W. Lax Falls to Yale

By wpengine | April 28, 2003

On a cold, rainy Saturday in New Haven, the No. 13 women’s lacrosse team fell to Yale 11-5.

The momentum turned against the Red early, as Yale junior Miles Whitman notched the Bulldogs’ first score 11 seconds into the game. From there, things only got worse for the Red. Yale raced out to a 4-0 lead seven minutes into the game on two more scores from Whitman and one from senior co-captain Clarissa Clarke.

Cornell midfielder Julie Hughey scored two goals to lead an offensive resurgence for the Red for the next ten minutes with two goals, but Clarke and Whitman answered with two goals for the Bulldogs, and the Red never seriously threatened again, entering halftime down, 7-3.

In the second period, Whitman continued her domination, tallying three more scores for Yale to give her a career-high seven goals on the game. Clarke and junior Sophie Meliniker each found the net twice to round out the Bulldogs’ scoring.

Hughey led Cornell’s attack with two goals. Senior Sarah Averson and sophomores Lindsay Steinberg and Kristen Smith all scored twice for the Red. Freshman Allison Schindler had the team’s lone assist, bringing her total to a team-leading 22.

Senior captain Erica Holveck caused four turnovers to lead the defense. Junior Ashley Charron and Maggie Fava split the time in goal. Charron had one save and Fava had four.

The game represents Cornell’s second worst offensive outing of the year. The Red scored fewer points in its 9-2 loss to Princeton, who can clinch a share of the Ivy title with a victory over Brown next Saturday.

The tough loss to Yale brings Cornell’s record to 9-5 on the year and 3-3 in the Ivy League and likely ends the Red’s chances of an NCAA tournament berth. With the victory and a Princeton defeat of Dartmouth, No. 12 Yale clinches a share of the Ivy title.

The Red will close out its Ivy season next weekend against Harvard (3-10, 1-5). Closer on the horizon, the Red will face No. 15 Stanford (10-3) this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on Schoellkopf Field.

With the game, Cornell will close out its non-conference schedule and attempt to win 10 games for the fourth straight season.

Archived article by Matt James

Women's Lacrosse Upsets No. 15 Stanford

By wpengine April 29, 2003

The women’s lacrosse team defeated No. 15 Stanford (11-4), 12-9, yesterday on Schoellkopf Field to finish the season strong after Saturday’s heartbreaker at Yale. It was the 400th game in program history. With the victory, the Red (9-5) remains unbeaten against the Cardinal all-time, with a 5-0 series record. "I’m really pleased with the effort," said head coach Jenny Graap ’86. "I felt that we were intense on ground balls, hustling, and it just seemed like we played with a lot of passion." Stanford got on the board early, scoring 48 seconds into the game. However, the Red quickly responded and mounted an impressive run. Sophomore Lindsay Steinberg got the offense started for the Red, as she intercepted a pass in the offensive zone, and beat the lone defender back for the score. Senior Sarah Averson added a tally of her own soon after, as junior Jamie Quinn found Averson all alone in front of the net. Junior Kate Hirschfield put the laxers up by two, connecting on a shot right in front of the net. After the Cardinal called timeout to try to regroup, the Red continued to add to its lead. Sophomore Julia Hughey connected on a pass from Steinberg, who added her second tally of the day soon after on a free position shot. Averson extended the lead to 6-1 after taking a pass from freshman Allison Schindler. "Part of strategy against Stanford was to transition down quickly, move the ball quickly, and throw the feed quickly," Graap commented. "They play a zone defense, which is a little different defensive look, and we just wanted to attack them in transition when they were vulnerable and before they had time to set it up." Stanford went on a run of its own, scoring the next three goals to cut the Cornell lead to 6-4 with 10 minutes to go in the first half. Steinberg answered right back, though, as she hit the back of the net with a shot through traffic. The Cardinal closed the gap again with 30 seconds left in the half. In the opening minute of the second half, Stanford’s Sarah Bach cut the lead to 7-6, as she dropped a shot into the net from the left side while falling down. Steinberg added her fourth goal of the game four minutes later on a shot from the top of the arc, but Stanford connected on a free position shot to cut Cornell’s lead to one. The Red never let the Cardinal get any closer, as it jumped ahead with a four-goal spurt in the middle of the half. Sophomore Annie Berkery started the run, causing a turnover while Stanford changed goalies. Both teams sprinted down field, and Schindler fed Steinberg for her fifth goal of the game before the new Stanford goalie could get settled. Steinberg tallied her second assist of the day with 13 minutes left in the game, as she fed the ball to sophomore Kristin Smith, to give the Red a 10-7 lead. "Steinberg … was not only good scoring goals, but she had assists today, and she was hustling in the ride, getting stick checks and tackling back on people," said Graap. "I really think this was one of the most outstanding games she’s played in her career." Stanford gave the Red a scare in the closing minutes of the game, as it tacked on two more goals to bring the score to 12-9. The Red’s defense kept the game from getting any closer, as junior goalie Ashley Charron making some clutch saves late in the game. "Stanford’s a great team and they never died, fighting right until the end. I think the defense did a good job under pressure." said Graap. Charron finished the day with seven saves. In addition to her career-high five goals and two assists, Steinberg scooped up a career-high six ground balls and caused two turnovers, while senior co-captain Rachel Friedman led the team with seven ground balls.Archived article by Jonathan Auerbach
Top Ten Freshmen

By wpengine April 29, 2003

They arrived on East Hill wide-eyed and full of dreams, and for some in this year’s freshman class those visions were realized. After two semesters, countless grueling hours of practice, and season full of blood, sweat and tears, these individuals have distinguished themselves on the local, regional and national scene. They are the Cornell Daily Sun’s Top 10 Freshman Athletes. Stefano Caprara, Men’s Swimming and Diving One of the top rookies in the Ivy League, Caprara quickly became one of the swimming team’s top contributors. Besides earning six top-10 finishes at the EISL meet, he also set a school record in the 200-yard backstroke. It wasn’t the only time he’d crack into the books, however, as Caprara assisted on two relay records and earned one more individual before the season’s end. Lenny Collins, Men’s Basketball While most freshman forwards don’t see much of the hardwood, Collins was not the typical rookie. He averaged 8.2 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals to lead all Ivy freshman. At the same time, Collins hit 80 percent of his free throws, nearly half of his shots from the field, and over a third of the 3-pointers. The freshman also started 20 of 27 contests, becoming an integral part of the offense. After a phenomenal freshman season and seven Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards, Collins was crowned the league’s Rookie of the Year — the first Cornellian to earn the award in 10 years. Shannon Fraser, Women’s Soccer It took just 75 minutes for Fraser to establish herself as an offensive power at Cornell. The freshman assisted on junior Emily Knight’s game winner in the team’s first game of 2002, and never looked back. Fraser continued to play the role of assist maker, recording five on the season, as she and the team made an ECAC post-season run. The freshman also netted three goals, to finish as the team’s second leading scorer. Andrew George, Men’s Soccer When everything else seemed to go wrong during the men’s soccer season, George always seemed to stand out, often providing the vital offense spark. George played in each of the team’s 16 matches, leading the team in scoring with three goals and seven points. George was also second on the team in shot percentage. Dustin Manotti, Wrestling While there may be some who believe that sophomore Travis Lee is the pinnacle of Ivy wrestling, they probably haven’t had the chance to watch Manotti on the mat. The 149-pound grappler was consistently in the national rankings during his rookie season, and for good reason. Manotti went 33-10 in a season that saw Cornell rise to the top of the Ivies. Powered by Manotti and his key individual wins, the Red won its 24th Ivy title, and first since 1995. The freshman went on to earn All-American status at the NCAA wrestling championships and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year for his efforts. Matt Moulson, Men’s Hockey Despite missing the first four games of the season, Moulson broke into the top line of the men’s hockey team and produced some incredible results, including a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four. Freshest in the minds of most fans, the rookie almost single-handedly ended the Dartmouth jinx, recording the Red’s first hat trick in five years in the process. Moulson picked up several accolades including ECAC Rookie of the Week, and USCHO.com’s Division I Offensive Player of the Week honors for his weekend efforts. Jen Munhofen, Women’s Hockey If scoring was a question mark heading into the 2002-03 women’s hockey season, Munhofen was easily the answer. Despite her age, the rookie led the team in scoring with five goals, and had seven assists to finish with 12 points. With her effort, Munhofen easily broke into the lineup, playing in all 27 of her team’s games. Meghan Phair, Fencing Phair didn’t let anything stop her this season … not even the snow. After overcoming a mid-western blizzard, the freshman arrived at the NCAA fencing championships and the national scene. When the weekend was over, Phair had finished sixth in the epee division and was recognized as an All-American. Sweeter still, Phair’s win came over long-time Princeton rival Kira Hohensee. The ending was just icing on the cake, however, as Phair spent the regular season as the best epee fencer on the team and in the league. Matt Serediak, Men’s Squash A consistent performer, Serediak propelled the men’s squash team into the national rankings. The freshman also knocked off several top players including Yale’s Julian Illingworth, then the No. 3 squasher in the nation. After ending his season as the nation’s 12th best, Serediak was named first team All-Ivy and second team All-America. The 12th-place ranking was also the highest any Cornellian had ever been in the polls. Allison Schindler, Women’s Lacrosse Breaking into the lineup early, Schindler hasn’t wasted any time in becoming one of Cornell’s most potent offensive threats. She recently broke the team’s freshman assist record and is quickly approaching the all-time mark. After yesterday’s win over Stanford, she needs just three more assists to make the record books for the second time this season.Archived article by Matt Janiga