Thanks to junior attacker Abbi Horn’s goal with 46 seconds left in regulation, Cornell field hockey snapped its slump at Schoellkopf Field with a 2-1 victory over Brown yesterday afternoon.
The Red improve to 4-2 in the Ivy League and 7-6 overall while Brown remains winless this season (0-15, 0-5).
Horn’s game-winning goal was set up by freshman midfielder Mattie Prodanovic, who tallied her first point of her collegiate career with the assist.
“I believe we intercepted a pass,” Horn said. “We were really trying to keep the intensity up. We were doing everything as a team that we could do to win the game in regulation. And then Mattie just brought the ball down the right side and as she passed it over, I was at the top of the circle where she passed the ball and I just one-timed it in. It could have been anyone on our team because we were all just pushing so hard. We were all trying to be at the right place at the right time. Everything worked out.”
Both teams failed to register a point in the first half, but Cornell struck first when junior co-captain Belen Martinez launched a shot into the far corner to give the Red a 1-0 lead early in the second half.
However, the Bears answered ten minutes later when senior attacker Andrea Posa knotted the contest at 1-1.
As the game appeared to be headed to overtime, Horn’s goal with under a minute left in regulation clinched the game for the Red and snapped a four game losing streak.
“We really haven’t been focused on our home record or anything like that,” said Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook. “We’re looking at the big picture and obviously want to do as well as we can in the conference. So, any win in the Ivy League is a big win for us. We’re happy we’re 4-2 now [against Ivy League competition]. We’re still hanging in there. The race is really tight in the league. We were able to stay in the hunt.”
Junior Shannon Prescott registered four saves for the Red and freshman Lauren Kessler stopped five in the loss for Brown.
Cornell held the advantage in shots, 15-5, and penalty corners, 9-4.
“We’re happy that we were able to get 15 shots on goal,” Hornibrook said. “That was definitely something that was a focus for us this week. Creating nine corners was also a positive. Defensively, we’ve all been surprised. [Brown] had a couple of nice opportunities in the first half, and Shannon Prescott made a bunch of nice saves. We were happy we scored off corners, but we’re still going to work on that. Overall, it was a good, tight game, but we’re just happy to get the win.”