Cornell women’s soccer broke through in the closing minutes Sunday afternoon, ending a lengthy scoring drought and earning a 1-0 road victory over Binghamton at Bearcats Sports Complex.
Freshman Sofía Menéndez scored the decisive goal in the 87th minute as the Big Red improved to 3-3-2, while Binghamton fell to 4-2-2. The victory was Cornell’s first over the Bearcats since 2016 and snapped a seven-match winless streak in the series.
The match was tightly contested throughout, with neither team recording a shot on goal during the opening half. Cornell held a narrow 4-3 edge in total shots over the first 45 minutes, but both defenses controlled play.
Freshman goalkeeper Sofia Kerrigan made the first save of the afternoon early in the second half and came up with a key stop in the 83rd minute to keep the match scoreless. Her effort preserved Cornell’s fourth shutout of the season and moved her into sole possession of fourth place on the program’s freshman shutout list.
Cornell generated several dangerous chances late in the match. Senior Brooke Brown recorded the team’s first shot on goal in the 58th minute, while Andrea Wilson and Alanna Colbert each tested the Binghamton defense in the final 15 minutes.
The breakthrough finally came with 3:38 remaining. Freshman Dylan Steinberg beat the goalkeeper, but her shot struck the right post. Menéndez followed the play and buried the rebound for her first collegiate goal, ending Cornell’s scoreless streak at more than 434 minutes and delivering the latest regulation game-winning goal for the program in more than a decade.
Cornell will return to action after a 13-day break when it opens Ivy League play against Yale on Saturday, September 26, at 1 p.m. in Ithaca.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.