CORTLAND, NY – The Cortland women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 defeat to nationally 23rd-ranked Rochester on Wednesday evening on Holloway Field. Cortland drops to 3-2-0 on the season, while Rochester improves to 5-0-0.
Samantha Ruffles (Danbury, CT/Danbury) led Cortland with two shots on target, and
Olivia Rouse (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) finished with five saves in goal.
Natalie Santangelo and Haidi Schoenberger each netted a goal for the Yellowjackets, with Ava Schmidt and Stella Van Arsdale providing an assist apiece. Eleni McGuire made six saves in goal for the shutout victory.
Rouse was forced into an early save in the fifth minute for the Red Dragons, as Rochester's Sydney Holmes dribbled down the left side and fired a shot towards the bottom right corner that the Cortland goalkeeper stopped with a dive to her left.
Cortland recorded its first shot on target in the sixth minute, a low shot by
Leah Rehm (East Syracuse/East Syracuse-Minoa) that was comfortably stopped by McGuire.
Rochester's Maya Bravo struck a shot off of the crossbar in the 23rd minute to keep the game scoreless, but the Yellowjackets opened the scoring just a minute later when Santangelo dribbled down the right side, cut inside to free herself from a Cortland defender, and fired a left-footed shot into the top left corner of the net.
The Yellowjackets were denied by the crossbar again in the 55th minute, as Eileen Harvey's shot hit the woodwork and went out of play for a Cortland goal kick. The Red Dragons avoided catastrophe in the 62nd minute when
Maia Allard (Castleton/Columbia) cleared a bouncing ball off the goal line after a scramble in front of the Red Dragons' goal.
Cortland just missed on two chances to equalize with 20 minutes remaining. A header by
Gigi Piscopiello (Stony Point/North Rockland) off a cross from
Cassia Schuyler (Cincinnatus) went just wide of the left post. Just two minutes later, Ruffles was stopped by a phenomenal diving save from McGuire following a corner kick for the Red Dragons.
Rochester added a second goal in the 81st minute to secure the win. Van Arsdale made a pass to Schmidt near the top of the Cortland 18-yard area, and Schmidt sent a through ball to the left to Schoenberger, who finished well into the top left corner of the goal to wrap up the scoring.
Cortland will head to Alfred State on Saturday to begin State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play, with the Red Dragons looking to defend their SUNYAC regular-season and tournament titles from last season.
