GAME INFORMATION
GAME #12: Cornell at Harvard
GAME TIME: Saturday, Oct. 16, at 2:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Jordan Field (Cambridge, Mass.)
SERIES RECORD: Harvard leads, 23-9-4
LAST MEETING: Harvard won, 1-0 on Oct. 17, 2009 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (8-3, 2-1 Ivy); Harvard (3-9, 1-2 Ivy)
LIVE STATS: http://livestats.prestosports.com/harvard/
LIVE VIDEO: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/harvard.portal

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red field hockey team looks to extend its three-game winning streak as it steps back into Ivy League action, travelling to Harvard to face the Crimson at Jordan Field on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 2:00 p.m. Cornell has won three consecutive non-conference games to improve to 8-3 on the year to go along with a 2-1 mark in the Ivy League. Harvard has dropped its last four contests, most recently travelling to the west coast and losing to Stanford and Cal, to fall to 3-9 overall and 1-2 in the conference.


THE SERIES WITH HARVARD: One of Cornell's longest on-going rivalries, the Big Red first played Harvard during the 1976 season, a 3-0 Crimson victory. Over the next 10 years, Harvard would dominate the series, with Cornell winning just one contest (1978), and allowing the Crimson to post a 23-9-4 record all time vs. the Big Red. Recently, Harvard won four-straight from 2000-04, and three of the last five meetings, including last season's 1-0 victory in Ithaca ... Coach Hornibrook is 2-4 vs. the Crimson.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON: Harvard has lost four straight games, dating back to a 2-0 victory over Penn on Sept. 25. The Crimson hold a 3-9 record overall and rank fourth in the conference at 1-2. Chloe Keating and Emma Keller have combined to score nearly half the team's total goals with five and four goals, respectively. Keating also leads the team and ranks sixth in the Ivy League with four assists. Harvard's strength lies in goal, where Cyntia Tassopoulos has made a conference-high 79 saves (6.58 per game). She also ranks third in the conference in both goals-against average (2.28) and save percentage (.731).

LAST TIME VS. HARVARD: A goal just over four minutes into the second half would be all the scoring of the match as the Big Red dropped a 1-0 contest to Harvard on Oct. 17, 2009 at Marsha Dodson Field in Ithaca. Senior goalkeeper Melanie Jue made five saves in the loss for the Big Red, making a pair in the first half and three in the second. Harvard's goalkeeper, Cynthia Tassopoulos, made eight save in each half to finish with 16 and earn the victory. The Crimson got on the scoreboard at the 39:13 mark of the match after converting a penalty corner. The insertion from the penalty corner went to Carly Dickson, who made a pass to the far post, where Elizabeth Goodman-Bacon stood for the easy tip-in.

A WIN OVER THE CRIMSON WOULD:
* even the series at 3-3 over the past six years and improve Coach Hornibrook's record to 3-4 against Harvard.
* keep the Big Red in second place in the Ivy League with a record of 3-1.
* give Cornell just its second-ever win at Harvard.
* ensure the Big Red of a winning overall record for the fourth straight season, the most consecutive winning seasons in program history.
* be Coach Hornibrook's 60th win with the Big Red and her 230th career victory.

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her seventh season at Cornell (59-49, .546) ... Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 229-96-10 (.699) record as a head coach, including a 111-39-4 mark at Houghton and a 60-8-6 record at New Brunswick.

LAST TIME OUT: The Big Red dominated the game from start to finish as it defeated Lehigh, 3-1, on Sunday at Marsha Dodson Field. Cornell controlled the play throughout the contest, but the Mountain Hawks kept it close thanks to the outstanding play of goalie Jessica Miller, who turned away 18 shots to keep the visitors in the contest. The 18 saves were the second most ever recorded on Marsha Dodson Field. For the fourth straight game, Cornell saw a well-balanced score sheet with no single player recording more than one point. The Big Red received three goals in a span of 10 minutes midway through the second half from Mallory Bannon, Hannah Balleza and Catie De Stio, while Kat DiPastina chipped in an assist. Junior goalie Alex Botte made four saves to pick up the win. Cornell took 36 shots, putting 22 on goal, while the Mountain Hawks took just six shots, but put five on cage. The Big Red also held a commanding edge in penalty corners, 14-5. Lehigh registered its lone goal on a penalty corner, as Madison Ingal scored off a direct shot in the 58th minute to account for the 3-1 final. Assists were credited to Abby Tilton and Katey Fardelmann.

IN THE RANKINGS: In the latest national rankings, senior Catie De Stio is 47th in the country in points per game (1.64) and is 50th overall in goals per game (0.64), while freshman Hannah Balleza ranks 36th in goals per game (0.73). Junior goalie Alex Botte ranks 18th in save percentage (.747) and is 31st in the nation in saves per game (5.64) and 32nd in goals-against average (1.84).

IVY LEADERS: Several Big Red players are ranked in the top 10 of the Ivy League in several statistical categories, including:
* Catie De Stio – Points (9th – 18); Points Per Game (9th – 1.64); Goals (8th – 7); Goals per game (10th – 0.64); Game-Winning Goals (4th – 2)
* Alex Botte – Saves (3rd – 62); Saves Per Game (4th – 5.64); Goals-Against Average (2nd – 185); Save Percentage (2nd – .747)
* Hanna Balleza – Points (10th – 17); Points Per Game (10th – 1.55); Goals (5th – 8); Goals Per Game (5th – 0.73); Game-Winning Goals (4th – 2)
* Mallory Bannon – Game-Winning Goals (4th – 2)
* Liz Schovee – Defensive Saves (3rd – 1)
* Mattie Prodanovic – Defensive Saves (3rd – 1)

STROKE OF GENIUS: Hannah Balleza has converted two penalty strokes for Cornell this season. That is the most made penalty strokes for the Big Red since it converted 2-of-4 during the 2006 season. Balleza's stroke at Columbia was Cornell's first in nearly three years, as its last converted penalty stroke came from Natalie Appleton vs. Syracuse on Oct. 25, 2007. The Big Red did not earn any strokes in 2009 and had one missed in 2008.

ROOKIE RANKINGS: Freshman field hockey player Hannah Balleza is proving to be one of the most productive freshmen in Cornell history. She currently leads the team with eight goals and ranks second overall with 17 points. In Big Red history, the rookie ranks fourth among freshmen for goals and fifth among freshmen for points. Emily Robb leads both categories, scoring 13 goals and amassing 31 points during her rookie season in 1995.

BANNON BLITZ: Freshman Mallory Bannon registered her first collegiate goals this past week as the Big Red defeated a pair of Patriot League foes. Bannon scored once each against Colgate and Lehigh, with each of her goals proving to be the game-winner in the contest.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Hannah Balleza was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 28 after helping the Big Red to a 3-2 overtime victory over conference foe Columbia. She becomes Cornell's first Rookie of the Week since Mel Jue took the honor on Sept. 9, 2008. The freshman forward got Cornell on the board early-on, converting a penalty stroke to give the Big Red a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute of action. She later assisted on Catie De Stio's game-winner with 2:23 to play in the second overtime period.

CAREER WEEKEND: With her goal against Yale and Saint Francis (Pa.) last weekend, Genevieve Collins surpassed her career scoring total, as the sophomore scored just once all of last season.

A BALANCED SHEET: So far this season, the Big Red has seen a tremendously balanced scoring offense, averaging 2.55 goals per game, but having only one game in which the same player scored multiple goals (Catie De Stio – 2 vs. Virginia).

HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS: Freshman Hannah Balleza has proven to be a very selective shooter for the Big Red, scoring eight goals on just 22 shots (.364). Additionally, of her 22 shots this season, 18 have been on goal (.818).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE (A NEW) HOME: The Big Red is 14-5 all-time on the newly constructed Marsha Dodson Field. Collectively, the team has outscored its opponents by a margin of 45-27 and has taken more than twice as many shots (442-171) as its opponents. The defense has been equally solid in the circle, allowing just 91 penalty corners (4.8 per game).

GET TO THE POINT: Cornell senior Catie De Stio has registered at least one point in 31-of-59 games since arriving on East Hill in 2007. Of those 31 games, Cornell has won 27. The Big Red has won only 12 games during that same span in which De Stio was held without a point.

MOVING ON UP: Catie De Stio is steadily making her way up the Cornell career records lists. She is currently ranked in Cornell's top-10 in career goals (2nd – 31), career game-winning goals (2nd – 10), career assists (3rd – 21), and career points (4th – 83). Meanwhile, senior Kate Thompson needs three more assists to move into the top-10.

CIRCLE OF TRUST: So far this season, the Big Red defensive unit has allowed 5.9 penalty corners per season, just up from last season when Cornell allowed just 5.3 penalty corners per game, the best school average since the stat began to be recorded in 1998. Since taking over the program, Coach Hornibrook's teams have allowed just 6.8 penalty corners per game. That is significantly down from the 8.4 average prior to her arrival.

KNOCK THREE TIMES: When the Big Red fell to Syracuse during the 2006 season, 4-3, in overtime, it marked the only time in Coach Hornibrook's career with Cornell that the team scored three goals and lost the contest. Under Coach Hornibrook, the Big Red improved to 36-1 in games in which it scores at least three goals after a 3-1 victory against Lehigh on Oct. 10, 2010.

COMING AT YOU FROM ALL SIDES: Since taking over the Cornell program in 2004, Coach Hornibrook has had a dozen or more players register at least one point in four-of-six seasons, with a high of 14 in 2005. So far this season, the Big Red has seen 11 players reach the points' column.

FAST STARTS: Scoring first has been a big part of the Big Red's success in recent years. Since Coach Hornibrook has taken over the program, Cornell has posted an impressive 53-8 record in games in which they have scored first. Conversely, the team has won only six games in which they have had to come back from an early deficit to win. The first was Coach Hornibrook's very first victory with the team, a 6-3 win over Lehigh in 2004, with the latest came on Oct. 3, 2010 as Cornell defeated Saint Francis (Pa.), 4-1, in Ithaca, N.Y.

CLOSE CALLS: Cornell's 2-1 win over Colgate on Oct. 6, 2010 continued the Big Red's trend of playing in one-goal games. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Big Red has lost 29 games, with 18 of those coming by a single goal, including nine in overtime. During that same span, Cornell has won 46 games, with 23 coming in one-goal games, including seven in overtime.

FREE FIELD HOCKEY: Through the first 11 games of the 2010 season, the Big Red has played in just two overtime games, down significantly from the five overtime games it played in during the 2009 campaign. The five overtime games were the most since the 2001 season, when Cornell played six overtime contests.

TWINS AND MORE TWINS!: While ardent fans of the Big Red know that seniors Sara and Steph Sanders are twins, many might not know that three other members of the team have twins, all of which play collegiate sports. Sophomore Molly Casey's twin brother, Daniel, is a member of the Brown football team, while Carolyn Horner's twin, Gabrielle, plays lacrosse at Tufts, and Mallory Bannon's twin, Keelin, plays field hockey for American. Additionally, senior Kate Thompson has younger twin sisters, Helen and Becky.

BOMBARDING BOTTE: Junior netmider Alex Botte made a career-high 11 saves against No. 3 Virginia, the fourth-ranked offensive team in the nation at the time of the contest.

PUTTING PENN IN PERSPECTIVE: Cornell's 4-0 victory over Penn was one of the best for the Big Red in the series with the Quakers. It was just the second time Cornell shut out Penn, with the first time occurring in 2002.The four goals were the most ever scored by the Big Red against Penn and it was the largest margin of victory for Cornell in the series. The win was also Cornell's third straight, which is the Big Red's longest winning streak in the series.

BUCKNELL BLANKS BIG RED: For the second straight season, Cornell was shutout by the Bison, falling 1-0 last season and 3-0 this season. The Big Red hasn't been blanked by the same team in consecutive seasons since Vermont did so in 2005 (2-0) and 2006 (2-0).

OPENING UP: Big Red is 23-12-4 (.641) all-time in season-openers. This season, the Big Red defeated Lock Haven, 1-0, in its first game, improving Coach Hornibrook to 6-1 in season-openers during her time with Cornell.

HATS OFF: After going three seasons without seeing a Cornell player score three goals in a single game, the Big Red has had four players register hat tricks since the start of the 2008 season – Catie De Stio (Penn, Sept. 18, 2009), Abbi Horn (Georgetown, Sept. 21, 2008), Kelley Kantarian (Colgate, Oct. 9, 2008) and Catie De Stio (Bryant, Oct. 11, 2008). The three hat tricks during the 2008 season was the most by the Big Red since having four during the 1995 season. That year, Cari Hills scored three goals vs. Colgate and four goals against Holy Cross, while Emily Robb tallied three against both Lehigh and Brown. Until the 2008 season, Cornell had never had three different players register hat tricks in the same season.

HALL OF FAME COACH: This summer, Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook was inducted into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame. Hornibrook, a native of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, has an enjoyed an excellent field hockey career, not only as an outstanding player, but as a very successful coach.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Seniors Sara Sanders and Kate Thompson have been named captains for the 2010 season.

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN: Following the 2009 season, Catie De Stio was named to the NFHCA Division I Mideast Region All-America second-team.

ALL-IVY ACCOLADES: Cornell had three players named to the respective All-Ivy teams in 2009, including two players that return for the 2010 season – senior Catie De Stio (first-team) and senior Kate Thompson (second-team).

SMARTY PANTS: The 2009 Big Red squad earned the NFHCA National Academic Team Award for the second time during head coach Donna Hornibrook's tenure, while Cornell placed at least three players on the NFHCA National Academic Squad for the sixth-straight year as Katie Kirnan, Alex Botte, Lauren Neal, Mattie Prodanovic and Kate Thompson were all honored.

UP NEXT: The Big Red returns to Ivy League play next weekend as it travels to Harvard on Saturday, Oct. 16 to take on the Crimson at Jordan Field at 2 p.m.