Box Score

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Cornell ended the game on a 6-2 run and junior goalkeeper Kristen Reese made a career-best 14 saves to propel the 14th-ranked Big Red women's lacrosse team past No. 20 Hofstra 13-10 on Saturday afternoon at James H. Stuart Stadium. Cornell remained unbeaten at 3-0, while the Pride suffered their first loss of the season (3-1).

Reese was brilliant between the pipes, making seven saves in each half as the Big Red was able to stay in the game despite numerous early turnovers. Finally, against an athletic and aggressive Pride squad, the Big Red offense finally found an answer later by closing out the final 17 minutes strong with six different goal scorers. The one constant during the run was sophomore Libby Johnson, who assisted on three goals and ended the day with two goals and four assists. Three other players recorded hat tricks, with Halsey Diakow and Kate Dewey each posting three goals and freshman Jessi Steinberg chipping in three goals and two assists. 

Hofstra held the advantage in shots (29-23), ground balls (16-10) and caused turnovers (11-3), but the final difference was the play of Reese. Hofstra's goalkeepers mustered only four saves against an efficient Big Red offense that held on despite 19 turnovers and nine failed clears, eight coming in the first 30 minutes.

A back and forth first half saw the Big Red jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes of the contest, only to see the Pride tie it with a pair of scores in a span of 1:27. Another run ensued, as Cornell put three consecutive scores together, including consecutive goals by Johnson, but again the home team responded. K'Leigh Vanaman, who ended the game with five goals, scored the second and third of her four first-half tallies to get Hofstra back within 5-4, and then after a Big Red goal, the home team left the field with momentum after tying the score with two scores in the final 13 seconds to send the teams into the break 6-6.

Much like the first half, Cornell drew first blood again in the second stanza, with Steinberg scoring her sixth goal of the year to make it 7-6, but Vananman scored her final goal to knot it at 7-7 with 23:57 left, and Corrine Gandolfi found the back of the net to give the visitors their first lead of the game at 8-7. That goal started the Big Red run, as Dewey answered Gandolfi's marker with one of her own 40 seconds later, while Katie Kirk scored the go-ahead goal less than a minute after that. Stephanie Rice tied the game momentarily at the 13:40 mark, but Cornell won the next two draws on the strength of Tissy O'Connor as part of a 3-0 Big Red surge featuring goals by Diakow, Steinberg and Jessica Wiegand. The Pride wouldn't threaten over the final nine minutes as the visitors controlled the ball a majority of the time.

Cornell returns to action on Wednesday, March 11 when the team hosts LeMoyne at 4 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.