After a disappointing loss to Rutgers last weekend, the women’s lacrosse team bid adieu to February with a victory over Colgate. Maybe it was the shining sun and slightly warmer temperatures, or maybe it was the desire to get a solid win on home turf, but whatever the inspiration, the Red stepped out onto Schoellkopf Field and dominated the Raiders by a score of 19-7
Although the Raiders started off the first half with a fast two-goal lead in the first four minutes, the Red was not about to be intimidated by this early show of strength. In fact, a two-goal deficit is just what the women needed to kick-start their determination.
[img_assist|nid=21781|title=Look ahead|desc=Junior Noelle Dowd (6) scored five goals and two assists yesterday to lead Cornell to a 19-7 victory over Colgate.|link=none|align=left|width=86|height=100]
“They came at us really hard and took it to the goal,” said senior captain Ashleigh Smith. “It just took us a few minutes to find ourselves again.”
With four consecutive goals, one of which was scored by a defender, junior Lis Christie, the team successfully gained control of the game. Colgate attempted to close the gap with a goal to make it 4-3 but the Red had too much momentum. Junior Noelle Dowd, freshmen Kathryn Dewey and junior captain Katherine Simmons answered back with another three-goal run. With 2:29 to go in the first half, the Raiders scored in an attempt to keep the score at 7-4 before halftime. Their efforts were in vain though, because with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half, Simmons scored again, immediately followed by a goal from junior Courtney Farrell.
“The highpoint of the first half was seeing our team really click,” Smith said. “It’s always nice when someone makes a great play and it really fires everyone up.”
Cornell continued its run when senior captain Margaux Viola scored 26 seconds into the second half to put the Red up by six tallies. Viola started a five-goal assault that included points scored by senior Alison McKeown, sophomore Jessica Wiegand, junior Amanda Linnertz and Dowd. Although Colgate appeared determined to play a more offensive game, it could not seem to find the net. Finally, Colgate managed to slip through the Cornell defense to make the score 14-5. However, less than two minutes later Simmons scored to put the Red back up by 10. With about 10 minutes to go, the Raiders found a glimmer of their earlier success and scored two consecutive goals. In spite of this brief rally, Farrell, Dowd and sophomore Dierdre Lafferty scored four more goals to prove to everyone, especially themselves, that they are a force to be reckoned with.
This victory was exactly what the Red had been working for throughout the start of the season. The squad’s “team first” mantra showed as the women worked hard to dominate every aspect of the game. The variety of different goal scorers is a testament to how well they all came together to defeat the Raiders.
“It was just a great game because we all worked so well together and so many players contributed all over the field,” Smith said. “It was good walking off the field knowing we played well and so many people were a part of it. It was really a team victory.”
While last night’s win was definitely about the team, Farrell earned a little individual success by tying the Cornell single-game assist record. Farrell had six assists and two goals, achieving a career high of eight points in one game. Farrell assisted offensive partner Dowd in four out of her five goals.
“They are both excellent players and they are great friends, which only adds to their chemistry on the field,” Smith said.