Game notes vs. Rutgers
GAME INFORMATION
Game #2: Rutgers at No. 16 Cornell
Date/Time: Saturday, February 28 at 1 p.m.
Site: Schoellkopf Field, Ithaca, N.Y.
2009 Records: Rutgers (1-0, 0-0 Big East): Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: Cornell leads 11-1
Last Meeting: Cornell won 10-6, March 2, 2008, in Piscataway, N.J.
Live Video: available at www.CornellBigRed.com
Live Stats: available at www.CornellBigRed.com
HEAD COACH JENNY GRAAP '86
Cornell head coach Jenny Graap is in her 12th season at Cornell (110-63, .636) and 16th overall (130-107, .550) as a head coach ... directed the Big Red to the 2002 Final Four, earning IWLCA National Coach of the Year and Inside Lacrosse magazine's North Coach of the Year ... Inside Lacrosse ad IWLCA Northeast regional coach of the Year in 2006 after leading Cornell to share of first Ivy League title ... Graap is the fifth head women's lacrosse coach at Cornell and has posted the second-highest win total and has a school-record winning percentage.
THE STORY LINE VS. RUTGERS: The Cornell women's lacrosse team will attempt to continue its one-sided series with Rutgers when the two teams meet on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. Live video of the game will be available on www.CornellBigRed.com as part of the RedCast subscription service.
The Big Red opened the 2009 season with an impressive 10-7 victory over defending Patriot League champion Colgate on Wednesday as senior captain Jessica Wiegand posted a career-best five points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Jessi Steinberg had two goals and two assists in her first collegiate game, while the Big Red defense limited the Raiders to seven goals while forcing 13 turnovers, triggering Cornell's transition game.
Rutgers also opened the season with a victory on Wednesday, topping Temple 16-7 behind a dominant effort in the draw control game (15-8), as well as a school-record seven-assist effort from Meghan Flanagan. The Scarlet Knights will be attempting to put a dent in the Big Red's 11-1 edge in the all-time series with its second straight victory at Schoellkopf Field. Though the Big Red won last year's matchup, 10-6, Rutgers took home an 11-10 victory to open the 2007 campaign.
SCOUTING RUTGERS: Rutgers opened the season on Wednesday with a 16-7 victory over Temple and is coming off a 7-10 squad. Featuring a team that had just one senior, the Scarlet Knights advanced to the Big East championship tournament under the direction of seventh-year head coach Laura Brand-Sias. Brooke Cantwell had a team-high four goals, while Meghan Flanagan was credited with seven assists. Rutgers returns all of its scoring from 2008, as well as senior goalkeeper Sandra Abel, who posted a career-high 163 saves. Among the other returners are Cantwell, a returning All-Big East first team midfielder who recorded 36 goals and 13 assists a season ago. Fellow junior Mary Cryan was a second-team All-Big East midfielder (19 goals, 13 assists) and senior Michelle Poole was second on the team with 20 goals. Among the defensive leaders was Emily Penn, who led the team in both ground balls (38) and caused turnovers (29). Rutgers dropped its final four games a season agoafter a regular season that included wins over Denver, Hofstra and Connecticut. Brand-Sias has a 62-53 record in eight seasons as a head coach.
THE SERIES: The Big Red has dominated the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights, winning 11 of 12 all-time meetings, including a 10-6 victory in Piscataway, N.J. a season ago. Rutgers earned its first-ever victory in the series the last time it visited Schoellkopf Field, pulling off an 11-10 overtime victory in the 2007 season opener.
