November 4, 2015

FIELD HOCKEY | Cornell Prepares for Clash Against Dartmouth

Print More

By TROY BRIDSON
Cornell field hockey will face Dartmouth on Saturday at 1 p.m. for its last match of the season. The Red is looking to finish second in the Ivy League. Cornell is currently in third place behind Penn and No. 20 Princeton.

Cornell (10-6, 4-2 Ivy) lost a tightly contested match with Princeton (9-6, 6-0) last Saturday, 4-0, falling short of the team’s season goal of winning an Ivy League title. Princeton’s goalie had a fantastic match, denying several key scoring opportunities for the Red.

“It was a disappointing loss. We give full credit to Princeton,” said head coach Donna Hornibrook. “We’re now focused on finishing second in the standings.”
“Princeton had a strong press that put us under a lot of pressure in the first half,” said sophomore midfielder Sam McILwrick. “We weren’t able to develop a flow in the game.”

The Ivy League does not have a tournament for field hockey, so the standings at the end of the season determines the winner of the league.
“I’d love to see a tournament, but unfortunately we don’t have that luxury,” Hornibrook said. “We play every team in the Ivy League once, so we have to make the most of it and be prepared.”

According to Hornibrook, Cornell is not taking its matchup with Dartmouth, (7-9, 2-4) lightly. The Green has had an up-and-down year that has landed them sixth in the standings. Cornell focuses on strong weeks of practice and solid preparation to ensure the team is ready to go for each game.

“We know that we’re going to be in a battle every Ivy League game,” Hornibrook said. “Dartmouth is a very clean team. They can put some goals on the scoreboard and they’re always competitive.”

Hornibrook stressed the importance of each player focusing on her own responsibilities, but also stressed that the team needs to make sure to play as one cohesive unit.

“We need to be very disciplined in our play,” Hornibrook said. “We need to move the ball where the space is.”

The team is determined to have a nice performance in its last game of the season. The leadership from the senior class has been outstanding this year. Team captains Marisa Siergiej and Taylor Standiford have provided leadership both on and off the field. Siergiej has been a force offensively and defensively for the Red, while Standiford has facilitated play in the midfield.

Senior forward Katie Garrity has provided the Red with strong, experienced play at the forward position, while senior goalie Elizabeth Schaeffler has had an impressive Cornell career, contributing in each one of her four seasons for the Red.

The Red is focused on establishing strong execution in all parts of its game on Saturday against Dartmouth, according to McILwrick
“We’re hoping to bring all aspects of our game together and play well to send off our amazing seniors,” McILwrick said.