Over fall break, field hockey fell to Penn (3-8, 1-2 Ivy) and No.11 Syracuse (12-2, 2-1 ACC) in a string of tough matchups.
The Red started the weekend at home against Penn on Friday. The team came out strong defensively as senior goalkeeper Aerin Park saved two shots on goal.
Offensively, Cornell had nine shots, including freshman midfielder Rease Coleman’s first in collegiate play and three by senior defenseman Caroline Ramsey. However, none of them found the back of the net.
“We dominated the entire game [but] didn’t take opportunities in front of the goal, [which] cost us the game,” said head coach Andy Smith. “The only thing they did is score more goals than us but we’ve got to take care of our opportunities inside our attacking circle.”
During the second half, the Red lost their momentum as Cornell was unable to capitalize on their three corner kicks and the defense was unable to match the intensity of Penn’s offense, allowing Penn to pull ahead after scoring twice.
“[In the first half] we were playing very fast and composed,” said senior midfielder Julia Darmo. “In the second half, Penn really came out a lot faster than they had been playing in the first half, so it might have caught us off guard a bit. I really think we were able to handle it, but unfortunately, they did score twice and we weren’t able to finish on the other side.”
Following the loss against Penn, the Red traveled to Syracuse, where they suffered another loss, 0-5. Syracuse dominated the game early on, scoring four goals within the first 23 minutes of play.
“I think we kind of pulled it together and we collectively decided that we needed to be a lot more disciplined defensively.” Ramsey stated about the change of intensity in the second half.
There were also positional changes in the second half with Ramsey moving to defensive midfielder and Darmo going to center back, which kept Syracuse to only scoring one goal during the second half.
“We just ended up working a lot better on the ball and taking care of it,” Ramsey said “Also, stepping up to the ball to prevent goal scoring opportunities.”
Looking to the next game, the Red faces Princeton on Saturday. Though the Tigers have historically been a tough opponent the team is optimistic, according to Darmo.
“We know they’re an offensive team that really likes to dribble […] and draw defenders out and pass around you.” Darmo said.
The Red is focusing on defense and their play when the ball is in the circle.
“We are focused on…taking care of the little details, especially in front of the goal at both ends of the field and we’ll be ready to go on Saturday,” Smith said.
This weekend, Cornell will look to recover from their previous losses as they take on No.8 Princeton at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 and Lock Haven at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16 at Dodson Field.