The field hockey team improved to 2-0 in conference play and 5-2 overall this weekend, as it ended a month-long homestand with wins over Yale and Rhode Island.
Cornell proved once again that persistence pays off. Despite failed penalty corners, the team was able to recover possession and maintain a strong offensive front. Such efforts resulted in two goals this weekend.
The first was from junior back Kimmy Gardner as Cornell defeated the Yale Bulldogs, 2-1.
Yale goalkeeper, Krissy Nesburg, was able to stop Cornell’s penalty corner in the 15th minute. What she failed to stop was the rebound. Junior attack Lindsay Grace regained control of the ball and fed it to Gardner. Fighting heavy traffic, she rifled a shot to put the Red on the board. Junior attack Carissa Mirasol would later find Grace for a second Cornell goal.
Yale scored its lone goal two minutes later. The Bulldogs created a lot of pressure and drew junior goalkeeper Kaitlin Tierney away from the net. Yale then took advantage of the opening and scored.
The Bulldogs would have to be satisfied with one goal as Cornell’s defense shut down all other offensive efforts. As a whole, the Red backfield limited Yale to just two penalty corners. Tierney also came up strong with five saves on the day.
Cornell’s winning ways continued as it rolled over the Rhode Island Rams by a final score of 3-1, yesterday afternoon.
Cornell’s offensive doggedness continued as it opened up the game with an early penalty corner. Though the team was not able to score on the initial shot, senior attack Sarah Rosenbaum recovered the ball and took a shot which sailed up and over the shoulder of the Rams keeper. A perfectly executed penalty corner afterwards gave Rosenbaum her second goal of the game, and left both Mirasol and senior captain Sarah Nordstrom with assists.
“The opportunities were just there,” said Rosenbaum of her two-goal performance.
Head coach Michelle Tambroni did not reflect Rosenbaum’s modesty.
“She’s great,” said Tambroni. “Rosie is our most consistent player from game to game.”
The senior scoring parade continued in the second half. Midfielder Annie O’Rourke connected with a pass from Grace to score at 36:27. Cornell continued to dominate the game until later in the half when Rhode Island slowly worked its way downfield and earned a goal off of a penalty corner. The Rams earned more corners in the final minutes but were unable to convert them into goals.
Head coach Michelle Tambroni was extremely satisfied with her team’s efforts from the weekend.
“I’m very proud that they’re finally playing our game,” said Tambroni, who with a month’s worth of experience looks to focus on the finer points of competition.
“We need to play a full 70 minutes,” said Tambroni. “There are mental errors that we need to clean up. We shouldn’t be allowing penalty corners in the final minutes of play.”
Cornell will be on the road this week, playing Colgate and Columbia. The Red returns to Schoellkopf field on Tuesday, Oct. 8 against Syracuse.
Archived article by Matt Janiga