With just over one minute left in the second overtime period, senior attack Caroline Salisbury fired a shot into the Penn State net, giving the Red a thrilling victory over the No. 7 Nittany Lions. The game-winner came just three minutes after Salisbury missed a chance to put the game away in the first overtime, but the senior refused to let history repeat itself, capitalizing on her second opportunity. The win over a Top-10 team gave the Red its second straight five-win start to the season. “We’re very confident right now,” Salisbury said. Junior midfielder Amanda D’Amico led the Red offensively, scoring five goals on six shots. Salisbury chipped in three goals and an assist and sophomore attack Lindsay Toppe also netted three. Toppe is the Red’s leader on offense so far this season, recording 21 goals and eight assists for 29 points. The Red has five players with double digit points on the season, a testament to the balanced attack the team brings to the field. “I think everyone has really stepped up and everyone is contributing, so the other teams can’t guard just one person, which is huge,” Salisbury said. Coming off the win over Penn State, the Red heads to a neutral site in Baltimore, MD to take on Albany. It is the first time Cornell is matching up against the Great Danes in recent history. “We’re going to bring an aggressive defense,” Salisbury said. “We like to have high pressure on all the attackers.” The Great Danes defense has struggled, though, as their starting goaltender Anna Berman has allowed 35 goals while making only 24 saves. The Red’s potent offense will be a threatening force for Albany to deal with. Though the Red’s offense is led primarily by underclassmen, the stalwarts of Salisbury and senior goalkeeper Courtney Gallagher have been providing important leadership for the team this year. “I think the senior class brings commitment and hard work,” Salisbury said. “We focus on trying to make sure that we’re out-hustling the other teams because we think that will go a long way.”
Original Author: Scott Chiusano