After a tough first half, where the women’s lacrosse team witnessed a standout performance from Yale goaltender Erin McMullin, Cornell dug deep and used its speed and quickness to score 12 goals in the second half, overcoming the struggling Bulldogs with a score of 17-9. The game had extra significance for the Red, as the team honored its seniors for playing their last game in Ithaca, as well as members of the 2002 Final Four team.
The win over Yale puts the Red in an excellent position to clinch a berth for the Ivy League Championships, as the team has one game remaining against Brown. If Cornell can defeat the Bears, the Red will most likely be the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Saturday’s win was the fifth in a row against Yale, which gives Cornell a winning record at home.
“We knew the Yale game was a must-win for us,” said senior midfielder Shannon McHugh. “We came out of the gates a little lethargic, but we definitely stepped up our game in the second half.”
Although Cornell dominated in the first half, the team could not find a way to score, and headed into the locker room with a 5-4 lead.
“It was a combination of a great goalie and us just not playing to our potential,” McHugh said. “We weren’t converting any of our shots.”
In addition to an inability to score, Yale provided some pressure for Cornell on the defensive end, as the Bulldogs converted on all four shots they took in the first 30 minutes of the game, leading to junior goaltender Courtney Gallagher entering the game.
However, as frustrating as the first half was for Cornell, the second half fared much better, as the Red saw a strong performance from senior attack Jessi Steinberg who, in her last game at Schoellkopf Field, scored five goals and had one assist. In addition, Cornell got two-goal efforts from freshman midfielder Sarah Hefner and sophomore midfielder Amanda D’Amico.
“We just took better shots in the second half,” said senior attack Olivia Knotts. “We came out with a ton of energy in the second half, and, because of that, we had more chances on goal.”
Cornell will face Binghamton on Tuesday, before traveling to face Brown to close out the season.
“We are really excited to play a non-conference game against Binghamton,” Knotts said. “They are a team that always comes to play, and we expect the game to be very competitive.”
Original Author: Nicholas Rielly