Expectations were high this weekend with field hockey’s (6-8, 3-3 Ivy) final home game against Brown (7-7, 3-3 Ivy) in a must-win game to keep playoff hopes alive. Both teams entered the game with the same Ivy record — meaning both teams had to win this game to stay in postseason contention.
“I did not want us to completely ignore the pressure surrounding this game. … We wanted to use it to our advantage because it is a privilege to play with pressure,” said senior midfielder and captain Claire Wolfe.
From the pass back, the Red showcased lots of energy and explosive passes up to the midfield and to the forwards. The Bears were also keen to win –– they matched Cornell’s pace and made many tackles to stop the Red.
The pressure and emotion of the game certainly got to the Bears –– two cards were given to Brown, while Cornell was not given a card the entire game.
“We have been working on being composed in practice a lot and I think it materialized during this game,” Wolfe said.
Ultimately, the first goal went to Brown. Forward Lexi Pellegrino scored off a tipped ball sent in from Lucy Adams in the midfield.
However, the Red were determined to answer back.
“Everyone really dug deep. … We each had our moments but definitely an amazing game,” said sophomore goalkeeper Martha Broderick.
On a penalty corner, Cornell was able to capitalize with freshman forward Uma Käding, finding the back of the net off an assist from Wolfe. It was Käding’s first goal of the season from a penalty corner.
“She’s been brilliant all week,” said head coach Andy Smith.
But Käding did not stop there — she scored another goal off a tip from a long pass from senior defender Claire Vaughn.
Both scores from Käding put the Red ahead of the Bears going into halftime.
“We knew at the beginning it was an all-or-nothing game, so scoring those two goals was incredibly important to us,” Käding said. “I felt relief.”
Yet Brown was determined to answer back –– 33 seconds into the second half, Brown had an opportunity with a penalty corner. Broderick saved Katie McCallum’s initial shot, but the ball landed in a perfect spot for Brown’s Zoe Lawrence to even the score for the Bears.
With an even score in the third quarter, both teams had to dig deep.
“We used to get really frustrated and try and score frantically instead of focusing on our process, but our change in mentality and maintaining our standard of play has been super important,” Wolfe said.
The Red showcased “their process” for the rest of the second half, successfully defending six Brown penalty corners.
“A lot of practice and teamwork goes into defending penalty corners,” Broderick said. “Our defenders always step up when we need them to.”
With the defense locking down the Bears, it was up to the offense to find the back of the net and seal the game. Off a corner, junior defender Georgia Kelly smashed a goal in to push the Red ahead of Brown during the fourth period.
At that point, all the Red needed to do was keep up the defense.
“When we play together, we really are unstoppable,” Wolfe said.
In a desperate attempt to score a goal, the Bears pulled sophomore goalkeeper Kylee Del Monte out of the game and put in an extra forward.
“It’s not a super common move in field hockey. They were down to the wire,” Vaughn said. “So, we dropped back and went to man-marking to protect the goal and kill time.”
The Red held the score and ultimately earned its 85th win on Marsha Dodson Field. Broderick earned her 18th career victory in goal and now ranks sixth in a career in Cornell history. This is now Cornell’s third consecutive win.
Now, the Red are preparing for their final Ivy game against No. 11 Harvard. The last two contests between Cornell and Harvard have been decided by a single goal.
“Last year it was a really rough game to lose on our home field and we are going to take it to them,” Broderick said. “We have more to play for.”
The Crimson have already clinched an Ivy League tournament berth. For the Red, a win over Harvard would seal its goal of qualifying for the Ivy League Tournament.
“Harvard is the game we are concerned about. It is the big Ivy League, must-win game. … Our plan is to watch a lot of film, use our game to beat their presses and defend their attack penalty corners,” Vaughn said.
Cornell will play Harvard at noon on Saturday, Nov. 2 on Berylson Field with coverage of the game available on ESPN+.
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
