ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell women's lacrosse has started its season on a hot streak, beating Rutgers two weekends ago while topping Ivy League rival Harvard on Saturday to begin 2-0 for the first time since 2009. The Big Red will hope to make it a 3-0 start when it takes a midweek trip to Colgate on Wednesday.

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #3: Cornell at Colgate
GAME TIME: Wednesday, March 7, 4 p.m.
GAME SITE: Tyler's Field (Hamilton, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 25-14-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 15-14 on March 2, 2011
2011-12 RECORDS: Cornell (2-0, 1-0 Ivy League); Colgate (0-4, 0-2 Patriot League)
LIVE STATS: Colgate Athletics
LIVE VIDEO: Colgate Video

ABOUT THE BIG RED
The Big Red is undefeated so far this year, claiming an 8-7 victory on the road against Rutgers before doubling up league rival Harvard 12-6 on March 3. 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 challenging Ivy League.

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 COLGATE
The Raiders, based in Hamilton, N.Y., have not won a game yet this season and currently sit at 0-4. Colgate went 9-7 last season and made it to the final of the Patriot League Tournament, but has not won a game since April 28, 2011. The Raiders are currently 0-2 in Patriot League play, and they will be looking to get one in the win column on Wednesday. Courtney Miller is the team's most dangerous player, scoring 13 goals in four games and leading the way with 15 points. Alison Flood also has six goals to her name.
Colgate is coached by Heather Young, a sixth-year head coach who graduated from Connecticut in 2003.

THE SERIES WITH COLGATE
Cornell holds a nine-game advantage in the teams' lifetime series, which dates all the way back to 1974. The teams have played every year since 2004, and Cornell has won each of those eight contests. Before then, the Big Red also won contests from 1999 to 2002. Colgate has not beaten Cornell since 1998, a span of 12 games. Last season at Schoellkopf Field, Cornell escaped with a 15-14 win thanks to seven goals from Libby Johnson four goals from Jessi Steinberg.

A WIN AGAINST COLGATE WOULD…
…give Cornell a 3-0 start to a season for the first time since 2009…extend Cornell's winning streak to four games (dating back to last year)…be the Big Red's 13th straight victory against Colgate.

RECEIVING VOTES
Thanks to a 2-0 start, the Big Red is receiving votes in this week's IWLCA Coaches' Poll and is the top team to not be ranked. Defeating Harvard, which was ranked in multiple polls last week but not in the IWLCA poll, helped increase the Big Red's profile.

HATS OFF
Cornell has had a player record a hat trick in both of its games this year. In the season opener at Rutgers, Olivia Knotts scored the game-winning goal with 52 seconds left to complete her hat trick. Amanda D'Amico got her third goal later against Rutgers.

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
Multiple Cornell players find themselves ranking with the best in the country in multiple categories this week. Cacki Helmer is first in the country with 3.50 caused turnovers per game and 5.50 ground balls per game. Caroline Salisbury is tied for 19th in the country with 2.00 assists per game. Kyla Dambach's 6.50 goals against average has her placing eighth in the nation and her .519 save percentage puts her all alone in 11th in that category nationally. Shannon McHugh's 4.00 draw controls per game has her tied for 25th.  As a team, the Big Red's 6.50 goals allowed per game has it tied for third in the country with No. 15 Georgetown.

LAST TIME OUT
Cornell scored 12 goals to Harvard's six, double the rival Crimson's total in a huge Ivy League-opening victory. Amanda D'Amico tallied her first career hat trick, four other players scored two goals each, and Kyla Dambach made four saves for the victory.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against Harvard:
• Katie Kirk played in her 50th game and caused her 30th turnover.
• Cacki Helmer caused her 40th turnover.
• Caroline Salisbury reached the 25th point of her career.

Approaching career numbers:
• Katie Kirk's next point will be the 60th in her career.
• Olivia Knotts is two points shy of 30 in her career.
• Kelly Lang needs one more ground ball for 20.
• Shannon McHugh needs one more point and one more ground ball to reach 60 of each.
• Jessi Steinberg is four goals shy of 100.

UP NEXT
The Big Red finally gets its home schedule underway when Columbia comes to Ithaca for a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday. After that, Cornell hosts Canisius next Tuesday at 4 p.m.