The Cornell field hockey team finished off its 2016 season ranked third overall in the Ivy league conference and 31st in the NCAA Division I standings.
The Red dominated Dartmouth, 9-1, on Saturday, giving its seniors the send-off they deserved.
“We were coming off a good win against Princeton and everyone was super excited and trying their hardest,” said senior back Luisa Schulte-Bockum.
Scoring five goals in the first half while only allowing one, the Red had dominant momentum from the get-go.
“Everyone tried really hard as it was the last game of the season and for some, their last game ever,” Schulte-Bockum said.
The Red’s season had not always been as consistent as it was in its final games. The team has grown significantly, both on the field and as a team, according to Schulte-Bockum.
“We had a slow start but we progressed more and more as the games continued,” Schulte-Bockum said. “Everything found its place by the end of the last few games and I thought it was great because we progressed so much as a team and it was great to see the team grow.”
The women are saying goodbye to senior midfielder Katy Weeks, senior midfielder Elizabeth Horak and Schulte-Bockum. All three were key players throughout the season.
These three women not only played their best during the final game for Cornell, but each also managed to score a goal in their last contest.
Weeks scored two goals and had one assist and Horak added one goal. Schulte-Bockum, in her final game in a Cornell uniform, notcher her first career goal. The senior said she was overjoyed by the skill her team demonstrated during the game.
“Overall it was a great team effort,” Schulte-Bockum said. “Everyone tried to support me and to support my first goal. But to me, it was more important to win. Having the entire team play well was more important than me getting a goal.”
The three seniors were standout players, but both underclassmen and upperclassmen played their best game which resulted in a Cornell landslide victory.
The remaining goals came from junior forward Krysten Mayers, who scored two goals, and junior back Sam McILwrick, sophomore forward Kiersti Anderson and junior forward Gabby DePetro, who each scored one goal.
This victory over the Green was the Red’s fourth consecutive top three finish in the Ivy league conference.
It is also Cornell’s fourth straight season earning double digit wins. This is the ninth time a team coached by head coach Donna Hornibrook has accomplished this in her 13-year career.
“The team has been a huge part of my life her at Cornell,” Schulte-Bockum said. “I wish [my teammates] all the best in their future both on and off the field. I will miss the team a lot.”