On Sept. 16, 1995, the Cornell women’s soccer team beat the University of Pennsylvania, 2-1 in Philadelphia. For the first time in 30 years, the Red has beaten the Quakers on their turf by the exact same scoreline.
Cornell (5-5-4, 2-3 Ivy) started off in an unlucky position against Penn (4-4-5, 0-3-2 Ivy). The Quakers’ Abbey Cook scored in the 17th minute after increased pressure from Penn’s forwards and attacking midfielders on Cornell’s defense.
Despite the score, head coach Rob Ferguson was confident in his team to make the comeback.
“I thought we controlled much of the flow of the game,” Ferguson said. “I felt momentum-wise, in terms of, obviously not the scoreline... we had the better of it.”
Cornell truly did have the better of it. After the first half, the Red outperformed Penn in every offensive stat, including shots (9-6), shots on goal (6-4) and corner kicks (2-1).
With the momentum starting up in the first half, Cornell created more chances to come back. A player not unfamiliar with scoring important goals contributed the first to the victory. Junior forward Sydney Allen weaved her way through Penn’s defenders and shot the ball from just outside the 18-yard box, beating Penn senior goalkeeper Annabel Austen in the 54th minute.
Cornell continued to apply pressure and maintain possession even after tying up the game. In the 63rd minute, junior forward Brooke Brown scored her second goal of the season, and her career, off a rebound from freshman midfielder Raya Leikin.
The Red offense was not the only one to thank for this victory. The collective effort on both sides of the ball helped secure this historic win. Penn started the match in a 3-5-2 formation, placing immediate pressure on the Cornell back line. This was an unusual setup for the Quakers, but the Red adapted quickly.
“We went from two 10s to two 6s, just to kind of protect the center backs a bit more because they were often left two-on-two,” Ferguson said. “We also thought that would help us possess the ball a bit better, and it really did.”
The change limited Penn to only one shot on goal in the final 45 minutes of the match.
This victory is only a small step in a larger goal for the team this season. With only two conference games left, if the Red wins both, it will be in a great position to make the Ivy League Tournament.
Its next match will also honor the team’s seniors.
“We’ve got a great group of seniors that have put a lot of work into the last four years, and I think that always brings its own motivation,” Ferguson said. Cornell has everything to fight for in its next match and throughout the rest of the season as it continues to make history.
The Red will play Brown next at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Berman Field. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Lydia Lekhal is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at ll962@cornell.edu.
