Box Score NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Big Red women's lacrosse team came into Saturday's contest at Yale knowing its postseason fate was on the line. With the pressure, the Big Red came out strong and left no doubt about its Ivy League credentials.
 
No. 20 Cornell outscored the Bulldogs 6-1 in the first half and held strong in the second for a 13-7 victory at Reese Field.
 
With the win, the Big Red (8-5, 4-3 Ivy League) has earned a spot in the Ivy League Tournament for the second consecutive year. Cornell will be the No. 4 seed and play league regular-season champion Penn at Franklin Field in the tournament's second semifinal game on May 3.
 
“[Clinching the Ivy Tournament has] been our goal all week, and we knew Yale was going to give us a tough game because it was the same situation for them,” senior Kelly Lang said. “We only have up to go from here.”
 
Yale (7-6, 1-5), which had a slim chance at a playoff berth entering the afternoon, saw its postseason hopes end with the loss.
 
Lindsay Toppe was the Big Red's leading scorer with four goals, while Emily Tripodi pitched in a goal and three assists. Caroline Salisbury (three) Maddie Kiep (two), Amanda D'Amico (two) and Sarah Hefner (two), all had multi-point games for Cornell.
 
“It kind of felt like how we play in practice and how we played at the beginning of the season where we had that fearless mentality where everyone is taking it hard,” Lang said. “When there's a bunch of threats in the attack, it's a lot harder to stop.”
 
Carly Gniewek had another phenomenal game, making eight saves in the first half alone and letting in just one goal while her offense racked up six goals of its own. The sophomore finished with 10 saves, reaching double digits in that category for the second straight game after making 14 at Syracuse on Tuesday.
 
“Carly's been playing awesome,” said sophomore Claire MacManus, who scored her second goal of the season on Saturday. “She's gained a lot of confidence, she's been playing great, making huge saves and stepping up.”
 
Also playing well on defense was senior captain Kate Ivory, who had three caused turnovers and four ground balls. Cat Thomas had three ground balls and a caused turnover herself, and D'Amico had three ground balls as well. Brittany Marriott had two ground balls and a caused turnover in the defensive end also.

The Big Red victory was its sixth in a row against Yale, and the team reached four Ivy League victories for the 10th time since 2000.
 
Saturday's result was rarely in doubt.
 
Both goaltenders started the game very well, making two saves each before the offenses got one past them. D'Amico had the first goal of the game nine minutes in, beating her defender and going to the left side of the fan then shooting high past Erin McMullan.
 
Kiep made it 2-0 less than a minute later, bouncing the ball off the turf and under McMullan. The sequence began as Hefner won the draw control right after D'Amico's goal. Tripodi got an assist on the play, feeding Kiep from behind the net.
 
Toppe got the Big Red's third goal about two minutes after that, and it was a 3-0 lead for Cornell 12 minutes. Hefner had the ball on the left side of the fan, and Toppe streaked through the middle. Hefner got her the ball before she even entered the fan, and Toppe completed her run with a perfectly placed shot.
 
The Big Red slowed its offense down on its next possession, and D'Amico got her second goal after a three-minute offensive set. She came in from the left side and fired low, making it a 4-0 Cornell advantage midway through the half.
 
“It's huge to start off getting a few goals first, taking our momentum from the locker room and the pre-game into the first half,” MacManus said.
 
Yale got the next goal after a Cornell turnover, but Gniewek made three saves on Yale's next offensive possession to keep it a three goal game. After the third Gniewek save, Cornell ran down the field and extended its lead back to four. Tripodi had her second assist of the afternoon, this time finding Hefner on the right side of the net for an easy putaway.
 
The Big Red went nearly seven minutes before its next strike, but it was well worth the wait. Claire MacManus – usually very solid in the defensive end – had just her second goal of the year on a tremendous individual effort. MacManus got the ball in the defensive zone and took the ball to the other end of the field all on her own. Getting past multiple Yale defenders, MacManus brought the ball into the fan, fell down and managed to get off a shot that beat McMullan before MacManus hit the turf.
 
“I like running the ball in transition,” MacManus said. “No one was really stepping to me. Everyone was sort of worried about their girl. I saw the opening and took it.”
 
Cornell went into the break with that 6-1 lead, and the Bulldogs' one goal was the fewest scored by a Big Red opponent in a half all year.
 
Yale began the second half with a quick strike, but Toppe got her second goal of the day a minute later to give Cornell a 7-2 lead. Toppe's goal came on a free position shot from the right side, and she got it past McMullan on a bounce.
 
The Bulldogs scored the next two goals of the game, and Cornell's lead was down to 7-4 with 18 minutes remaining. Toppe made it 8-4 a few minutes later though in entertaining fashion. Holding the ball at the top of the fan, Toppe converged with Salisbury and faked a short underhanded pass to her nearby teammate. Instead, Toppe snagged the ball out of midair herself and curled into the fan while Yale's defenders went toward Salisbury. The split-second delay by the Bulldogs was enough for Toppe to get space and complete her hat trick.
 
The Big Red's ninth goal came thanks to pressure on the Yale goalie. Toppe forced a turnover as McMullan was wide out of her net, and Tripodi picked up the ground ball. Salisbury was wide open in front of the gaping net, and Tripodi found her open teammate for an easy finish.
 
Salisbury got her second goal with 11 minutes remaining to make it 10-5 for Cornell. The play began at the other side of the field with a Yale turnover, and Salisbury ended it after sweeping into the fan from the right side and beating McMullan low.
 
Tripodi made it 11-6 when she sprinted behind the net from right to left. Her defender lost her balance when Tripodi cut inside, giving the freshman a clear path to the net. Her aim was true, and the Big Red regained a five-goal lead.
 
Kiep put her second goal in the back of the net next, scoring the Big Red's 12th goal with 3:30 left. Standing on the left side of the net, she took a pass from Salisbury and did not miss.
 
Toppe added her fourth of the game a minute later, ending the scoring for the afternoon.
 
Cornell begins its final week of the regular season on Tuesday when it hosts Binghamton at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red and Bearcats are set for a 7 p.m. start.