Box Score

ITHACA, NY—Senior Rachel Nichols scored the game's first goal and its last goal, helping host Cornell to a 4-0 women's soccer win over NJIT Sunday afternoon on Cornell's Berman Field.

Cornell (5-2-1), which had a three-game winning streak and four-game unbeaten streak halted in a 1-0 loss to the University of Cincinnati on Friday in Bridgeport, CT, got back on track quickly against NJIT (3-7), taking a lead on Nichols' goal in the eighth minute.

The Big Red extended its advantage to 2-0 on a penalty kick goal by Caroline Growney at 24:58 and then came through with the kind of goal that demoralizes the opposition, making it 3-0 on a score by Elizabeth Crowell with less than three minutes remaining until halftime. Cornell scored the only goal of the second half less than six minutes in, as Nichols converted a feed from Charlotte Tate at 50:47.

Cornell used two goalkeepers for its fourth shutout of 2013. Freshman Kelsey Tierney, the starter, made two saves in 61:33 and senior Tori Christ finished the job with one save over the final 28:27. NJIT's goalkeeper, Samantha Bersett, made six saves. Cornell has allowed only one goal in its last three matches combined.

Cornell dominated the team statistics, outshooting the visitors 18-4, including 15-1 in the first half. The shots on goal were 10-3 and the corner kicks were 8-0.

NJIT's three shots on goal came from three different players—Megan Dellavalle, Rebecca Tustin, and Madeline Griep, who also had a shot off target.

Sunday's loss drops NJIT to 3-7 on the season.

Cornell freshman Dempsey Banks picked up her fifth assist of the season on the first goal of the day. Banks found Crowell, another freshman, for a shot that was blocked. The deflection came back to Banks, who sent a pass ahead to Nichols, who shot into the upper corner for a goal at 7:33.

Growney made it 2-0 after she was fouled in the penalty area. Awarded the penalty kick, she knocked it home at 24:58.

Crowell, who had been denied earlier, picked up the third goal of her freshman year early in the 43rd minute. Senior Rachel Schlobohm sent a crossing pass that Crowell pinballed off the crossbar and off the back of the NJIT keeper Bersett for Cornell's third goal.

The fourth Cornell scoring play began with a pass from Banks to Charlotte Tate, who made a deep run deep down the left side before crossing the ball into the box, where Nichols ran onto the ball and knocked it home from 12 yards for her second goal of the day and third of the season at 50:47.

NJIT, which is in the midst of playing five straight away games, will play the third of those contests on Friday at 5 pm in Pittsburgh when the Highlanders visit 2-4-1 Duquesne. The Dukes will host Robert Morris on Tuesday night before entertaining NJIT.