Cornell women’s lacrosse ended their season on Saturday with a close 14-13 loss against Harvard. The defeat cost the Red a ticket to the Ivy League tournament.
This was the first time the team failed to qualify for the Ivy League tournament since 2011, and the first time it failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament since 2015.
The Red finished its season with a 7-8 overall record and a 2-5 Ivy League conference record through a schedule that included games against six NCAA-ranked teams.
But despite the disappointing ending to its season, the Red had many highlights during its 2018 campaign.
“There were no doubt a lot of challenges that our team faced this season,” said junior captain Sarah Phillips. “But there were a ton of positives.”
One of these highlights occurred during the Harvard game. Sophomore Caroline Allen scored her 17th season goal, tying the school record for free position goals in a single season.
Allen was one of many underclassmen that excelled. Head coach Jenny Graap said the team’s freshmen contributed greatly to the team this season.
“The class of 2018 was a huge part of our program’s success,” Graap said. “We are so fortunate to have their passion and energy.”
The Red says these underclassmen were led by a strong group of seniors, including captains Ida Farinholt and Taylor Reed.
“We are grateful to our terrific seniors, and we thank them for our leadership and dedication to our program over their four years.” Graap said.
“This year’s seniors have showed the team what hard work looks like.” Phillips added. “I am so proud and honored to call each of them my teammate, and they will be so greatly missed next year.”
Another bright spot in the season was Graap’s 200th win of her Cornell career, a win that came from the team’s seventh win of the season, against Binghamton.
The Red also saw its offense improve throughout the season.
“Our offense began to find a better chemistry which is exciting for the future,” Phillips said.
The Red is already looking forward to next year.
With 2018 in the rearview mirror, Cornell will look to build on the lessons it learned this year to restore success next season.
“Learning and improving will be our focus going forward,” Graap said.