Field hockey had a victorious weekend, beating Brown (8-6, 1-4 Ivy) on Friday and No. 4 Louisville (12-2, 1-2 ACC) on Sunday, achieving a win over their highest ranked opponent in program history.
Starting the weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, the Red came out with a strong attack. Within the first six minutes of game play, senior defenseman Caroline Ramsey shot and scored off of a corner with assists from senior midfielder Bridget Mahoney and senior forward Claire Jones.
Defense was a key element to the Red’s success over the Bears. Though Brown had eight offensive corners, they were never able to find the back of the net. Cornell’s strong defense maintained the lead, with Ramsey saving a penalty corner in the third quarter.
Senior goalie Aerin Park had one save in the third quarter, securing the win, 1-0.
Coming off of a win, the team was prepared to face No. 4 Louisville.
“[During practice on Saturday] the mood was really good. It was really light with a lot of laughs, we had a really good time,” said Head Coach Andy Smith about practice before their matchup against the Cardinals.
Starting off strong, the Red scored within the first 11 minutes of the first quarter by senior midfielder Julia Darmo off an offensive corner, assisted by Jones.
In the second quarter, Park saved four shots on goal all within three minutes.
“I thought today she was absolutely unbelievable,” Smith said about Park’s performance. “She made every save that she could.”
Entering the second half with a lead of 1-0, Cornell continued their strong defensive game. The Cardinals had two penalty corners, neither of which found the back of the net.
The Red ended the game with a smooth shot made by Jones off of a corner assisted by Mahoney and Ramsey during the last four minutes of play.
Both of the Red’s goals were scored off of penalty corners, which Darmo says was a result of their practices.
“We definitely placed an emphasis on penalty corners at practice,” Darmo said. “We did a lot of scouting, especially their penalty corners. […] I think that really prepared us because they’re a dangerous threat.”
This victory signifies a historical 2-0 win for the Red, as it was the program’s highest ranked opponent win.
“Everybody who played today was fantastic and the bench was fantastic,” Smith said. “It was a team performance.”
Goalkeeper senior Aerin Park was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week and forward senior Claire Jones was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.
Park also won the National Field Hockey Coaches Association accolade for National Defensive Player of the Week.
The Red went up seven spots in the rankings, coming into this week as No. 23 in the nation.
On Saturday, Cornell faces No. 15 Harvard at 11:00 a.m. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Red will return home for their last regular season game at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5th against Yale.