Photos courtesy of @brettballachino and Ryan Bartholomew
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In their last regular season game against Steel City, FC Buffalo’s women’s team came into Robert Rich Sr. All-High Stadium in search of claiming their 2024 Iron Division crown, the Wolves’s fourth consecutive since their establishment.
As in their match at Founders Field in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, Steel City took another late advantage over FCB by scoring in the 83rd minute for the 2-1 lead.
But the Wolves won a late penalty kick as Eileen Solomon bulldozed her way into the box and drew a foul before she could shoot for an equalizer.
[ RELATED: FC Buffalo women drop first UWS match at Steel City ]
With the pressure rising as the Wolves needed to draw or win, one player stepped up to the spot: first-year Canisius Univeristy forward Skylar Cornell, who kept her composure to score her fifth goal of the season and give her team the crucial 2-2 draw and title.
“It is really nerve-racking, especially when there are so many people and fans. I was nervous right before taking the penalty kick,” Cornell said as she described the pressure of taking one of the biggest shots of her career. “But as soon as I got to the PK spot, I prepared. Everything just shuts out. I focus on scoring, which becomes simple because you are so close to the goal with a good chance of scoring. You just have to block out those other factors.”
With her ‘ice-cold’ penalty against Steel City, Cornell continued to add to what she considers a great first year with the club.
[ RELATED: FC Buffalo claims Iron Division crown with late penalty ]
“It’s been a great summer and an awesome opportunity. I didn’t know what to expect coming into it, as I am not from the area, and I’ve never played in a league like this,” said Cornell, who credits her teammates and coaches for the fantastic first-year experience and adapting to the Buffalo area.
“The coaches have a connection with each other and with the players. The girls on the team have been so nice and very welcoming. It also just gives me the feeling of being at home in Buffalo. I am getting to know many more people in the area, branching out in the area, and making new connections.”
But besides playing away from Bainbridge Township, Ohio, and with a new team, the Canisius forward reflects on the difference between playing — and scoring — in college and a semi-professional league.
“They are both amazing teams, and I love them both. But they are different [in certain ways]. My college team spends a lot of time with the players, but I have gotten super close with all the players at FC Buffalo,” Cornell said. “Also, the level of play against the other teams in the UWS is a bit higher than in college just because I feel like all the best players come together.”
With the Wolves’s veterans’ support, especially from the legendary skipper, Carissima Cutrona, Cornell has developed into a crucial forward prepared for tonight’s all-important semifinal.
“I have learned a lot from them,” Cornell acknowledged. “They have been able to step up on this team as leaders. Everyone knows to go to them if they have questions or anything about the game, including outside of soccer. Coming into a new team is hard because nobody knows each other well. It’s tough to form connections on the field so fast. With Carissima, she’s been super helpful. Any questions I had about the formation or the [team] press, she has been able to answer them clearly and get everyone on the same page.”
As the 2024 UWS National Championship weekend begins today, FC Buffalo is enthusiastic about hosting the event. The Wolves bring the four-team postseason tournament to the Buffalo-Niagara region for two national semifinal rounds and a national final.
As one of the four national semifinalists, Nikki Bartholomew‘s squad, 6-1-1, returns to All-High Stadium to kick off the second game of tonight’s doubleheader against Santa Clarita Blue Heat at 8 p.m. The first match—Michigan Jaguars vs. New England Mutiny—begins at 5 p.m.
Cornell and her team understand the significance of this possible once-in-a-lifetime moment to boost FCB’s future and players’ soccer careers by winning the club’s first national championship.
“Nikki [Bartholomew] said it to us in practice a few days ago and made it a realization. Not many people can say they won a national title in anything throughout their careers. It would be an accomplishment and an honor to be able to win that. It’s something so huge for the team and myself.”
SC Blue Heat, a UWS club with a high pedigree, looks to expand on its already rich history this weekend. The California-based club hopes to claim their third national title in what would be their fifth final appearance.
“We are preparing for the best team. We know that they are going to be very good,” Cornell said regarding how the Wolves will prepare to face a formidable, respected opponent. “We’ve just been trying to keep working on the same things that we’ve been working on all summer and honing in on the specifics like set pieces, how to move as a team, and our different attacking opportunities because it can make all the difference.”
Coached by Leonardo ‘Luty’ Neveleff, SC Blue Heat had an undefeated 2024 campaign with an 8-0-0 record, scoring 31 goals and conceding just two. Cornell, the joint-top scorer for the Wolves this season alongside Cutrona, will rely upon her teammates to break down an impassable defensive side.
[ RELATED: 2024 Women’s Stats ]
“I am really just trying to know when to step up, and I want to become a leader on the team,” said Cornell. “The main thing with these good teams is rather than beating players one-on-one all the time, which isn’t always possible, it’s just having trust in your teammates like the other forwards and midfielders. It’s better to play around with them than do everything yourself. Although I want to step up and create chances by myself, it’s good to connect with the other girls and know we can all beat them if we play together.”
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