GAME INFORMATION
GAME #14: Cornell vs. No. 6 Princeton
GAME TIME: Saturday, Oct. 29, at Noon
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads, 22-5-3
LAST MEETING: Princeton won, 10-1 on Oct. 30, 2009 (Princeton, N.J.)
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (10-3, 4-1 Ivy); Princeton *(11-4, 5-0 Ivy)
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com
LIVE VIDEO: None

GAME #15: Cornell vs. Villanova
GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct. 31, at Noon
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Series Tied, 1-1
LAST MEETING: Villanova won, 2-0 on Oct. 29, 2004 (Villanova, Pa.)
2010 RECORDS: Cornell (10-3, 4-1 Ivy); Villanova (6-9, 2-3 Big East) *
LIVE STATS: www.CornellBigRed.com
LIVE VIDEO: None

* Prior to games on Oct. 30

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red looks to extend its five-game winning streak as it faces No. 6 Princeton in a crucial Ivy League match-up on Saturday, Oct. 30 on Marsha Dodson Field, before playing its final non-conference game of the season against Villanova on Sunday, Oct. 31. Both games are slated to begin at noon. Cornell defeated Brown last weekend to improve to 10-3 overall and remain in second place in the Ivy League with a record of 4-1. The Tigers sit atop the Ivy League with an undefeated record of 5-0 in the conference to go along with an overall record of 11-4, while the Wildcats take a two-game losing streak, as well as a record of 6-9 (2-3 Big East) into a Saturday afternoon contest against No. 7 Syracuse.

STICK IT TO CANCER: The Big Red field hockey team is asking fans to help “Stick it to Cancer” as it plays host to Villanova on Sunday, Oct. 31 at noon. The team will be raising money for the National Foundation for Cancer Research by raffling off great prizes, including a pair of Cornell men's ice hockey tickets. The squad will also hold a post-game skills clinic for any student, grades 6-12, for a fee of $10, all of which will be donated directly to the NFCR. Cornell will also be asking for donations during the game, but anyone who cannot make it out on Sunday can donate online at: http://www.firstgiving.com/cornellfieldhockey


THE SERIES WITH PRINCETON: The Tigers have dominated the series with Cornell from the get-go, winning the first five meetings, beginning with a 4-0 victory in 1978. The Big Red's best stretch in the series came from 1983-1990, as Cornell posted a 4-2-2 record, but a 2-1 overtime win by Princeton in 1991 began a 14-game unbeaten streak for the Tigers. The streak was snapped with a 4-3 Big Red victory at Princeton in 2007, but the Tigers hold the 22-5-3 advantage in the series.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Princeton was ranked in the top five all season before slipping to the No. 6 spot in the latest NFHCA poll after the Tigers fell to No. 11 Penn State last weekend, 1-0. The Ivy League leading Tigers have seen all four of their loses come to nationally ranked teams, but they also have three wins over top 20 opponents, including an upset of No. 1 Maryland on Sept. 28. Offensively, Princeton is outscoring its opponents by more than three goals a game and is ranked second in the country in scoring. The Tigers are led by Kathleen Sharkey, who ranks first in the nation in goals per game (1.73) and second overall in points per game (3.93). On defense, the squad allows just over eight shots per game and goalie Christina Maida ranks seventh in the country with a 1.03 goals-against average. Called on to make an average of just 2.2 saves per game, Maida owns a .733 save percentage.

LAST TIME VS. PRINCETON: The Big Red fell to No. 4 Princeton, 10-1, on Oct. 30, 2009 at the Class of '52 Stadium in Princeton, N.J. Cornell's lone goal of the game came from Catie De Stio, while goalie Alex Botte finished the night with eight saves. Princeton was led by Michelle Cesan with three goals and one assist, while Katie Reinprecht had one goal and three helpers. For only the second time on the season, Cornell was outshot by an opponent, as Princeton held the 23-4 advantage in shots. The Tigers also held an 11-3 edge in penalty corners. Cynthia Wray started the game in goal for Princeton and didn't make a save, but allowed De Stio's goal, before Jennifer King came on in relief and made three stops.

THE SERIES WITH VILLANOVA: The Big Red has faced Villanova twice in field hockey program history, winning the first meeting, 4-3, in 1997, before losing 2-0 in 2004 ... Coach Hornibrook is 0-1 vs. the Wildcats.

SCOUTING THE WIILDCATS: Villanova takes a two-game losing streak and a record of 6-9 overall and 2-3 in the Big East into its contest against No. 7 Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats are led by Abby Sordoni's eight goals, while Dana Ramsden and Lauren Wuzzardo have added seven goals apiece. Ramsden also has a team-high five assists, along with Meghan Ryan. In goal, Megan Goelz has played every minute and has posted a 2.35 goals-against average and a .710 save percentage.

LAST TIME VS. VILLANOVA: Behind a goal and an assist from Sarah Francis, the Villanova field hockey team completed its regular season with a 2-0 home victory over Cornell at Villanova Stadium on Oct. 29, 2004. Francis put the Wildcats on the board in the 26th minute, with Lauren Campanelli and Vanessa Pizzulli credited with assists. After taking a 1-0 lead in the break, Villanova got an insurance goal at the 46:54 mark when Francis set up a shot from the baseline for Rory Rogers, who directed a shot past Big Red goalkeeper Lori Blutinger to make it a 2-0 affair. Cornell fell victim to a strong defensive effort from the Wildcats' backs and managed just one shot in each half. Sophomore Erin Scott made one save to pick up the shutout in goal for Villanova, while Blutinger finished with eight saves.

VS. THE BIG EAST: Cornell is 10-31-1 all-time against the current members of the Big East, thanks mostly to the Big Red's 2-25-1 record vs. Syracuse. Cornell holds a winning record vs. Georgetown (4-0), and has played to an even record vs. Rutgers (3-3) and Villanova (1-1), while holding losing records against Connecticut (0-2) and Providence (0-1). The Big Red has never played Louisville in field hockey.

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her seventh season at Cornell (61-49, .554) ... Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 231-96-10 (.700) 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 won its third straight overtime game and extended its winning streak over Brown to a series-high five games as it defeated the Bears, 2-1, on Saturday on Warner Roof in Providence, R.I. Cornell scored just 4:33 into the overtime period when Hannah Balleza tipped a penalty corner shot by Mattie Prodanovic into the net. It was Prodanovic that also registered the game-tying goal late in the second half to bring the Big Red back from an early 1-0 deficit. After an incredibly slow start in which it took just four shots and put only one on goal, Cornell bounced back to hold the significant 18-5 advantage in shots and the 12-1 edge in shots on goal on the game. The Big Red also took 15 penalty corners to Brown's five. Brown got an early lead and then held on thanks to the play of goalie Lauren Kessler, who needed to make seven saves in the second half and finished with eight saves on the day. Back-up goalie Alexi Aurigemma and midfielder Katie Hyland also registered one save apiece for the Bears.

IN THE RANKINGS: In the latest national rankings, senior Catie De Stio is 34th in the country in points per game (1.77). De Stio and freshman Hannah Balleza are tied for 40th overall in goals per game (0.69). Junior goalie Alex Botte ranks 17th in save percentage (.747), 26th in goals-against average (1.64) and 34th in the nation in saves per game (5.00).

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 (7th – 23); Points Per Game (6th – 1.77); Goals (6th – 9); Goals per game (6th – 0.75); Assists (9th – 5); Assists Per Game (9th – 0.38); Game-Winning Goals (3rd – 3)
* Alex Botte – Saves (6th – 65); Saves Per Game (7th – 5.00); Goals-Against Average (2nd – 1.64); Save Percentage (1st – .747)
* Hanna Balleza – Points (10th – 19); Points Per Game (10th – 1.46); Goals (6th – 9); Goals Per Game (6th – 0.75); Game-Winning Goals (3rd – 3)
* Liz Schovee – Defensive Saves (8th – 1)
* Mattie Prodanovic – Defensive Saves (8th – 1)

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK, TIMES TWO: For the second time this season, Hannah Balleza has been named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, earning the honor on Oct. 25 for scoring the game-winning goal in Cornell's 2-1 overtime victory against Brown. Balleza earned the first honor on Sept. 28 after helping the Big Red to a 3-2 overtime victory over Columbia. With that award, she became Cornell's first Rookie of the Week since Mel Jue took the honor on Sept. 9, 2008.

PRODANOVIC'S POINTS: Mattie Prodanovic had a hand in both of Cornell's goals in a 2-1 overtime victory against Brown on Oct. 23. It is the only time in the senior defender's career that she has registered both a goal and an assist in the same game.

ROOKIE RANKINGS: Freshman field hockey player Hannah Balleza is proving to be one of the most productive freshmen in Cornell history. She currently ranks first on the team with nine goals and second overall with 19 points. In Big Red history, the rookie ranks third 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.

A BALANCED SHEET: So far this season, the Big Red has seen a tremendously balanced scoring offense, averaging 2.46 goals per game, but having only two games in which the same player scored multiple goals (Catie De Stio – 2 vs. Virginia; Catie De Stio – 2 vs. Harvard).

HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS: Freshman Hannah Balleza has proven to be a very selective shooter for the Big Red, scoring nine goals on just 23 shots (.391). Additionally, of her 23 shots this season, 19 have been on goal (.826).

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 33-of-61 games since arriving on East Hill in 2007. Of those 33 games, Cornell has won 29. 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 game-winning goals (t-1st – 11), career goals (2nd – 33), career assists (3rd – 22), and career points (3rd – 88). 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 54-8 record in games in which they have scored first. Conversely, the team has won only seven 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 coming on Oct. 23, 2010 as Cornell defeated Brown, 2-1, in overtime in Providence, R.I.

CLOSE CALLS: Cornell's 2-1 overtime win over Brown on Oct. 23, 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 48 games, with 24 coming in one-goal games, including eight in overtime.

FREE FIELD HOCKEY: Through the first 13 games of the 2010 season, the Big Red has played in just three 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.

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.

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 and sophomore Kat DiPastina has older twin brothers, Christopher and Paul.

BANNON BLITZ: Freshman Mallory Bannon registered her first collegiate goals 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.

CAREER WEEKEND: With her goals on back-to-back days against Yale and Saint Francis (Pa.), Genevieve Collins surpassed her career scoring total, as the sophomore scored just once all of last season.

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 plays its final regular season game and says goodbye to its six seniors when it plays host to Dartmouth at Marsha Dodson Field on Saturday, Nov. 6 at noon.