ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell women's soccer team opens a three-match homestand this weekend when it hosts a pair of Empire State rivals in Buffalo and Syracuse at Berman Field.

Thursday's match will serve as the "Athletics Kickoff" event, with it being the first Cornell home event of the 2024-25 academic calendar. Fans in attendance will be eligible for free food and giveaways. Sunday's contest against Syracuse will also feature free giveaways for those attending.

MATCH NO. 2
Buffalo at Cornell
SITE: Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
RECORDS: Buffalo (2-0-0, 0-0-0 MAC), Cornell (0-0-1, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Buffalo leads, 4-3-3
SERIES STREAK: Tied 1
WEATHER FORECAST: 74°, mostly cloudy, 25 percent chance of rain; Winds: Light and variable
BROADCAST: ESPN+
Stats: CornellBigRed.com

MATCH NO. 3
Syracuse at Cornell
SITE: Berman Field – Ithaca, N.Y. (natural surface)
RECORDS: Syracuse (3-0-1, 0-0-0 ACC), Cornell (0-0-1, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Syracuse leads, 10-1-3
SERIES STREAK: Cornell, Won 1
WEATHER FORECAST: 79°, mostly sunny, 10 percent chance of rain; Winds: WSW 5-10 mph
BROADCAST: ESPN+
Stats: CornellBigRed.com

LAST TIME OUT
HAMILTON, N.Y. (AUG. 25, 2024) — Junior midfielder Abigail Bishara's strike from 30 yards out in the 85th minute aided Cornell to a season-opening 1-1 draw against its Central New York rival Colgate at a sun-soaked Beyer-Small '76 Field on Sunday afternoon.

Colgate's Ari Bezanson tallied the opening marker for the Raiders in the 10th minute, capitalizing on a rebound of her initial shot that ricocheted off the crossbar.

Junior goalkeeper Natalie Medugno made three saves in the draw for the Big Red, while Alli Popham (six saves) and Ella Poppinga (one save) split goalkeeping duties for Colgate.

Last Sunday's decision marked the second consecutive year that Cornell opened a season with a tie. The last time the Big Red opened with a tie in back-to-back seasons was in 2003 and 2004, when it played to 2-2 and 0-0 double-overtime draws with Stony Brook.

NON-LEAGUE DOMINANCE
Entering this weekend's matches, Cornell is riding an 12-match unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents that dates back to the 2022 season. During the span, Cornell has a 5-0-7 record against non-Ivy League opposition.

Should Cornell register a win or tie against Buffalo on Thursday, it would match the longest non-conference unbeaten streak in program history, previously accomplished twice prior between the 2001-03 and 2014-16 seasons.

A win and or a tie in both contests this week would mark the longest unbeaten streak in non-conference contests in program history.

LONGEST NON-CONFERENCE UNBEATEN STREAKS
Program History
T1. 13 matches (2001-03) — 8-0-5 (.808)
T1. 13 matches (2014-16) — 10-0-3 (.885)
3. 12 matches (2022-Present) — 5-0-7 (.708)
4. 9 matches (1985-86) — 7-0-2 (.889)

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.

Cornell's last setback in non-league play came in a road match against Syracuse, 3-0, on Sept. 11, 2022. The last home non-conference loss for Cornell came against Marist, 2-1, on Aug. 28, 2022.

As a conference last season, the Ivy League compiled a non-league record of 46-16-18 (.688), which 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).

HOME OPENERS
Cornell is 7-12-7 (.404) all-time in home openers at Berman Field and 17-16-8 (.512) in the first home match to begin a season in program history.

The Big Red are seeking for its first victory in a home opener since posting a 2-0 clean sheet against Canisius on Aug. 27, 2021. The Big Red fell to Marist, 2-1, in its 2022 season opener on Aug. 28, 2022, and played to a 2-2 draw with Lehigh in last year's home opener on Aug. 27, 2023, which also served as the program's season-opening match.

Thursday's match with Buffalo will mark the third time Cornell is hosting the Bulls in its home opener. The other instances came on Sept. 11, 2005, a 2-1 victory for Cornell, and Aug. 31, 2018, a 2-0 triumph for the visiting Bulls.

HOME, SWEET, HOME
The matchups with Buffalo and Syracuse are the beginning of a three-match homestand, which will conclude next Thursday against another ACC foe in Boston College.

It is Cornell's first three-match homestand since concluding the 2022 regular season with Princeton and Dartmouth and opening the 2023 campaign against Lehigh.

Cornell has not had a three-match homestand within the same season since opening the 2021 campaign with home matches against Canisius, UAlbany, and Niagara.

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.

Cornell has scored at least one goal in 34 of its 48 matches, dating back to the 2021 campaign which served as the first season of competition under current head coach Rob Ferguson.

The 70.8 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 MATCHES WITH A GOAL
By Coach — Cornell Program History
Rob Ferguson (2020-Present) — 34 of 48 matches (70.8 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 seven contests, 17 of its last 18 matches, and 20 of its previous 23 fixtures, dating across the last two-plus seasons.

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 8-4-10 record (.591) in matches that have been played in New York State.

Across its last 16 matches within New York, Cornell is unbeaten in 14 contests, posting a 7-2-7 record (.656). 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 juniors and two sophomores.

Earning spots as captains on this year's team include seniors 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
Upon the conclusion of classes last spring, 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.

IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
First-Place Votes Denoted in Parentheses
1. Harvard (10) — 120 points
2. Brown (4) — 108 points
3. Princeton (2) — 103 points
4. Columbia — 77 points
5. Dartmouth — 57 points
6. Yale — 48 points
7. Penn — 41 points
8. Cornell — 22 points

SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo enters its matchup with Cornell with a 2-0-0 overall record and is fresh off the program's first-ever victory over a top-10 opponent in program history last Thursday after it defeated Pitt, 2-1, at Ambrose Urbanic Field last Thursday.

The win over the then-No. 7-ranked Panthers was the third win over a Power Five opponent under current head coach Shawn Burke, and the second consecutive Power Four road victory, having defeating Ohio State, 2-1, on Aug. 20, 2023.

Kaya Schultz and Kelly Severini are tied for the team lead in goals (1) and points (3). Jasmine Guerber, who scored the game-winning goal against Pitt last Thursday, has the Bulls' other goal on the season.

Lexie Thompson has played all 180 minutes in goal for the Bulls, stopping 10 of the 11 shots on goal she has faced, leading to her 0.50 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. She posted a clean sheet over St. Bonaventure, 1-0, in the Bulls' season opener.

BUFFALO'S LAST TIME OUT
PITTSBURGH (AUG. 22, 2024) — Jasmine Guerber's goal on a rebound of a blocked shot in the 58th minute broke a 1-1 tie to lead the University at Buffalo to a 2-1 victory over No. 7-ranked Pitt at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Joining Guerber in the scoring column was Kaya Schultz, who opened the scoring with a tally in the 10th minute. Goalkeeper Lexie Thompson made a career-high nine saves in goal for the Bulls.

Buffalo's victory over Pitt was its first against the Panthers since 1996.

LAST TIME AGAINST BUFFALO
BUFFALO, N.Y. (SEPT. 10, 2023) — Maddie Leroy scored late in the first half and goalkeeper Erica Fox made four stops in her season debut as Cornell played to a 1-1 draw with Buffalo at UB Stadium.

Leroy's goal in the 41st minute was her team-leading second marker of the season for the Big Red, while Katie Krohn potted the game-tying goal in the 58th minute.

Fox made three of her four saves in the contest over the opening 20 minutes. The highlight of Fox's saves came in the 20th minute when she made a stop while in a prone position in front of the goal, robbing Olivia Bizzoni of a go-ahead goal.

20 YEARS, 150 MILES, 10 MEETINGS
Cornell and Buffalo are meeting for the 11th time on Thursday. Buffalo owns a slim 4-3-3 lead in the all-time series, dating back to the inaugural meeting on Oct. 29, 2003, in Ithaca.

The Big Red are unbeaten in five of its last six against the Bulls, posting a 2-1-3 ledger during the span. Last year, the programs played to a 1-1 draw at UB Stadium last Sept. 10.

SCOUTING SYRACUSE
Syracuse enters this week's contests with a 3-0-1 record and riding a two-match win streak after defeating Siena, 2-0, last Thursday, and Mercyhurst, 5-0, last Sunday.

The Orange's 3-0-1 mark after four contests is its best four-match start since 2016, when it also registered an identical record.

Last Sunday's 5-0 triumph over Mercyhurst was Syracuse's highest offensive output in a single match since defeating Lafayette, 6-0, on Aug. 21, 2015.

This Sunday will mark the Orange's first road match of the season as Syracuse will have opened its 2024 campaign with five consecutive home contests. Six of Syracuse's first eight fixtures will occur at SU Soccer Stadium.

Ashley Rauch and Dalani Stephens pace the Orange's offense with two goals apiece. Ava Uribe (one goal, two assists) is tied with Rauch and Stephens for the team lead in points (four).

Goalkeeping duties have been split between Shea Vanderbosch (1-0-1, 0.50, .875) and Blythe Braun (2-0-0, 0.00, 1.000) to open the 2024 campaign. Vanderbosch started the team's first two matches while Braun has started the last two. Across Braun's 135 minutes of action in goal, she has stopped all three shots she has faced, which all came in last Thursday's victory against Siena.

SYRACUSE'S LAST TIME OUT
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AUG. 25, 2024) — A four-goal first half aided Syracuse to a 5-0 victory over Mercyhurst at SU Soccer Stadium last Sunday.

Dalani Stephens registered the lone multi-goal game for the Orange while Vita Naihin was credited with assists on Syracuse's last two goals against the Lakers, who were playing in their third-ever Division I contest.

The Orange outshot Mercyhurst by a 22-3 margin, which included a 10-0 advantage in shots on goal. Blythe Braun and Sam Haley combined for the clean sheet for the Orange.

LAST TIME AGAINST SYRACUSE
ITHACA, N.Y. (SEPT. 2, 2023) — A first-half goal by Mia Gonzalez and a two-save clean sheet by goalkeeper Natalie Medugno guided Cornell to a 1-0 victory over its Central New York rival Syracuse at Berman Field.

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

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

Cornell's victory over Syracuse was its first against an ACC opponent since beating Duke, 4-1, on Oct. 13, 1990, in the first match of the Cornell Classic held at Robison Alumni Fields, adjacent to the Big Red's current home pitch.

26 YEARS, 53 MILES, 14 MEETINGS
Syracuse and Cornell will be meeting for the 15th time on Sunday afternoon. The Orange have dominated the series between Central New York programs, posting a 10-1-3 record.

Cornell snapped its 13-match winless streak to the Orange with a 1-0 victory last Sept. 2. Three of the last four matches at Berman Field between the two programs have been one-goal matches.