deploy a multi-person leadership team, featuring a trio of captains and a leadership council consisting of two representatives from the junior and sophomore classes.

Earning spots as captains on this year's team include a trio of seniors in Ava Laden, Maddie Leroy, and Cecily Pokigo. Members of the leadership council include juniors Abigail Bishara and Izzy Scott, and sophomores Kayla Ristianto and Isabel Chapman.

GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE
Cornell women's soccer does not generally recruit one specific area of the nation, which is exemplified with the makeup of the 2024 roster.

A total of 17 states are represented this season, spanning all four of the contiguous U.S. time zones. New York leads the way with six players while California is right behind with five. Texas ranks third with three student-athletes.

Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all have two representatives, while the states of Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington are represented once.

RISTIANTO REPRESENTS INDONESIA
This past summer, rising sophomore defender Kayla Ristianto suited up for the Indonesian Women's National Team in a pair of friendlies in Hong Kong.

The pair of contests between the Asian-based countries were held on July 11 and July 14 at the Hong Kong Football Club Ground, with Hong Kong taking both contests by 3-2 and 4-1 scores, respectively.

"Very proud of Kayla for earning this opportunity to learn and grow, and incredibly excited for her to continue to shine on this next stage with the Indonesia National Team," said Cornell women's soccer head coach Rob Ferguson.

SUMMER EUROPEAN TRIP
Also this past summer, Cornell took a trip to Europe, where the Big Red participated in three exhibition contests.

A roster of 30 players and four staff left the United States on May 27, and played three exhibitions  against Spanish-based clubs. The Big Red claimed a 4-1 victory against its first opponent, Girona FC, which competes in the Preferente Catalana, the fifth tier of Spanish soccer.

The Big Red faced Levante Las Planas of Liga F, the top division of Spanish football, before wrapping up its trio of games with a match against Fontsanta Fatjó with a 6-2 triumph before the team traveled back stateside on June 3.

While there was certainly a focus on performance and continuing to improve on the field, the trip was about much more than playing soccer. There was a real focus on 'team' and building relationships, and on appreciating the opportunity and experience to dive in to local cultures in Girona, Barcelona, and Sitges, the three places where the team will spend time sightseeing.

"There is a lot to be gained from a trip like this, both on an individual and team level from a soccer perspective," Ferguson said before embarking on the trip. "The additional training and game opportunities is a huge plus, and the opportunity for players to deal with the challenges of playing abroad, against older and more experienced teams, who have very clear and varied styles of play is a huge growth opportunity."

IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Cornell was picked to finish eighth in this year's Ivy League women's soccer preseason poll, the conference office announced this past Monday (Aug. 19).

Harvard, which won the inaugural Ivy League Women's Soccer Tournament title last November, has been deemed the conference's preseason favorite after garnering 10 of the 16 first-place votes. The Crimson concluded with a point total of 120, which was 12 points higher than second-place Brown (108), which received four first-place votes. Right behind Brown in the poll was Princeton, which earned the remaining two first-place votes and finished with 103 points.

Rounding out the eight-team poll ahead of Cornell was Columbia (77 points) in fourth, Dartmouth (57 points) in fifth, Yale (48 points) in sixth, and Penn (41 points) in seventh. Cornell finished in eighth with 22 points.

SCOUTING COLGATE
Colgate enters its home opener with a 0-2-0 overall record, falling in a pair of matches against Empire State rivals Stony Brook (2-1 — Aug. 15) and St. John's (2-0 — Aug. 18).

Junior forward Ana Schremp netted the Raiders' lone tally on the season, potting a 34th-minute goal against Stony Brook. Cara Schmidlein is the only other Colgate player with a point, assisting on Schremp's goal.

Senior goalkeeper Alli Popham has started both of Colgate's matches, logging 173:44 minutes of action. Sophomore goalkeeper Ella Poppinga was saddled with the loss during her 6:16 of action in goal against Stony Brook, conceding a goal on the lone shot she faced.

COLGATE'S LAST TIME OUT
QUEENS, N.Y. (AUG. 18, 2024) — St. John's registered goals in both halves to down Colgate, 2-0, at Belson Stadium last Sunday.

The Red Storm logged the first goal in the fifth minute before tacking on an insurance marker in the 66th minute, converting on a penalty after a Raider handball inside the penalty area.

Alli Popham stopped eight shots in the setback for the Raiders, six of which came in the first half.

LAST TIME AGAINST COLGATE
ITHACA, N.Y. (SEPT. 26, 2023) — Sydney Malaga's goal in the 84th minute broke a scoreless contest, aiding Cornell to a 1-0 victory over its Central New York rival Colgate at Berman Field.

Malaga's marker, the eighth-latest non-overtime game-winning goal in program history, extended Cornell's home unbeaten streak to 10 matches, signifying the Big Red's longest stretch without a loss on its home turf in program history.

Junior goalkeeper Erica Fox and sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Medugno shared time in goal, splitting the clean sheet for the Big Red. Fox made three saves over 84:46 of action, while Medugno did not face a shot during her 5:14 in goal as she was an injury replacement for Fox, who later returned to the match.

Alli Popham made three first-half saves for Colgate before giving way to Emma Hickey, who stopped two Cornell shots in the second half.

41 YEARS, 68 MILES, 44 MEETINGS
Cornell has won the last three meetings against its Central New York rival despite Colgate maintaining the lead in the series, 22-18-4.

The Big Red is seeking to increase its win streak over Colgate to four matches on Sunday afternoon, which would serve as the longest string of consecutive wins over the Raiders since posting seven straight triumphs between the 1986 and 1992 seasons. A tie would also be Cornell's longest unbeaten streak over Colgate since collecting its seven consecutive wins against the Raiders.

Contests between Cornell and Colgate have generally been close, as the last four and eight of the previous nine matches have been decided by one goal or less.