Last weekend, the Cornell field hockey team suffered a narrow defeat to fellow Ivy League school Brown in a 4-3 loss. The Red (7-7, 3-2 Ivy League) travelled to Providence, R.I., to face the Bears (4-9, 1-3) and the game extended into double overtime. The loss put an end to Cornell’s 6-game winning streak, bringing the team back to a .500 record overall.
The game began with an early Red goal from junior forward Hannah Balleza, who scored off a pass from senior forward Kat DiPastina. Brown then answered with two goals before halftime.
Four minutes after the break, Brown notched a goal from Hannah Rogers to put the Bears up 3-1. However, Cornell was not to be defeated so easily, and another goal by Balleza followed by a goal from junior midfielder Elly Plapert tied the game for the rest of regulation.
Cornell dominated play in both overtimes, but lost when Brown’s Haley Alvarez was able to capitalize on a rebound and score the game-winner.
“The end of the game was heartbreaking; we controlled the entire over time, [but] had many opportunities that we couldn’t capitalize on,” said senior captain Paige Mollineaux. “They got into our circle very few times because the defense in overtime played extremely well, but Brown made their little opportunities count. “
The Red will look to rebound quickly from this loss in their quest for an Ivy League title.
“As we have seen this year, the league is really competitive, so anything can happen,” said junior goalkeeper Carolyn Horner. “As we move into our last two weeks, we are anticipating three, hard-fought wins.”
While looking at the recent history of the Red, it is hard not to be optimistic about its prospects for the rest of the season. After starting out with an early string of defeats, the Red rebounded and won six straight games before the Brown defeat.
“As a team, we have put everything into this season and as a captain, I couldn’t be more proud of the team; no loss could ever retract from that,” Horner said. “We have been preparing for Princeton since preseason, so, despite the loss, regrouping as a team this week in practice is critical.”
The Red looks to recover quickly from the loss and continue in its strong form for the rest of the season, as it faces Princeton next at home.
Original Author: Shayan Salam