Coming off a game in which Cornell field hockey head coach Andrew Smith said his team “got it horribly wrong,” the Red needed a good bounceback. Cornell got it with a road win at Colgate on Tuesday.
On Saturday, after securing a 2-1 lead against Penn, Cornell ceded the final four goals to fall in its Ivy League opener, 5-2. A matchup against Colgate provided the perfect opportunity to regroup. The Red Raiders entered the contest five games under .500 and were surrendering over three goals per game. As expected, Cornell started off with a strong offensive effort and kept that energy throughout the entire game, earning a landslide 4-1 victory.
The Raiders (2-8, 0-2 Patriot League) certainly played down to their billing early on, allowing freshman Caroline Ramsey to score the opening goal for the Red (4-2, 0-1 Ivy League) less than three minutes into the game. But that satisfaction was short-lived, as the Raiders responded with a goal of their own from Meghan Minturn. Trying to capitalize on their momentum, the Raiders launched their next shot at the net, but it couldn’t get past senior goalkeeper Maddie Henry.
Cornell got the opportunity to achieve its next goal through the penalty corner twice, but it failed to find the back of the net. But the Red achieved redemption shortly after as freshman Bridget Mahony — assisted by senior Kristen Ferguson — whipped the ball past Anna Unger and earned herself a goal, making it 2-1 in Cornell’s favor.
The remaining 17 minutes in the half strung out with consistent back-and-forth on the midfield between both sides. Cornell fired off three shots within three minutes but Unger stood tall in goal. The Raiders were only given a chance to score once within the onslaught brought by the Red. Cornell entered halftime only sporting a one-goal lead, but it effectively tired out the opposing side.
It didn’t take long for Cornell to extend its lead. Seven minutes into the second half, juniors Grace Royer and Juliana Tardif linked up to notch a score for the Red. That goal gave Royer her fifth tally of the season — a mark that leads the team. This began Cornell’s onslaught of consistent shots. During the last minute of the third period, junior Julianne Mangano scored her second goal of the season.
The Raiders carried on aggressively with five shots at Cornell during the fourth quarter, but the Red’s defense held strong, denying Colgate at every turn. Cornell missed the opportunity to further extend its lead, but the defense’s improvement from its last contest was evident as it shut out the Raiders in the second half. As time whittled down, the Red exited Hamilton with its fourth victory of the year.
Cornell outshot Colgate, 14-8. Coming into this contest, the Red was being outshot by their opponents, 15-9. Swinging that offense momentum back in its favor was crucial in the road win for Cornell.
Hoping to replicate this type of play against tougher foes, Cornell returns home to face Columbia at noon on Saturday.