The Red is rolling.
On Saturday, the Cornell women’s lacrosse team (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) faced off against Yale (2-3, 0-1 Ivy) in its first Ivy League matchup of the season. In front of a supportive home crowd at Schoellkopf Field, the Red managed to gain the upper hand over Yale and weather a late furious comeback attempt by the Bulldogs to end with the win, 10-6.
In the first half, Cornell came out quickly and decisively, scoring six goals and nearly shutting out Yale’s offense in the half. The Bulldogs managed to score once, on a goal only 18 seconds before halftime.
For the Red, the first period was all about capitalizing on opportunities.
“I thought the storyline in the first half was of good shooting off the meter [after a minor foul],” said head coach Jenny Graap. “First half we were pretty disciplined with our offense, I thought we ran our play looks pretty well, and Yale was fouling us quite a bit so four of our initial six goals were off the meter.”
Once the second half began, however, it seemed like the tables had turned, and Cornell began getting in foul trouble while Yale opened up with three quick goals, cutting the Red’s lead to just two.
“Some of it is the officiating crew and just how they’re going to call it,” Graap said. “When you’re leading, the calls usually go against you, it’s just human nature, they kind of feel bad for the other team. Some of the cards we were taking there were just uncharacteristic. I don’t think we’ve had that many cards in a game in the 18 years I’ve been coaching here.”
Sophomore midfielder Joey Coffy was a key player in the second half, scoring a goal to halt Yale’s momentum and reestablish Cornell’s superior play for the rest of the game. Coffy earned two of four Cornell penalties in the second half, but kept up her aggressive play style to get a goal at a critical time.
“Going into the second half, knowing my teammates had my back and having confidence in my skill and what I’m capable of, taking that drive I was confident that I could really make something happen,” Coffy said. “When I saw [the shot] go in the back of the net, I knew that was a huge momentum change for our team, so I’m just glad I could have contributed that little piece of the puzzle.”
Sophomore midfielder Taylor Reed was also a huge contributor for Cornell on Saturday, netting three goals, including the first of the day.
“Even though she’s only a sophomore, her poise on the field and her demeanor is that of a senior. She absolutely led the charge for us today.” Graap said. “She’s an exceptional talent.”
Coffy had similarly positive things to say about Reed, praising the consistency of the sophomore’s game.
“Taylor had an awesome, awesome day and I can’t say it’s unlike any other day she has in any game or practice,” Coffy said, one of Reed’s classmates. “She’s always a force, she’s always fearless, she’s always making the smart plays. It was great to have her today because I think a lot of our starters, a lot of our midfielders, did kind of have a bit of a tough day shooting, so it’s great having that consistency that [Taylor] always brings.”
Cornell’s women’s lacrosse team is now 3-0, the team’s best start to a season since 2013. The women continue their season on Wednesday with an away game against Colgate.