Following a pivotal victory over Harvard last week, the women’s soccer team rose to fourth place in the Ivy League standings with a 1-0 win against Cornell Saturday. The victory in Ithaca was the Bears’ tenth of the season, marking the first time the team has recorded double-digit wins since 2013.
Celia Story ’19 scored on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, securing the advantage for Bruno (10-4, 3-2 Ivy). Story launched the ball above a diving goalkeeper into the top left corner of the net for her fifth goal of the season.
The Bears dominated offensively, out-shooting the Big Red (2-7-3, 0-3-2) 18-6 with a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Bruno also led in corner kicks 6-3.
“What was really working for us offensively was playing on the ground — they had a lot of defenders behind the ball packing the 18-yard-box, so our plan was to kind of draw them out and try to keep switching it to get a chance to get a goal,” Story said.
Jennifer Caruso ’19 paced the Bears with four shots, while Megan Grant ’19 and Maclaine Lehan ’18 recorded three apiece.
“We came out in the first half with a lot of energy,” Story said. “In the first 10 to 15 minutes, we were all over them, really just getting the ball down and moving it around, switching the play, switching the point of attack and going at them.”
The team delivered a solid defensive performance as a unit to secure the victory.
“The back line has done well the past couple of games, but it all starts if the offense works hard on defense all the way back,” Story said. “We’ve wanted those shutouts, and we didn’t get some of them earlier on. We’ve been working really hard to get back in the groove and make sure that that’s a priority.”
In net, Christine Etzel ’19 made five saves to record her fourth shutout of the season.
Looking ahead, the Bears seek to maximize offensive output by capitalizing on opportunities early in their final two games.
“What we can work on moving forward is putting our chances away when we get them,” Story said.
Saturday’s home duel against Penn will also serve as a stage for the team’s Senior Day celebrations, during which Bruno will honor the five members of its graduating class.
“We definitely want to honor our seniors and all that they have done for the program, and really fight hard,” Story said. “We’re not letting up — we really want these last two wins in honor of our seniors and in honor of our season.”
The Bears host Penn at Stevenson-Pincince Field Saturday, before wrapping up their season at Yale Nov. 4. Brown will need wins in both games to remain in contention for the Ivy League title.
