GAME INFORMATION
GAME #14: Cornell vs. Brown
GAME TIME: Saturday, Oct. 26 at Noon
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied, 16-16-3
LAST MEETING: Brown won, 4-3 (2OT), Oct. 20, 2012 (Providence, R.I.)
2013 RECORDS: Cornell (8-5, 2-2 Ivy); Brown (5-7, 1-3 Ivy)*
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/fhockey/ 
LIVE VIDEO: None

GAME #15: Cornell at No. 3 Syracuse
GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.
GAME SITE: Coyne Field (Syracuse, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Syracuse leads, 25-2-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 3-2, Oct. 25, 2007 (Syracuse, N.Y.)
2013 RECORDS: Cornell (8-5, 2-2 Ivy); Syracuse (12-2)*
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/syracuse/fhockey/
LIVE VIDEO: None

* Prior to Oct. 23

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red field hockey team will play its final home game of the season and honor its six seniors – Hannah Balleza, Keelin Bannon, Mallory Bannon, Shannon Berry, Carolyn Horner and Elly Plappert – on Saturday, Oct. 26 when it plays host to Ivy League foe Brown on Marsha Dodson Field at noon. The following day, Cornell will face its toughest test of the season as it heads north to take on No. 3 Syracuse at Coyne Field on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.

THE SERIES WITH BROWN: The Big Red had a six-game winning streak against the Bears snapped last season when Brown won 4-3 in double overtime to even the series at 16-16-2 ... Coach Hornibrook is 6-3 vs. the Bears.

SCOUTING THE BEARS: Brown (5-7, 1-3 Ivy) has had an up-and-down season heading into a midweek game with Holy Cross. The Bears have been in seven one-goal games, including going to overtime in two of its last three outings. Meghan O'Donnell is the team's greatest offensive threat ranking fourth in the Ivy League in both points (23) and goals (10), while Avery Burns leads the Bears with six assists. In goal, Shannon McSweeney leads the conference in saves per game (10.5) and save percentage (.764), but is ninth overall in the Ancient Eight rankings for goals-against average (3.23). 

LAST TIME VS. BROWN: he Big Red field hockey team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end in heartbreaking fashion, as it fell to Brown, 4-3 in double overtime on Oct. 20, 2012 in Providence, R.I. Cornell completely dominated the flow of play, but ran into a hot goalkeeper, Shannon McSweeney, who made 14 saves, eight of which came in the two overtime sessions, and included a save on a penalty stroke. In addition to McSweeney's 14 saves, two Brown field players registered defensive saves and the Big Red hit at least one post. Even worse, it was a Cornell own-goal gave the Bears a 2-1 advantage heading into halftime. Brown which only managed three shots in the entire overtime, compared to Cornell's 12 shots during the extra sessions, scored in the 94th minute of play when Haley Alvarez collected a rebound off a Carolyn Horner save and roofed it into the upper corner of the Cornell goal. Horner finished the game with four saves. The game started with a bang for Cornell, as Hannah Balleza got the visitors on the board in the 10th minute of the contest, off a pass from Kat DiPastina, who crossed the ball from the right side of the net. Just under four minutes later, Brown's Hannah Rogers answered when she intercepted a pass deep in Big Red territory and beat Horner to the far post. The Cornell own goal sent the teams into the break with Brown leading, 2-1, and the Bears made it a 3-1 game early in the second half when Meghan O'Donnell scored off a pass from Alexis Miller. Balleza ended the Cornell drought with an unassisted goal at the 43:27 mark and an unassisted goal by Elly Plappert knotted the game at 3-3 with just under 18 minutes to play in the contest. The Big Red turned up the offensive pressure in the final moments, but McSweeney was up to the task, making three saves in the final six minutes of regulation and the teams went into overtime. Cornell led Brown in shots (25-14) and penalty corners (12-8).

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE: The series with the Orange began in 1979 and Syracuse has dominated from the beginning to earn a 25-2-1 all-time record against the Big Red. Cornell's first win in the series came in just the fourth-ever meeting between the two squads when it defeated Syracuse by a score of 1-0 inside the Carrier Dome in 1983. Its most recent victory came in the very last meeting between the two teams when the Big Red earned a 3-2 victory on Coyne Field in 2007.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE: Syracuse comes into the weekend ranked third in the nation with a 12-2 record overall and a mark of 2-2 in the ACC prior to their Saturday matchup with Wake Forest. The Orange enter the week with one of the most dangerous offenses in the country, ranking in the top 10 in the nation in goals, assists, points and scoring margin. Leonie Geyer leads the team and ranks 15th in the country with 2.21 points per game, while Emma Russell is 30th in the nation with 1.86 points per game. Geyer has registered a team-best 10 goals and 11 assists, while both Russell and Lauren Brooks have chipped in nine goals apiece. Defensively, goalie Jess Jecko has started all 14 games and ranks 13th in the nation with a 1.66 goals-against average, despite the fact that she has just a .719 save percentage. On average, Jecko is called on to make just 3.3 saves per contest.

LAST TIME VS. SYRACUSE: Cornell took the early lead and never trailed as it upset No. 19 Syracuse, 3-2, on Oct. 25, 2007 on Coyne Field. The win over the Orange was just the second in program history, and the first since the 1983 season. It was also the Big Red's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 14 Virginia, 2-1 in double overtime, on Oct. 19, 2002.Junior goalie Shannon Prescott made a season-high 11 saves, including eight in the crucial first half, while freshman forward Catie De Stio scored in the 53rd minute and added an assist to lead the Big Red offense.  The Orange outshot Cornell, 19-11, and held a decisive 9-4 advantage in penalty corners, but it was Cornell that controlled the tempo of play for most of the contest. The Big Red scored first at 22:34 when De Stio collected the ball near midfield and fought through several defenders before slotting a perfect pass ahead to Breanna Gulotta, who shot the ball between Heather Hess' legs and into the back of the net to put Cornell up, 1-0. Another fast-break opportunity by Gulotta inadvertently set up the Big Red's second goal, as Hess slid out to make the save, but fouled Gulotta in the process, giving Cornell its first penalty stroke opportunity of the season. Natalie Appleton was selected to take the shot and the sophomore defender placed it perfectly, beating Hess low, stick-side, for her first collegiate goal as she gave the visitors the 2-0 advantage just before the half. The Orange struck first in the second stanza as Syracuse played the ball into the circle and a scrum ensued in front of the net. Jessica Lerew managed to get a stick on the ball and popped it up and over Prescott to make it 2-1 at the 41:33 mark. De Stio gave the Big Red a much-needed insurance goal, as she took a pass from junior Katlyn Donoghue and streaked up-field. A Syracuse player attempted a tackle, but the ball bounced off her stick and De Stio collected the rebound and continued towards the goal before ripping a shot past Christine Puggi, who had come in at the half to relieve Hess. Syracuse made it a one goal game with just less than 15 minutes to play as Brittany Angellella scored off a penalty corner, but the Big Red defense locked down and the Orange could not score the equalizer.

VS. ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE: The Big Red is 3-33-1 all-time vs. the current members of the ACC, due mostly to a 2-25-1 record against its newest member, Syracuse. The Big Red's only other victory against the conference has come against Virginia (1-3). Cornell also has a losing record against Boston College (0-4) and North Carolina (0-1) and has never played Duke, Maryland or Wake Forest … Cornell is 1-6 vs. the ACC during Coach Hornibrook's tenure.

SENIOR SALUTE: This weekend will feature the final home game in the career of seniors Hannah Balleza, Keelin Bannon, Mallory Bannon, Shannon Berry, Carolyn Horner and Elly Plappert.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After scoring four of Cornell's five collective goals against Harvard and Lehigh, Marisa Siergiej was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Oct. 22. It is the first Player of the Week honor of Siergiej's career and was the first one earned by a Big Red player this season.

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her 10th season at Cornell (85-75, .531) ... Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 256-122-10 (.673) record as a head coach, including a 111-39-4 mark at Houghton and a 60-8-6 record at New Brunswick.

250 WINS: The Big Red's 3-1 victory over Georgetown on Sept. 15, 2013 was the 250th win of head coach Donna Hornibrook's career.

ONE OF THE BEST: Head coach Donna Hornibrook ranks among the best when it comes to winning. Among active Division I head coaches, she ranks 13th overall for winning percentage (.431) and 20th for career wins (196), rankings that would be higher if the NCAA counted her 60-8-6 record at Canada's New Brunswick.

FRESHMAN GOALS: With her goal against Harvard on Oct. 19, Katy Weeks has jumped up to sixth place all-time in Cornell history for goals by a freshman (7), tied with Mandy Malzberg (2005). She needs one more goal to move into a tie with Linda Miller (1980) for fifth place with eight goals. Emily Robb holds the record of 13 goals scored during her freshman season in 1995, while Emily Montgomery recorded 12 goals in 1974. Current senior Hannah Balleza sits in third place after scoring 10 goals during her rookie campaign. 

MOVING ON UP: Senior Hannah Balleza ranks third overall in Cornell history with 35 career goals. She needs just one more tally to move into a tie for second place with Catie DeStio (2007-10). She also currently ranks fourth in Big Red history for career points with 88 and needs just four more points to move into a tie with Linda Miller (1980-83) for third place overall. She is also fourth overall in career assists (18) and needs just four more to move into a tie with DeStio.

PLAPPERT PILING ON: Senior Elly Plappert is having the best season of her career, currently ranking fourth on the team in points (13), goals (5) and assists (3). She has reached career-highs in all three categories and already has more goals, assists and points this season that she had collected in her previous three campaigns combined.

WINNING!!: With her 15 career wins, Carolyn Horner is tied with Kristi Bullard (1995-98) for 10th place in Cornell history for career victories. With her next win, she will move into a tie for eighth place with Maureen Sullivan (1988-2000) and Sue Zieman (1983-85). Horner's record of 15-11 makes her one of just five goalies on Cornell's top 10 win list to have a winning record for her career.

HORNER SHUTOUTS: Carolyn Horner ranks third overall in Big Red history with seven career shutouts, along with Kelly Clark (1985-87). She needs just one more shutout to move into a tie for second place with Karen Kuhn (1975-77).

SAVES A LOT: Carolyn Horner has 197 career saves to her credit, good for 12th overall in Big Red history. She needs 11 more to surpass her predecessor, Alex Botte '12, who sits in 11th place with 207 career saves.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE (A NEW) HOME: The Big Red is 31-16 all-time on Marsha Dodson Field. Collectively, the team has outscored its opponents by a margin of 105-77 and has taken significantly more shots (840-497) than its opponents. The defense has been equally solid in the circle, allowing just 274 penalty corners (5.8 per game).

THE KEYSTONE STATE: Of Cornell's 17 opponents during this season, six came from the state of Pennsylvania – Lock Haven, St. Francis (Pa.), Penn, Drexel, Saint Joseph's and Lehigh – the most by any one state on the schedule. The Big Red finished the season at 3-3 against the Keystone State.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: After helping the Big Red to even its record at 2-2 with a pair of wins over St. Francis (Pa.) and Georgetown, freshman Georgia Lord was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 17, sharing the honor with Harvard's Sarah Finnemore. Lord registered one goal in each contest.

DEFENSIVE SAVES: The Big Red posted a pair of defensive saves against Yale – one each from Mallory Bannon and Taylor Standiford. Cornell had three defensive saves all of last season. 

BALANCED OFFENSE: The Big Red currently has nine players that have registered at least one goal on the season. Head Coach Donna Hornibrook has had at least nine players register one goal in all but two seasons with the Big Red (2004, 2012).

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 73-13 record in games in which they have scored first. Conversely, the team has won only 11 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. 8, 2013 as Cornell overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Colgate, 3-2, in Ithaca, N.Y.

KNOCK THREE TIMES: When the Big Red fell to Penn, 4-3, on Sept. 21, 2013 it marked only the fourth time in Coach Hornibrook's career with Cornell that the team scored three goals and lost the contest. Under Coach Hornibrook, the Big Red earned its 54th victory in a game in which it scores at least three goals when it defeated Harvard (3-2) on Oct. 19, 2013.

CLOSE CALLS: Cornell's 3-2 victory over Harvard on Oct. 19, 2013 continued the Big Red's trend of playing in one-goal games. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Big Red has lost 53 games, with 32 of those coming by a single goal, including 15 in overtime. During that same span, Cornell has won 69 games, with 35 coming in one-goal games, including 10 in overtime … This season, seven of Cornell's 13 games have been one-goal decisions.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN:  Carolyn Horner and Hannah Balleza have been named captains for the 2013 season.

SISTER ACT: Since the beginning of the 2007 campaign, Cornell has had at least one set of sisters on its roster each season. This year, the team features one set of sisters – twins Keelin and Mallory Bannon.

TWINS AND MORE TWINS!: While fans of the Big Red know that seniors Keelin and Mallory Bannon are twins, many might not know that another member of the team has a twin, who also plays a collegiate sport. Senior Carolyn Horner's twin, Gabby, plays lacrosse at Tufts.

U-S-A; U-S-A: Hannah Balleza has been a member of the US Indoor National Squad for the past four years.

LANGUAGE 101: Senior Carolyn Horner is fluent in Chinese.

ON THE BLOCK: Ann DiPastina is a member of Cornell's Block and Bridle Club and has trained beef heifers by halter breaking them.

ALL-IVY ACCOLADES: Cornell had five players named All-Ivy in 2012, four of whom are back for the 2013 season – seniors Hannah Balleza (first-team) and Carolyn Horner (first-team), junior Ann DiPastina (honorable mention) and sophomore Marisa Siergiej (second-team).

SMARTY PANTS: The Big Red placed five student-athletes on the 2012 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad. Cornell has had at least four players earn the honor in sight of the past nine seasons. Additionally, the 2012 squad earned the NFHCA Collegiate National Academic Team Award for the fifth time during head coach Donna Hornibrook's tenure.

UP NEXT: The Big Red plays its final two games on the road, heading to Ivy League leading Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 2 before ending the regular season the following weekend at Dartmouth on Saturday Nov. 9. Both contests are slated to begin at noon.