The stickwomen finished their regular season yesterday with a 3-1 loss to Dartmouth (11-6, 5-2 Ivy). The loss was the third straight for the Red (9-8, 3-4).
Cornell kept strong possession of the ball early in the first half, creating close chances and forcing penalty corners, yet could not convert. Junior attack Carissa Mirasol had an early chance but was unable to find the back of the cage.
Dartmouth got its first goal 4:27 into the match from senior Lauren Welch, who scored on a penalty stroke after Cornell junior goaltender Kaitlin Tierney had trapped the ball.
Cornell continued to force penalty corners in the first half, leading Dartmouth 5-0 in corners at the half. However, the Red was unable to capitalize.
Dartmouth scored its second goal with 5:13 left when Barrett pulled Tierney out of the goal on a breakaway and was able to score on the deflection.
The larger Dartmouth squad was able to keep Cornell in check after the half. Dartmouth denied the Red any penalty corners and limited its shots.
Head coach Michelle Tambroni was quick to credit Dartmouth’s defensive effort.
“They were just trying to shut us down,” said Tambroni, “and they played a better defensive game.”
Welch converted her second goal of the day on Dartmouth’s first penalty corner at 49:15, giving Dartmouth a three-goal lead. With the goal, Welch tied the Green record for the all-time point lead in Dartmouth history.
With cheers from the bench of “We need some urgency,” and “Can’t waste time,” the Red saw its season closing quickly.
“Today was a fight,” said Tambroni. “We kept trying to catch up, but just kept chasing. The clock was just flying by.”
With less than six minutes remaining, senior attack Anne O’Rourke scored on an assist by junior midfielder Lindsay Grace tom pull Cornell within two. Sensing an opportunity to further close the gap, Tambroni called in her team with two minutes remaining to set up a last offensive play. The Red, however, was denied by the aggressive Green.
“I tried to set up a play, and I think it would have worked,” said Tambroni. “But Dartmouth didn’t give up any chances and just kept fouling and playing very defensively.”
The Red held a slight lead over the Green in both penalty corners and shots — 5-4 and 11-10 respectively — but was unable to make the shots count. Dartmouth goaltender Murnen had three saves while Tierney had six.
Tambroni felt her players could have done more with the game.
“It’s an awful way to walk off the field — they were the better team but we’ve played better,” said Tambroni. “It’s a hard ending for the seniors who’ve given so much time and dedication. They’ve had better seasons.”
Cornell looks to Wednesday for the announcement of the teams for the ECAC tournament. Should Cornell be selected, it would most likely face Dartmouth again. Cornell finished fourth in the Ivy League behind Dartmouth, Harvard, and undefeated Princeton.
Archived article by Josh Dormont