Cornell will play its fifth Ivy League game of the season Saturday as the team travels to Hanover, N.H. to play rival Dartmouth. The No. 14 Red (6-3, 2-2 Ivy League) will enter play with a three-game losing streak after winning its first six games. The Green (7-3, 3-0) is undefeated against Ivy League opponents, but is 2-2 at home.“Dartmouth has been one of the top Ivy teams every year,” senior captain and attacker Caroline Salisbury said. “Our senior class has never beaten them, so a win on Saturday would be huge for the program.”The last time Cornell got the better of Dartmouth was in 2008, when the Red beat the Green at home, 10-9. The last time Cornell won at Dartmouth was in 1984 by a score of 12-9. Historically, the Green has dominated the series, posting a record of 29-6 against Cornell.“In the past, Dartmouth’s major strengths have been the draw control and their defense, and we expect that to be the same this year,” Salisbury said.This season, Dartmouth has actually allowed as many goals as they have scored (99). They also have won more draw controls, but not by that much (114-112). On the other hand, Cornell has outscored opponents 123-94 and has won more draws, 126-111. Both teams have allowed opponents the same amount of shots on goal in the season.“Really battling for and winning the draw control is a crucial part of our game strategy so that we can take control of the game,” Salisbury said. “We need to play the fast pace game we like to play as opposed to allowing Dartmouth to slow the game down.”Cornell will also look to standout scorers like top goal scorers sophomore attacker Lindsay Toppe and junior midfielder Amanda D’Amico. Toppe and D’Amico are 1-2 on the team in goals scored with 31 and 22 respectively. Salisbury has been consistent, too, with 21 goals and 27 points, good for second on the team behind Toppe.The game Saturday is an early afternoon contest starting at noon. The Red will only have two more Ivy League games the rest of the season — one at home against Brown on April 12 and one at Yale on April 20.
Original Author: Scott Eckl