The women's soccer team notched its second consecutive win on Saturday night, defeating the Cornell University Big Red 3-0 at Stevenson Field. The win improved the Bears to 2-3 in the Ivy League, good for fifth place in the league.
Brown continued its great play at home, as the team improved to 6-1 at Stevenson Field. "Playing at home gives us an advantage," said Kathryn Moos '07. "You always want to perform well in front of the home crowd."
The Bears opened the scoring just 1:12 in when co-captain Meghan Schreck '06 scored the first of her two goals. Schreck capitalized off a nice throw-in from Jill Mansfield '07 and the inability of the Big Red to clear the ball. Schreck controlled a ricochet off Moos' head and put the ball into the far corner of the net.
Getting a goal early in the game gave the Bears a lot of confidence. "When we score first, we play quite well," said Head Coach Phil Pincince.
By scoring first, the Bears were able to gain momentum and dictate play.
The defense played extraordinarily well, allowing few shots on goal, and Hilary Wilson '06 continued her great play in net, notching her third shutout of the season. "Hilary was very focused in net," Pincince said. "She didn't get many shots, but she made the saves she had to."
Schreck was also quick to note how well the defense played. "Our experienced outside backs have helped us a lot," she said. "Also, our sweeper, Kim (Lavere '06), controls the backfield for us."
The Bears added another score early in the second half. Just 56 seconds in, Lavere sent a long pass down the sideline to Moos, who beat a defender and drove to the net. Moos easily put the ball in the open net by the charging Cornell goalkeeper for her fourth goal of the season.
The game marked the return of Brown co-captain Michelle Sriwongtong '05 to the starting lineup. "Michelle has great vision and is able to keep the team together. She is a leader and is able to read the game very well," Pincince said.
The win gives the Bears momentum going into their final three games. "Winning these past two games has definitely given us confidence for the rest of the season," Schreck said. The experience the Bears have gained by winning close contests like this one will come in handy.
The Bears look to show how much they have grown on Wednesday at 3 p.m., when they face Providence College at Stevenson Field.
