The Cornell Field Hockey team will complete its 2012 season with a match against Dartmouth (10-6, 5-1 Ivy League) on Saturday at Marsha Dodson Field.
The Red (8-8, 3-3) has had an up and down season thus far, which began with a 4 game losing streak but has also included a six game winning streak. The squad defeated Holy Cross in its last matchup and now looks to finish the season with two consecutive victories.
“Ending the season with a win would be fantastic, especially because the game against Dartmouth on Saturday is Senior Day,” said Junior midfielder Mallory Bannon. “The Seniors have put in so much effort and have done a great job with the team and bringing everyone together. So getting a win would be great for the team and would be a great finish for the seniors.”
Defeating the Green would also mean the Red will finish with a winning record overall and in Ivy League play. According to Bannon, a winning record would be a testament to the Red’s improvement over the course of the season.
“Finishing with a winning record would demonstrate how much we’ve improved over the season,” she said. “It would show how we’ve been able to connect as a team, work well off of each other and learn each others’ styles of play.”
Dartmouth will certainly be challenging for Cornell. The Green is 5-2 in Ivy League play and has won four out of its last five games. According to Bannon, the Red are expecting a tough contest and have been working in practice on elevating its game in order to come away with a victory.“Dartmouth is always a really competitive opponent for us, so we’ve been working hard to make sure that all of the aspects of our game are solid, from the defense to the forwards,” she explained. “We want the defense to be good at getting the ball to the forwards, so that we can get a lot of shots against them.”Last year, the Red lost a nailbiter to the Green in overtime, 2-1. 48 seconds into overtime, Green forward Ali Savage found the back of the net for the gamewinner off an assist by Lisa Masini. Savage and Masini lead the Green attack again this year, which features a dozen players that have recorded one point or more on the season. According to Bannon, the Red has also been working in practice on improving its execution in the offensive zone.“We’ve been working on getting the ball in the circle in order to get shots in the corners, which are great opportunities for scoring,” she explained.If the Red can execute what it has worked on in practice, it could head into the offseason with the taste of victory.
Original Author: Ben Horowitz