The Cornell field hockey team opened its Ivy League campaign on the road Saturday in New Haven, Conn., against the Bulldogs of Yale. Coming off an impressive 6-1 win against SUNY-Albany on September 10, the Red was poised and confident for its conference opener.
After falling behind early in the game by a score of 2-0, the Red’s senior co-captains Ashleigh Snelson and Melissa Wannop rallied the team and began a remarkable run to victory. Snelson got Cornell on the board at the 34:28 mark on a penalty corner, assisted by sophomore Carissa Mirasol and junior Sarah Nordstrom.
Less than three minutes later, the Red converted yet again to tie the score at 2-2. Sophomore Karleigh Burns netted the equalizer on a penalty stroke at 37:09. With just nine minutes remaining in the game, the Red scored the go-ahead goal on junior Annie O’Rourke’s penalty stroke.
The Red had scored three unanswered goals ,thus tiring and weakening the Bulldogs. However, at 62:48, Yale was able to find an opening and connect, tying the game at 3-3.
With emotions rising and the tension mounting against its Ivy League rival, Cornell saw the minutes begin to tick by as the score remained tied. At 5:24 left in regulation, sophomore Kimmy Gardner put the Red on top for good on a penalty corner assisted by junior Dana Kindermann.
“We were ecstatic,” said junior forward Sarah Rosenbaum. “Fans were telling us that they’d never seen us play with so much heart.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlin Tierney had an impressive game in net. She had 17 saves on the way to her first Ivy League victory in three attempts. Tierney helped Cornell improve its record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Ivy League play.
“She had an awesome, awesome time this weekend,” Rosenbaum said.
With the victory against the Elis, the Red began its Ivy slate on the right foot, especially considering the team’s title aspirations.
“We have a lot to prove,” Rosenbaum said. “We want the ring.”
The following day, the Red battled the University of Rhode Island at Yale for an afternoon match-up. After a thrilling victory the day before, the Red carried its motivation and enthusiasm as it faced the Rams. Sophomore Lindsay Grace connected for the only goal of the game at the 60:44 mark and was assisted by Burns. It was Grace’s second goal of the season. With the 1-0 shutout, the Red moved to 4-1 overall with its winning streak standing at three.
Goaltender Tierney saved eight shots in the contest and 25 for the weekend, playing an integral role in the team’s two wins in as many days. The Red hopes to carry its momentum into next weekend when it faces Columbia at Schoellkopf Field on Friday at 4 p.m.
On a different note, yesterday while the team was still in Conn., head coach Michelle Tambroni delivered her first child, Carissa Lynn.
“It’s the first time in her life that field hockey wasn’t the first thing [on her mind],” Rosenbaum said of her coach.
Archived article by Andrew Knauer