Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – With 22 seconds left in the game, Cornell had a chance to complete a four-goal comeback against Dartmouth in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal. But after sprinting to get the ball into the offensive zone, the Big Red could not get a shot away, and Dartmouth held on for a tight 9-8 win on Penn's campus Friday evening.

Cornell (11-5), eliminated from the Ivy League tournament, now awaits its NCAA Tournament fate. The team could make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection, and will find out during the NCAA Selection Show on NCAA.com at 9 p.m. Sunday.

“We've got to wait it out on Sunday,” said head coach Jenny Graap. “I've got to keep our spirits high, and we've got to hope for the best. It's been a great season. I would love to continue this season if the opportunity comes in the NCAAs.”

Dartmouth (11-4) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the game and had a huge 15-4 edge in draw controls, limiting the Big Red's offensive chances after it scored.

With 2:45 to go and trailing by two, junior Caroline Salisbury completed her hat trick with a low shot past Dartmouth's Kristen Giovanniello. But Dartmouth, as it had 14 times prior, won the next draw and killed more than two minutes off the clock.

“We certainly couldn't get the draw control,” Graap said. “That certainly encapsulates it. Sarah Plumb, the Ivy League Player of the Year [six draw controls], singlehandedly made the difference in the game.”

Cornell got possession back when senior captain Cacki Helmer caused a turnover and Cat Thomas picked up the ground ball after getting fouled. With 22 seconds showing on the clock, Thomas passed to senior captain Katie Kirk.

Kirk sprinted up the right side of the field, got the ball behind the net to Olivia Knotts, and Knotts found Salisbury at the top of the fan. Spinning into the middle of a prime scoring area, Salisbury was unable to put a shot on goal as the final buzzer sounded, and the Big Green rushed the field to celebrate their berth in Sunday's tournament championship game.

“Getting the ball in the hands of Salisbury was great, but they were just clogging the middle,” Graap said. “[Kirk] had a lot of heart and hustle getting that ball and tracking it down the sideline under pressure. It was exciting, and we were hoping that we could convert on that last possession.”

In the teams' previous meeting this season, Dartmouth bested Cornell 12-10 in Ithaca. This game proved even closer, as Cornell twice stormed back from four-goal deficits to bring the game within one at 6-5 and 9-8. But the equalizing goal never came despite the Big Red defense holding Dartmouth goalless for stretches of eight minutes, 20 minutes and the final 21 minutes of the contest.

The game truly was a game of runs, as Dartmouth had the first four goals, Cornell had four consecutive goals from the end of the first half to the start of the second, Dartmouth scored the next three and Cornell got the final three of the evening with the sun beginning to set over the Philadelphia skyline.

The got off to a rough beginning for Cornell as Dartmouth won the first three draws and took a 3-0 lead on goals by Courtney Bennett, Sarah Plumb and Kirsten Goldberg just seven minutes in. That forced the Big Red to call a timeout, but Dartmouth still won the next draw and took a 4-0 lead less than a minute later.

“Dartmouth definitely took the field and definitely took it to us right away,” Graap said. “I think it was important to settle our defense down. … We just weren't sharp, and the early timeout got us settled, and we were able to rebound a bit more.”


Cornell finally showed offensive life after the next draw, which was controlled by senior captain Katie Kirk. The ball eventually made it down to Amanda D'Amico on the left side of the fan, and she rolled toward the net and scored to make it 4-1 Dartmouth.

Two more Dartmouth goals, though, made it 6-1 in favor of the Big Green. Caroline Salisbury sprinted into the fan from the right side when Cornell got possession next, and she beat Dartmouth goalie Kristen Giovanniello far side to make it 6-2.

The Big Red got another goal to make Dartmouth's lead 6-3 off the stick of D'Amico, and the Big Green called a timeout. Their timeout didn't help, either, as freshman Lindsay Toppe made it 6-4 when she came from behind the net, wrapped around and scored.

Cornell's defense had a great end to the half as well, surviving a man advantage for the Big Green when Salisbury took a yellow card with 5:40 remaining. Cornell also had the last shot of the half, but Salisbury's attempt on net was saved by Giovanniello.

Things continued to go the Big Red's way early in the second half as Sarah Hefner converted after a long possession. Taking a pass in the center of the fan from Steinberg, Hefner's goal made it a 4-0 Cornell run and a 6-5 Dartmouth lead.

The Big Green finally ended the Big Red's run with a goal by Hana Bowers. It was the team's first goal in nearly 20 minutes, and they followed it up with another three minutes later to retake a three-goal lead. Cornell's Cacki Helmer then had to sit with a yellow card, and the Big Green's lead ballooned to four on a man-up goal.

Cornell cut the lead to 9-6 as Lauren Halpern got a free position goal with 16 minutes remaining, but that started a 10-minute period with no scoring for either side. Salisbury got her second goal on a free position shot with 6:36 left on the clock to make it a 9-7 Dartmouth lead, and the last six minutes of the game saw a frantic comeback attempt by the Big Red that culminated with another Salisbury free position goal and the failed shot attempt as time expired.

During the course of the game, Kirk earned her 100th career draw control and her 90th career ground ball. Salisbury's final goal was her 60th.

Cornell's schedule is now complete, and the team will find out if it has at least one more game when the NCAA holds its selection show at 9 p.m. on Sunday night. The selection show can be viewed at NCAA.com.