The women’s soccer team suffered a pair of shutout losses this past week, falling 5-0 on the road to Boston University on Saturday and 4-0 to Cornell University on Tuesday at Gummeson Grounds.
The Leopards (1-1-2 Patriot League, 3-5-5 overall) held Boston (2-1-1 Patriot League, 5-4-3 overall) to a single goal in the first period, but the Terriers broke through in the second, scoring four unanswered to secure the win.
Lafayette College struggled to generate offensive momentum, managing just six shots across the full game while the reigning Patriot League champions fired off 33.
“We came out flat and got punished for it,” senior forward Katrina Santelli said. “We didn’t come out strong or show up to play.”
Junior goalkeeper Catherine Apker delivered an impressive performance between the posts, racking up a total of 10 saves throughout the game, tying her career-high. She denied the Terriors in the ninth minute with a sharp save in the bottom-center, moments before Boston broke through for the game’s opening goal in the 10th minute.
The Leopards had moments of promise in the second half, including a shot from junior forward Ava Murphy in the 52nd minute and another from Santelli five minutes later, but both were saved by Boston’s goalkeeper. The Terriers had a trio of goals in the latter part of the match to add insurance to their lead before connecting on the killing blow in the final minute.
Cornell (4-4-4 overall) came out guns blazing on Tuesday, netting two goals in the first half and adding two more in the second.
The Big Red tallied 11 shots in the opening half, but the Maroon and White’s defense tightened after the break, limiting Cornell to just five shots in the second. Santelli managed two shots in the first half, accounting for half of the Leopards’ shots in the game.
Senior goalkeeper Maddie Miniutti held her own through a tough first half, standing tall for four saves to keep things level until Cornell broke through with its first goal in the 36th minute. A 44th-minute header off a corner gave the Big Red a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Offensively, the Leopards were held to two shots per period. Junior midfielder Nadia Zaffanella’s shot in the 49th minute forced a save from Cornell’s goalkeeper, marking Lafayette’s best chance of scoring in the second half.
“We did a solid job today defending and staying with their runners,” freshman midfielder Era Methoxha said. “We’re focused on the things we work on in practice. We just need to do better at the execution.”
Cornell added goals in the 75th and 86th minutes to secure the 4-0 win for the Big Red.
The Maroon and White will look to regroup as they prepare for Saturday’s matchup against Holy Cross (1-1-2 Patriot League, 4-5-4 overall), marking their fifth Patriot League clash of the season.
“After losing 5-0 and 4-0 back to back, we’re itching to get back out there and prove we’re better than those results,” Santelli stated. “Every match counts, and we have to bring our best every single game.”
