Box Score
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Loyola raced out to a 11-2 halftime lead and the 20th-ranked Greyhounds earned a 16-9 win over No. 14 Cornell on Wednesday afternoon at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. The Big Red made several runs after the break, but never seriously challenged in dropping its first game of the season (5-1). Loyola improved to 5-1 on the year with the victory.
Junior Kate Dewey and freshman Shannon McHugh each had three goals to lead Cornell offensively, while Jessi Steinberg had two goals and an assist. Katie Kirk notched a goal and an assist in the loss. In goal, junior Kristen Reese made 10 saves, her second game this season reaching double figures, to go along with four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Cornell played without senior captain Jessica Wiegand, who missed the game due to injury. Fellow co-captain Deirdre Lafferty had a pair of caused turnovers in the contests as well.
It was the Grace Gavin show on offense for the Greyhounds, as the team's leading scorer had seven goals and an assist for her eight points on the afternoon. Abby Rehfuss had three goals and two assists, while Colleen O'Keefe and Emily Gibson combined for a goal and six assists in the victory. In goal, Meg Steffe played the first 30 minutes and made three saves while allowing a pair of goals, while Kerry Stoothoff had eight saves and allowed seven goals in the final 30 minutes.
Loyola outshot Cornell 22-5 in the first half and held edges in ground balls (14-8). Gavin got on the board just 12 seconds into the contest to set the tone, part of a three-goal explosion in the first 1:44 of the game. Freshman Shannon McHugh was able to score to stem the tide momentarily, but it wouldn't be nearly enough. Kate Dewey scored 11:32 into the game to cut the deficit to 5-2, but the Greyhounds again went on an extended run over the final 18 minutes, outscoring the visitors 6-0 the rest of the way. Gavin had four goals and an assist in the first 30 minutes.
Colleen O'Keefe scored just 29 seconds into the second half to take the rest of the wind out of the Big Red. Steinberg got on the board after she scored on an open net after a foul of the Loyola keeper. The Big Red never got closer than the final score of seven goals despite grabbing the momentum on several occasions, but the first half deficit was too much to overcome.
Cornell returns to action on Saturday when it meets reigning national runner-up and defending Ivy League champion Penn at 1 p.m. at Franklin Field. The Big Red will be playing its second of five straight road games against top 20 teams when it meets the third-ranked Quakers.
