No. 3 Maryland too tough to handle, Cornell falls 4-0
September 4, 2011 —
Photo by Jeremy Hartigan
The second-ever meeting between the Cornell Big Red and the Maryland Terrapins ended in the same result as the first: a loss for the Big Red.
The Terrapins (4-0-1) came into the game ranked No. 3 in the nation, and showed why in a 4-0 victory over the Big Red (0-2).
Despite the Terrapins high ranking and four consecutive shut outs to start the season, Big Red head coach Danielle LaRoche believed her team had the ability to play with a top-five team.
“Maryland showed us that we can play against some of the top women in the country and play well against them,” LaRoche said.
And the Big Red did compete. For as long as they could. The Terrapins capitalized in the 11th minute of the first half with a goal from Jayann Gabrio to pull ahead 1-0 early.
However, the Big Red stayed in the game when Kelly Murphy made a great save on a shot inside the box from the Terrapins’ Hayley Brock, preventing the Terrapins from breaking the game open.
According to LaRoche, the Big Red wanted to emphasize defense against a team that scored nine goals against Loyola (Md.) earlier in the season.
“Our game plan all along was to come out really conservative in terms of attack,” she said. “We decided that we were going to defend first for at least the first half and (part) of the second half. And that’s what we did, and we did it very well.”
But in the 70th minute, the pressure in the box on the Big Red defenders proved to be too much, as Terrapins’ midfielder Domenica Hodak fired a kick past the outstretched hands of Murphy to give the Terrapins a 2-0 lead.
Cory Ryan added an insurance goal in the 82nd minute, weaving between two Big Red defenders in the box before hitting a strike into the net to give the Terrapins a 3-0 lead, and ultimately the win.
The Big Red hopes to pick up its first win of the season when they host Patriot League foe Colgate this Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Despite the tough loss to a premier team, LaRoche believes the underlying message remains the same: her team gained confidence that they could compete with the elite in Division I women’s soccer.
“I think the thing (the loss to Maryland) has given us, although it is not the result we wanted, it has given us the confidence to know that Cornell University women’s soccer is at a place in our program where we can compete with one of the best teams in the country,” said LaRoche.