ST. BONAVENTURE (1-0) at CORNELL (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 20 – 3:00 p.m.
Ithaca, N.Y.
TV: ESPN+
 
ST. BONAVENTURE (1-0) vs. CANISIUS (1-0)
Sunday, Aug. 23 – 1:00 p.m.
Marra Athletics Complex
TV: ESPN+
 
KICKING OFF
Looking to build upon its season-opening victory over Saint Peter's this past Sunday, the St. Bonaventure women's soccer team will hit the road this week for the first time in 2026, traveling to face Cornell on Thursday afternoon. Following that matchup, the team will return to the Marra Athletics Complex Sunday afternoon to host Little Three rival Canisius.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Bonnies took down the Peacocks last Sunday by a score of 1-0 powered by stout defensive measures and the game's lone goal in the 34th minute, scored by sophomore Ava Reybitz in her first game with the Brown and White. The score marked the first of the William & Mary transfer's collegiate career and gave the Bonnies the momentum needed to capture a victory in their season debut.
 
LEONE'S LEADERSHIP
Sunday's result marked a special moment for first-year head coach Ray Leone as he earned his first victory with St. Bonaventure. It was his 310th overall win as a head coach at the Division I level, a figure that positions him tied for the 33rd-most wins among all active D-I coaches. Leone also became the first coach in program history to win his Bona's debut since Geoff Bennett accomplished the feat in 1998 against Boston.
 
CLEAN SHEET
By holding the Peacocks scoreless, the Bonnies recorded their first shutout victory since Sep. 14, 2025, when the squad took down Oakland by a score of 2-0. Senior goalkeeper Juliana Castellano started and played the full 90 minutes opposite Saint Peter's, making two saves in that time and registering the seventh complete game in net of her career.
 
ABOUT CORNELL

• Cornell is led by head coach Rob Ferguson in his sixth consecutive season with the team. Last year, he brought the program to its highest single-season win total since 2016 with a 5-7-4 overall record.
• The Big Red will open the 2026 regular season against the Bonnies with a new look, entering the year lacking 10 graduated seniors in the Class of 2026, all of whom logged significant minutes and were described by Ferguson as a "spine through the team."
• Sophomore Samantha Qureshy, the team's presumed primary goalkeeper, returns after starting in nine contests last season, bringing quality experience in non-conference play.
• Senior defender Isabel Chapman returns to Cornell's back line as a speedy defensive presence after making her collegiate debut last season against Syracuse.

 
ABOUT CANISIUS

• The Golden Griffins are led by Ryan Louis in his fifth season as head coach and ninth year overall on the staff.
• Last season, Louis led the Golden Griffins to the MAAC Championship, where they fell to Sacred Heart after ending the title match at a scoreless tie and losing the penalty kick battle, 4-3.
• Senior midfielder Jessica Whitaker, a 2025 All-MAAC First Team selection and member of this year's Preseason All-Metro Team, returns team highs of 14 points and six assists from a season ago.
• Junior Azaria Fagan also returns for the Bonnies' Little Three rival after leading the team with five goals last season, four of which were game-deciding scores.
• Canisius began its 2026 campaign against Le Moyne, whom the Bonnies will face on Aug. 27 at the Marra Athletics Complex. The squad picked up a 2-0 victory over the Dolphins as freshman Romane Lanni set the tone with a first-half score, the first of her collegiate career.

 
SERIES HISTORY
The Bonnies hold a 3-12-1 all-time record against Cornell with their last victory coming in the 2014 season, a 3-2 result. The two programs have not faced off since the 2019 season in which the Big Red collected a 1-0 win. Against a familiar opponent in Canisius, the Bonnies are 14-23-5. The teams did not meet last season but are still shortly removed from a 2024 contest which saw the Golden Griffins come out on top, 1-0.
 
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