The Cortland Women’s Soccer team falls 2-1 against Div. I Binghamton University in a friendly match this weekend. Although the Red Dragons lost, the team looks like they are in great shape for the upcoming season and most definitely kept up with the Bearcats level throughout the entire game. The Friendly was arranged to play three 30-minute periods.
For the start of the first 30, the Red Dragons got off to a hot start and applied immediate pressure against the Bearcats. During the first few minutes, they kept possession majority of the time and visibly dominated.
In the 15th minute junior Liz Allen scored the first goal of the game to give the Red Dragons a lead. Junior Kayla Vallerioti receives the ball from junior Bella Casucci, takes a shot from the 18, which was then deflected by Binghamton’s goalie Eve Waldhauser. After being deflected, Allen saw the opportunity and was able to place the ball in the back of the net.
For the remainder of the first 30, the Red Dragons continued to dominate by working up the field and using their midfielders. With Binghamton being much more frazzled than Cortland was, there were only few chances for the Bearcats to tie the game up. Within the last few minutes of the first, a Binghamton defender drove the ball down the left wing towards the net and took a shot in the 18, which just missed the upper 90.
Entering the second 30, the period was much more in Binghamton’s favor. The Red Dragons entered the second looking tired. During the middle of the period, Binghamton was successful and tied the game 1-1. The Bearcats were able to break the Red Dragons midfield line and split their defensive line by driving a through ball to a Binghamton forward who placed the ball in bottom left corner of the net.
The Red Dragons did not have much of an opportunity for the remainder of the second period. After the Bearcats tied the game up, it gave them a lot more intensity and helped the team dominate for the rest of the period.
Entering the final 30 minutes of the game, both teams were applying pressure and high intensity. The Bearcats did well in creating chances while also denying the Red Dragons of any dangerous chances on target. The Red Dragons struggled to move the ball up the field, but still had some offensive chances.
Binghamton gained the 2-1 victory within the last few minutes of the game. The Red Dragons defensive line was broken down from a fast transition and a Binghamton forward was able to place the ball in the far-right corner passing Cortland’s goaltender Kristen Spendal.
“Leaving Binghamton after our game with a loss, I think everyone’s heads were kept held high,” senior captain Bryn Thompson said. “We worked really hard all Spring to prepare for this game and we definitely played our best. It was a lot of fun seeing all our hard work pay off on the field against a very strong competitor.”