ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell women's lacrosse team started its season last week with a thrilling win at Rutgers, but the meat of its Ivy League schedule doesn't wait long to begin. A contest at Harvard on Saturday could be one of its biggest games of the year in determining where it finishes among the Ancient Eight and its place in the Ivy League Tournament.

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #2: Cornell at (RV) Harvard
GAME TIME: Saturday, March 3, 12 p.m.
GAME SITE: Soldiers Field Lacrosse Stadium (Cambridge, Mass.)
SERIES RECORD: Harvard leads 22-10
LAST MEETING: Harvard won 13-12 on March 5, 2011
2011-12 RECORDS: Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League); Harvard (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League)
LIVE STATS: Harvard Athletics
LIVE VIDEO:  None

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is off to a great start this season, traveling to Rutgers last weekend and coming away with an excellent 8-7 win in the last minute thanks to a hat trick goal from Olivia Knotts. The goal was Knotts' first game-winner in her career. The 2012 edition of the Big Red is one year removed from a 6-8 campaign, but with a large group of nine experienced seniors and 10 returning starters, Cornell is expecting to compete in the difficult Ivy League schedule.

HEAD COACH JENNY GRAAP
Jenny Graap returned to her alma mater in 1997 with one goal in mind: to build the Cornell women's lacrosse team into a championship contender. Now entering her 15th year at the helm, the 2002 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Coach of the Year and 2006 Inside Lacrosse Magazine and IWLCA Northeast Coach of the Year has developed the Big Red women's lacrosse program into one of the most successful in the nation. She has posted a 129-88 record at Cornell and earned her 150th career win against Florida to close the 2011 campaign.

ABOUT HARVARD
The Crimson, based in Cambridge, Mass., opened their 2012 season with a tight 11-9 victory against local rival Boston University. Receiving votes in the IWLCA Coaches' Poll, Harvard was expected pre-season to finish fourth in the Ivy League. Leading the way through one game this season are Melanie Baskind and Jenn VanderMeulen with three goals apiece. In net, freshman keeper Kelly Weis allowed nine goals and made nine saves against the Terriers.
Harvard is coached by Lisa Miller, a 1987 graduate of William & Mary, now in her fifth season of leading the Crimson.

THE SERIES WITH HARVARD
The Crimson have a more than two-to-one advantage in the teams' lifetime series, leading 22-10. Though the teams have met every year since 1980, Harvard's record in the series has improved over the last three years, as the Crimson won each of the last three meetings. When the teams faced off last season, Harvard came away with a 13-12 victory fueled by a 7-5 lead in the second half. Shannon McHugh had a hat trick in the first half alone, but Jenn VanderMeulen had four goals for the Crimson to lead her team to the win.

A WIN AGAINST HARVARD WOULD…
…give Cornell a 2-0 start to a season for the first time since 2009…give the team a win in its first Ivy League contest since 2010 (vs. Columbia)…extend Cornell's winning streak to three games (dating back to last year)…be Cornell's first win against Harvard since 2008…Give Cornell a 19-14 record all-time in Ivy League openers.

IVY OPENERS
The Big Red holds an 18-14 record all-time in its first Ivy League game of the season. Though it lost last year against Harvard, Cornell beat Columbia five consecutive years before that to start the Ancient Eight campaign. Since 2000, the Big Red have only lost two Ivy League openers – last year vs. Harvard and 2004 vs. Penn.

TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Jessi Steinberg has been named to the 2012 Tewaaraton Award Watch list, InsideLacrosse.com announced last week. Steinberg, who led the team in scoring last season with 42 points, is now in the early pool of players who will be considered for the Tewaaraton, college lacrosse's highest individual honor. Steinberg was one of 53 players named to the list across all three divisions of women's lacrosse.

OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
Four Big Red players have been named captains for the 2012 season. Senior defender Cacki Helmer, senior midfielders Katie Kirk and Shannon McHugh, and senior attack Jessi Steinberg will be leading Cornell all season.

SENIOR CLASS
The Big Red will have a strong senior class of nine players. In addition to the four players listed above as captains, goalie Kyla Dambach, midfield/attack Shannon Tierney, midfield/defense Ali O'Neil, midfield/defense Beth Halayko and attack Olivia Knotts make up an experience core at the heart of the Big Red this season.

NEW KIDS ON THE HILL
Cornell's freshman class is eight deep this year. In goal, Carly Gneiwek will see her first college season. On defense, Gabby Weintraub, Christine Ferguson and Kristen Carr are new to the roster. In the midfield, Skylar Fidel, Sarah Hefner and Claire MacManus will be gracing the roster. Lindsay Toppe is the lone freshman attack this season.

NATIONAL NUMBERS
After one week of games, Cacki  Helmer is tied for second in the country with 3.00 caused turnovers per game. Caroline Salisbury is tied for second in the country with 4.00 assists per game. Kyla Dambach's 7.00 goals against average has her tied for 14th in the nation, her 10 saves per game has her in 15th, and her .600 save percentage puts her all alone in fourth in that category nationally. Cornell's team defense of seven goals allowed per game puts the Big Red 11th in the country.

LAST TIME OUT
Cornell opened the 2012 campaign with an 8-7 victory at Rutgers, its first season-opening win since 2009. The Big Red and Scarlet Knights were tied at every step of the way, but the Big Red's defense clamped down late and didn't allow a goal in the final 15 minutes. Kyla Dambach had 10 saves, and Olivia Knotts' hat-trick goal with 52 seconds remaining lifted the  Big Red to victory.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against Rutgers:
• Kelly Lang will reached the 10 career point mark.
• Ali O'Neil caused her 10th career turnover
• Caroline Salisbury's four points brought her past the 20-point mark.

Approaching career numbers:
• Katie Kirk's next point will be the 60th in her career and the next turnover she causes will be the 30th.
• Cacki Helmer will reach 40 caused turnovers with two more.
• Kelly Lang needs one more ground ball for 20.
• Jessi Steinberg is six goals shy of 100.

UP NEXT
The Big Red concludes its season-opening three-game road trip with a Wednesday-afternoon trip to Colgate on March 7. Next weekend, Cornell finally gets its home opener when Columbia comes to town on March 10.