It was an up and down weekend for Cornell field hockey (5-2, 3-0 Ivy) as the team split its matches. On Friday, the Red persevered in a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime victory against Yale before running out of gas in a 2-0 loss to Vermont on Sunday.
Against Yale (2-5, 0-2 Ivy), it was a seesaw affair following a scoreless first period, as the two teams traded goals throughout the second half. Cornell got on the board first, 10 minutes into the period, as freshman Abbi Horn connected on a penalty corner. Over the next 20 minutes, Yale scored two goals to put the Eli’s up by one as the clock ran down.
With Yale up by one, head coach Donna Hornibrook called a time out to settle the young team, hoping to force overtime. In the event of an overtime period, the format changes to seven on seven, which would enable the Red to utilize its speed and quickness and create a mismatch against the Elis on a more open field.
With six minutes left in regulation, freshman Alyssa DePaola was able to convert on a penalty corner to tie up the game. The score would stay at two for the remainder of the half and into the sudden death overtime period. With 7:11 left in overtime, freshman Belen Martinez took a pass from Horn and found the back of the net, clinching the game for the Red.
“We did a good job sticking with our game plan against Yale. They played a tight zone defense, which we had to adapt to,” Hornibrook said. “We were able to keep our composure and equalize the score and then take advantage of our quickness in the overtime period.”
Against the Catamounts on Sunday, the typically potent Red offense was stymied, as the team was shut out for the first time this season. It was an off day for the Red, which failed to display the tenacity and proper execution that had been critical to its success so far this season.
“We didn’t show up defensively. We were out of position and didn’t pay attention to little details,” Hornibrook said. “Our forwards have done a good job with pressure, but didn’t do that on Sunday, which put more pressure on the midfield and defense. [Vermont does] deserve credit though, they played very well.”
Vermont scored a goal in each half and barraged Cornell with shots, holding a 17-8 edge on the day.
While against Yale the Red was able to use its speed and quickness to pull out the victory, that aspect of the Red’s game was hampered against Vermont. Because the game was played on a wet field surface, the Red had difficulty making cuts and changing directions, thereby limiting the effectiveness of its attacks and transition game.
“It was a big win for us against Yale to go into their place, come back and win it in overtime,” Hornibrook said. “We were disappointed that we didn’t get both games this weekend, but we have had six pretty good performances in a row. We had an off day on Sunday.”
The Red returns to action this weekend with games at Princeton on Friday and at West Chester on Sunday.
Archived article by Jon Hausner
Sun Staff Writer