NEW YORK – Following an out of conference slate punctuated by a five-game winning streak, the Columbia women's soccer team (5-2-1) will travel Ithaca, N.Y. to open Ivy League play at Cornell. The contest is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Fans can catch all the action on
ESPN+ or follow live stats at
cornellbigred.com
Here are five things to know before Saturday.
#1 | WINNING STREAK
Columbia extended its winning streak to five consecutive games after defeating Seton Hall and Quinnipiac on home turf. The Lions took down Seton Hall 2-0 on Friday before turning around for a 1-0 victory over previously undefeated Quinnipiac on Sunday. En route to securing its fifth win, Columbia took down a Quinnipiac team that had started its season at 5-0.
#2 | RANKING
Following a successful non-conference run, Columbia holds the 33
rdslot in the most recent NCAA RPI Rankings. Columbia shares room in the top 35 with conference rivals #6 Harvard and #31 Princeton.
#3 | GOALKEEPING
Sophomore goalkeeper
Paige Nurkin has been solid in goal. Last week, the rookie led the Ivy League in both shutouts (2) and saves (13), turning away a Quinnipiac team that entered Sunday averaging three goals per game. While Nurkin has spent the majority of the season between the pipes, freshmen keepers
Audrey Byrne and
Lauren Rodriguez have both seen game action with Byrne recording ten saves thus far.
#4 | GOAL SCORING
With a goal against both Seton Hall and Quinnipiac, sophomore
Nata Ramirez now leads the Lions in both goals (4) and overall points (11). The forward has started all seven games and contributed to at least one goal in five of these contests. She is followed by freshman
Sophia Cavaliere with three goals on the season.
#5 | OPPONENT
Columbia will kick off conference play on the road at Cornell. The Big Red are 1-5-2 on the season, having defeated Canisius 2-0 in their season opener. While Cornell leads Columbia in historic competition 19-15, the Lions have come away victorious in the last four meetings. Cornell is offensively paced by sophomore Ava Laden who leads the team in goals (5), assists (3), and overall points (13). Goalkeepers Erica Fox and Miranda Iannone have split time in goal, combining for a 0.706 save percentage and 1.18 goals against average.
