The women's soccer's team looks to end its season on a positive note when it travels to Dartmouth for a Saturday contest against the Big Green.
 
GAME INFORMATION
GAME #16: Cornell at Dartmouth
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011
TIME: 2:30 p.m.
SITE: Hanover, N.H. — Burnham Field
2011 RECORDS: Cornell 2-12-1 (0-5-1 Ivy League), Dartmouth 3-12 (1-5)  
SERIES RECORD: Dartmouth leads, 19-7-5
LAST MEETING: Dartmouth won, 1-0, on Nov. 6, 2010 in Ithaca, N.Y.
LIVE STATS: www.dartmouthsports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPSID=48800&SPID=4705&DB_OEM_ID=11600

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is coming off a 1-0 loss at Princeton last weekend, when an unusual October Nor'Easter dumped snow on New Jersey and wreaked havoc with the schedule. The game was originally supposed to be played at 4 p.m. Saturday, then it was moved to three hours earlier to try to beat the storm, but the contest ultimately ended up being pushed back to Sunday afternoon on a neighboring field with artificial turf. The Big Red was outshot by the Tigers, 20-3, with senior goalkeeper Kelly Murphy making six saves. Freshman forward Kerry Schubert had all three Cornell shots, continuing her strong play. In the team's previous game, Schubert cashed in a rebound of a Maneesha Chitanvis shot that hit the post for her first collegiate goal in a 2-1 loss to Brown. Chitanvis, a junior forward who earned All-Ivy honorable mention as a sophomore, has scored five of Cornell's 12 goals this season to lead the team in scoring with 12 points. Senior forward Brook Chang and junior forward Xandra Hompe have two goals apiece.
 
ABOUT DARTMOUTH
The Big Green enters Saturday's contest on a five-game losing streak. Offense has been sparse for Dartmouth, which has scored more than one goal in a game just once this season (a 2-1 victory over Vermont on Sept. 8). Tasha Wilkins leads the team in scoring with six points on three of the team's eight goals. Aly O'Dea, Marina Moschitto and Chrissy Lozier have a goal and an assist apiece, while Emma Brush and Aurelia Solomon have the Big Green's other goals. Tatiana Saunders and Colleen Hogan have split time in goal. Though Saunders has started the last three games, Hogan has the team's two shutouts this season. Dartmouth's lone Ivy League victory came against visiting Princeton on Oct. 1. The Big Green has been outscored by its opponents 15-5 in the second half, and 3-0 in overtime.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST DARTMOUTH
The Big Green holds a 19-7-5 lead in the series and a 15-game unbeaten streak. The last time Cornell defeated Dartmouth was a 3-0 victory in an ECAC Tournament semifinal on Nov. 11, 1995, though the Big Red also defeated the Big Green, 3-1, in their regular-season game on Oct. 22, 1995.
 
HEAD COACH DANIELLE LAROCHE
Now in her fifth season directing the Big Red women's soccer program, Danielle LaRoche holds a career coaching mark of 15-57-4, but the Big Red is coming off its best season since 2005. She picked up her first collegiate head coaching victory on Sept. 7, 2007, when Cornell defeated Hartford, 1-0, in double overtime. LaRoche's career also includes stops as an assistant coach at George Mason, Binghamton and Howard. A 1995 graduate of Maryland, LaRoche played two seasons for the Terrapins under April Heinrichs, who would later go on to serve as the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team. LaRoche is assisted by Megan Ramey and Danielle Sambur, both in their first season with the Big Red.
 
IVY HONORS
Senior midfielder Abigail Apistolas was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after posting a goal and an assist in the Big Red's 2-2 draw with visiting Harvard two days prior. Apistolas became Cornell player to win the award since Emily Knight on Sept. 15, 2003.
 
SWEET HOMECOMINGS
Freshman midfielder Claire MacManus and junior forward Xandra Hompe celebrated returns to their respective home states in style. MacManus scored her first collegiate goal Sept. 30 in the Big Red's visit to Penn, which plays its games roughly 20 miles from her hometown of Rosemont, Pa. Hompe then scored Cornell's goal Oct. 15 at Yale, which is less than hour's drive from her hometown of New Canaan, Conn.
 
WASHED OUT
Cornell lost a game on its schedule after heavy rain and frequent lightning forced the cancellation of a Sept. 28 non-league date at Lafayette. Even with the cancellation, the Big Red played a program-record 11 games in September. The team is scheduled for just four games in October before closing out the regular season Nov. 5 at Dartmouth.
 
WELCOME BACK
Sophomore midfielder Rachel Nichols made quite an impact in her season debut on Sunday, Sept. 25. Nichols re-entered the game against Niagara in the second half with a throw-in deep in the offensive third, leading to Maneesha Chitanvis' game-winning goal in the 60th minute. Nichols was tied for the team lead in assists as a freshman.
 
TOAST OF THE TOURNAMENT
Senior co-captain Sidra Bonner was named to the Red Fox Invitational all-tournament team. The central defender plays an integral role in the center of the Big Red's defense, also coming forward as a threat in the air on set pieces.

ALL-IVY ANCHORS
Not only did Cornell lose just one starter to graduation after a 2010 season that saw the team record its highest win total in five years, but it returns a decorated pair of seniors. Central defender Sidra Bonner and goalkeeper Megan Bartlett, both named second-team All-Ivy League players last season, return to anchor a Big Red back line that surrendered just 17 goals while racking up six shutouts last season.
 
FOLLOW THE LEADER
Seniors Sidra Bonner and Abigail Apistolas serve as co-captains for the Big Red. Both were also captains in 2010 and have played in every one of the team's games in each of the last two seasons.

NATIONAL APPEAL
The Big Red has 13 different states represented on the team roster, with Virginia having six players on the roster. Cornell has five players that hail from California, four from Massachusetts, three from New Jersey and New York, and two apiece from Minnesota, Michigan, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. States with a single representative include Hawaii, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon.