Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior Jess Wiegand had three goals and two assists and the Cornell defense locked down in the second half as the Big Red handed Colgate (2-1) its first loss of the 2009 season with a 10-7 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The victory improved the home team to 10-2 in season openers under head coach Jenny Graap and was the 10th consecutive victory in the series against the Raiders.

Trailing 5-4 early in the second half, Cornell responded with a 5-1 run where Wiegand accounted for two goals and two assists in a span of 14:48 to put the Big Red up 9-6 with under nine minutes to play. She capped the scoring with an insurance goal with 3:39 remaining to sew up the win for Cornell.

Wiegand's offensive effort was complemented by a two-goal, two-assist effort by freshman Jessi Steinberg. Playing in her first collegiate game, Steinberg got the Big Red on the board for the first time in 2009 with her unassisted score 6:17 into the game. Sophomore Libby Johnson chipped in with a pair of goals, while Lindsey Kane, Tissy O'Connor and Katie Kirk also reached the scoring column in the win. 

The Big Red defense was spectacular throughout, causing 13 turnovers in front of junior Kristen Reese, who made seven saves in the victory. Wiegand and All-Ivy selection Kelly Hansen each forced three turnovers, while O'Connor and Deirdre Lafferty each caused two. Kirk, Hansen and Wiegand were credited with team-highs of three ground balls for the Big Red, which held a slim 20-16 edge in the team category. Freshman Caroline Helmer won three of Cornell's nine draws, with O'Connor leading the way with three.

Both Brie Moran and Courtney Miller had two goals for the Raiders, while Colleen Bubnack and Molly Carroll had a goal and an assist. Maddie Kearns had a game-high four ground balls and Sara Drexler posted seven saves while playing all 60 minutes in goal. The Raiders held a 10-9 edge in draw controls with Miller winning a game-best four and Bubnack adding three.

The two teams played an even first 30 minutes, with the teams heading to the locker room tied on the scoreboard (4-4), and with little separating the two squads on the stat sheet either. Both goalkeepers made four first half saves, and the Raiders took a narrow 10-9 edge in shots into halftime. Ground balls (Cornell, 7-6), draw controls (Colgate, 5-4) and fouls (13-13) were also almost identical. The home team, however, responded to its first challenge of the season and separated itself after the break.

The Raiders drew first blood in the second half, with Brie Moran finding the back of the net at the 24:26 mark to make it 5-4. From there, the Big Red would go on a three-goal run, and Wiegand would figure in all three scores. First, the senior found Steinberg for her second goal of the game just 41 seconds after Colgate's go-ahead goal. Fifty seconds later she would score off a free-position to give Cornell its first lead of the second half. A little more than a minute and a half later, she was at it again, finding a cutting Libby Johnson to make it 7-5. 

The score would stay that way until Meghan Lawler found the back of the net for the seventh time this season, cutting the deficit to one with 13:38, but it was a pair of freshmen that got the goal back two minutes later when Kirk took a pass from Steinberg and buried it after Colgate turnover on a failed clear. The score on the unsettled play seemed to take the air out of a determined Raider team. Wiegand's second goal just two minutes later pushed the Big Red to a 9-6 advantage, and the teams traded a goal each in the final 7:30 of play to end the night.

Cornell returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 28 when it meets Rutgers at Schoellkopf Field.