Field hockey (6-3, 2-0 Ivy) had a winning weekend, beating both Columbia (2-7, 0-2 Ivy) and Bucknell (4-7, 3-0 Patriot) by applying the intensity they learned from their games against Penn State and Michigan and their first Ivy League win over Dartmouth.
“I’m very comfortable with where we are as a team and I think we’re beginning to play really, really well,” said head coach Andy Smith.
Senior midfielder Julia Darmo set the tone by scoring in the first six minutes of the game, rebounding off of a penalty corner. Capitalizing on this early momentum, the Red scored an additional two goals in the second half. The first was scored by senior forward Isabella Palde and the second by sophomore midfielder Hanke Govaert, the first goals of the season for both players.
“One of the most important things we did [during the second half] was focus on the basics, like our really solid passing sequences,” said junior midfielder Olivia Friedberg. “Possession and control came from just focusing on our basic push passing and receiving.”
Senior goalkeeper Aerin Park held Columbia to a near shut-out, blocking four shots from hitting the net. In the last minute of game play, the Lions found the back of the net, ending in a 3-1 win for Cornell.
Field hockey kept up their winning streak on Sunday against Bucknell. Junior midfielder Olivia Friedberg, fired a shot in the first two minutes of gameplay to get the Red on the scoreboard.
“It was a really quick start where we all moved as a unit and focused on the press and simple passes. […] solid basics will always work,” Friedberg said about the strong start in the Bucknell game.
Just seven minutes after the first goal, senior defenseman Caroline Ramsey followed it by securing another point. At the start of the second half, senior forward Isabella Palde deflected the ball into the net with an assist from freshman forward Grace Leahy. Cornell defense held the Bison to just three shots on goal, none of which found the back of the net. The game ended in another win for the Red, 3-0.
“[We] played really well all weekend, scored some nice goals on Saturday, scored some really nice goals on Sunday,” Smith said.
Leading up to games against Penn (2-8, 0-2 Ivy) and No.11 Syracuse (10-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), Friedberg stated that the team is working on their structure and refining things to make them more solid.
“[There are] still a lot of things we need to figure out in practice,” Smith said. “I think we need to be better at taking opportunities in front of the goal.”
Next up, Cornell will take on Penn at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 at Dodson Field.