GAME #12: Cornell at Harvard
GAME TIME: Saturday, Oct. 18, at 12:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Jordan Field (Cambridge, Mass.)
SERIES RECORD: Harvard leads, 24-12-4
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 3-2, Oct. 19, 2013 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (8-3, 3-0 Ivy); Harvard (7-4, 1-2)
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO

THE MATCH UP: The Big Red field hockey team, sitting atop the Ivy League standings at 8-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play, heads into a critical stretch with four of its final five games coming against Ancient Eight foes, beginning this weekend at Harvard (7-4, 1-2). Cornell will look to end a two-game skid when it takes on the Crimson at Jordan Field on Saturday, Oct. 18 at noon. The game will be available on the Ivy League Digital Network, or fans can follow along via live stats.

THE SERIES WITH HARVARD: One of Cornell's longest on-going rivalries, the Big Red first played Harvard during the 1976 season, a 3-0 Crimson victory. Over the next 10 years, Harvard would dominate the series, with Cornell winning just one contest (1978), and allowing the Crimson to post a 24-12-4 record all time vs. the Big Red. Head Coach Donna Hornibrook evened her record with the Crimson at 5-5 thanks to Cornell's current two-game winning streak in the series.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON: Harvard ended a two-game losing streak last weekend when it defeated Fairfield, 3-0, on Oct. 12. Five players have done the bulk of the scoring for the team, with Noel Painter (6), Marissa Balleza (6), Kaitlyn Boudah (5), Elizabeth Jacobson (5) and Hannah Wellington (4) registering at least four goals apiece. Painter has also added four assists for a team-high 16 points, while Ellie Cookson has more than double the amount of assists than any other Harvard player with nine on the year. Junior goalkeeper Issy Davies has started all 11 games this season and has posted a 1.57 goals-against average and a .638 save percentage.  
 
LAST TIME VS. HARVARD: The Big Red scored three first half goals and then held off a late Harvard spurt to earn a 3-2 victory on Oct. 19, 2013 at Marsha Dodson Field. Cornell senior Hannah Balleza assisted on all three Cornell tallies. All three of Cornell's goals came off penalty corners, with Marissa Siergiej scoring twice and Katy Weeks scoring once. Additionally, Taylor Standiford earned two assists. The Big Red held the 13-7 edge in shots and a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners. Harvard scored a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes of the contest, taking advantage of the few chances they had offensively. Both goalies – Carolyn Horner for Cornell and Jenn Hatfield for Harvard – finished with four saves. Midway through the first half, Cornell had a flurry of penalty corner chances and after hitting a post, the Big Red finally managed to capitalize when Siergiej nailed a sweeping shot into the corner of the cage to make it a 1-0 game at the 21:13 mark.  Both of Cornell's next two goals were indirectly set up by Georgia Lord, who drew penalty corners that gave the Big Red the 3-0 halftime lead. After stealing the ball deep in the Harvard end, Lord drew the corner and once again Siergiej found the back of the net, with the assists going to Balleza and Standiford. In the waning moments of the half, Lord drew another corner. Siergiej's initial shot was saved, but the rebound went to Maddie Parish, who calmly passed the ball to Balleza on the baseline. Balleza then sent the ball across the mouth of the goal to Weeks on the far post, who banked it home to make it 3-0 with 39 seconds to go in the half. Harvard had its best chances to score off the restart when back-to-back shots were saved by Horner just before the buzzer to preserve the home team's halftime lead. The Crimson scored on their first entry into the circle in the second half when Sophie van Weede sent a long pass into the circle. Noel Painter collected the ball, spun to her left away from the Cornell defender and sent a reverse stick shot over Horner to make it a 3-1 game at the 51:49 mark. Harvard earned a penalty corner with just less than 15 minutes to play, but Horner made the save. Moments later, the Crimson made it a 3-2 game when Cornell fouled deep in the Harvard end. A long pass upfield found Marissa Balleza, younger sister of Hannah Balleza, behind the Big Red defense and she slid the ball to Sarah Finnemore to convert the two-on-one in the 58th minute of action. The Crimson couldn't find the equalizer and Cornell held on for the 3-2 victory.

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her 11th season at Cornell (95-80, .543) ... Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 266-127-10 (.672) record as a head coach, including a 111-39-4 mark at Houghton and a 60-8-6 record at New Brunswick.
  
IVY START: The Big Red has opened its Ivy League season at 3-0, its best conference start since winning the first five Ivy games of the 2008 season.

RARE SHUTOUT: Cornell's offense has been shut out just twice this season – being blanked by reigning Patriot League champion American, and to No. 13 Syracuse.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Cornell earned the first national ranking in program history on Sept. 30, coming in at No 19 in the 2014 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Big Red fell out of the poll the following week after a 1-0 loss to American, but may have managed to hold onto its No. 19 ranking if it weren't for the fact that Indiana upset No. 4 Duke on the same day to jump into the rankings at No. 18.

WHAT A STREAK: Prior to its loss to American on Oct. 5, Cornell's seven-game winning streak was the fourth longest in the nation, behind Virginia, St. Francis (Pa) and Northeastern, who were tied for first at eight games apiece.
 
GONE STREAKING: Cornell's seven-game winning streak from Sept. 12 to Oct. 4 was the second longest in program history, coming in behind the Big Red's eight-game streak from Nov. 9, 2008 to Sept. 26, 2009.


SIERGIEJ'S SURGE: Marisa Siergiej leads the Big Red with 10 goals this season, matching her career-high 10 goals from a season ago. Her 0.91 goals per game is good for second in the Ivy League and 13th in the nation.

SOLID IN THE CIRCLE: Cornell's defense has been outstanding this season, giving up just 3.3 penalty corners per game, which is well below the school record of 5.3 during the 2009 season.

MORE SHOTS: Cornell has outshot 10 of its 11 opponents this season and has put more shots on goal than all but Albany, who tied the Big Red at 8-8, and Syracuse, who held the slim 7-6 advantage.
 
IN THE RANKINGS: Cornell enters the week ranked 11th in the nation in scoring margin (1.61), 13th in assists per game (2.45), 17th in points per game (8.27), 17th in scoring average (2.86), and 19th in goals per game (2.91). On the defensive end of the field, Cornell ranks 10th in goals against average (1.25) and ninth in shutouts per game (0.36).
 
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT: Senior Ann DiPastina ranks 11th in the nation in assists per game (0.82), while Taylor Standiford ranks 17th overall (0.73). Junior Marisa Siergiej ranks 13th in the country in goals per game (0.91), while Krysten Mayers  ranks 54th overall (0.60). Siergiej is also 35th in the nation in points per game (1.82). Freshman goalie Kelly Johnson is fifth in the country in goals against average (0.89).
 
MOVING ON UP: Junior Marisa Siergiej currently sits in ninth place overall in Cornell history with 53 career points, needing just six more to surpass Beth Paciello (1985-88) and move into eighth place ... Siergiej's 25 career goals is also good for ninth place all-time and she needs just one more to move into a tie for eighth place with Paciello … Taylor Standiford sits in third place with 23 career assists and needs just four more to surpass Emily Robb (1995-98) … Ann DiPastina is tied with Kate Thompson (2007-10) in 13th place with 13 career assists and needs just one more to move into a tie with Natalie Appleton (2006-09) and Blair Corcoran (2002-05) in 11th place.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Kelly Johnson and Krysten Mayers have each been named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week once this season, with Johnson earning the honor on Sept. 23, and Mayers winning on Sept. 30. Johnson took home the award after earning her first collegiate shutout in Cornell's Ivy League opener vs. Penn on Sept. 20, before matching a career-high with five saves in a 2-1 victory over Holy Cross the following afternoon. The following weekend, Mayers had a hand in four of the five goals the Big Red scored against Columbia and Monmouth, finishing with three goals and one assist. Mayers scored both goals, including the overtime game winner, against Columbia to keep Cornell atop the conference standings, before assisting on the game-tying goal and then scoring the go-ahead goal the next day vs. Monmouth ... Both Johnson and Mayers were named the ECAC Rookie of the Week after winning the Ivy League honor.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the second time in her career, junior Marisa Siergiej was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Sept. 16 after helping the Big Red win a pair of games to improve to 3-1 on the season. Siergiej recorded back-to-back two-goal games in wins over Lehigh and Delaware. She was also the anchor of a defensive unit that allowed just three penalty corners (1.5 per game) and 11 shots (5.5 per game), while holding the Blue Hens' Esmée Peet, the 2013 CAA Player and Rookie of the Year and 2014 preseason Player of the Year, to just one shot.

200 AMERICAN: With the Big Red's 6-0 victory over Lehigh on Sept. 12, Coach Hornibrook earned her 200th victory with an NCAA institution.  

FAST START: Over the first four games of the season, Cornell outscored its opponents 20-4. The 20 goals were the most over a four-game stretch since the 2008 season, when the Big Red defeated Yale, Lehigh, Colgate and Bryant by a combined score of 19-5. Only once before has Cornell had as successful of a four-game stretch, scoring 21 goals in consecutive games vs. St. Lawrence, Rochester, Brockport and Ithaca College in 1974.
 
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: The Big Red's 9-0 victory vs. Colgate on Sept. 5 tied a school record for most goals in a single game, matching Cornell's performances vs. against Bryant in 2008 and Saint Francis (Pa.) in 2006.

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 (.632) and 19th for career wins (206), rankings that would be higher if the NCAA counted her 60-8-6 record at Canada's New Brunswick.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS: The Big Red's schedule features three teams that are ranked in the current 2014 NFHCA Division I Poll – No. 10 Syracuse, No. 11 Albany, and No. 20 Maine.  
 
FAST STARTS: In back-to-back games vs. Lehigh and Delaware, the Big Red took an early lead, scoring at the 1:00 mark vs. the Lehigh and at 1:05 vs. the Blue Hens.
 
CLOSE CALLS: Cornell's 1-0 loss to American on Oct. 5, 2014 continued the Big Red's trend of playing in one-goal games. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Big Red has lost 58 games, with 35 of those coming by a single goal, including 16 in overtime. During that same span, Cornell has won 79 games, with 40 coming in one-goal games, including 11 in overtime … So far this season, the Big Red has played in six one-goal games, including one in overtime, and has posted a 4-2 record.

BALANCED OFFENSE: So far this season, the Big Red has had 13 players register at least one point, marking the first time since 2008 that Cornell has had at least 13 players register a point in a season.

EARLY LEADS: 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 82-14 record in games in which they have scored first. Conversely, the team has won only 12 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 Sept. 28, 2014 as Cornell overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Monmouth, 3-2, in West Orange, N.J.

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 60th victory in a game in which it scores at least three goals when it defeated Yale (4-0) on Oct. 4, 2014.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE (A NEW) HOME: The Big Red is 35-19 all-time on Marsha Dodson Field. Collectively, the team has outscored its opponents by a margin of 115-88 and has taken significantly more shots (938-546) than its opponents. The defense has been equally solid in the circle, allowing just 298 penalty corners (5.5 per game).

OPENING UP: The Big Red opened its 43rd season on Sept. 5 with a dominating 9-0 victory over in state rival Colgate at Tyler's Field … The Big Red improved to 25-14-4 (.628) all-time in season-openers, while Coach Hornibrook improved to 8-3 (.727) in season openers during her time with Cornell.

FIRST POINTS: In its season-opener vs. Colgate, the Big Red saw 10 players register at least one point, with seven of those players finding the point column for the first time in their collegiate career. First time goal scorers included, juniors Katie Garrity and Stephanie Eggertson, sophomore Elizabeth Horak, and freshmen Gabby DePetro, Krysten Mayers, and Katie Carlson. Additionally, freshman Isabel Josephs added one assist for her first collegiate point. 

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Junior Taylor Standiford has been named team captain for the 2014 season, while senior Ann DiPastina has been named assistant captain.

USA, USA, USA –  A trio of Big Red field hockey players – Marisa Siergiej, Katy Weeks and Kelly Johnson – were selected to participate in a pair of US Field Hockey events this past summer, as Weeks played in the Women's National Championship while Siergiej and Johnson played in the Under 21 Championship.
 
CAN-A-DA, CAN-A-DA – Sam McILwrick was the youngest player selected to train with the U-21 Canadian national team in 2013 and went on to be named the 2013 U-18 Player of the Year by Field Hockey British Columbia. She was also named to the Canadian national "Target 2017" team in preparation of the 2017 Junior World Cup. 
 
EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN: Junior Marisa Siergiej was named a second-team Mideast Region All-American following the 2013 season. One of the premier defenders in the Ivy League, Siergiej was the anchor of a defensive unit that ranked fourth in the conference in goals allowed (2.12) and gave up just 6.1 penalty corners per contest. On the other side of the field, she was the Big Red's best scoring threat on penalty corner opportunities, netting 10 goals this season. She led the team in goals, game-winning goals (four), and points (22), marks that also placed her in the top 10 in the conference in all three categories.
 
ALL-IVY ACCOLADES: Cornell had four players named All-Ivy in 2013, two of whom are back for the 2014 season – junior Marisa Siergiej  and sophomore  Katy Weeks (second-team).

SMARTY PANTS: The Big Red placed a school-record 10 student-athletes on the 2013 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad. The 10 honorees are the most ever, besting the mark of eight that made the team following the 2010 campaign. Additionally, freshman Katie Weeks was named a Division I Scholar of Distinction for having achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher through the first semester of the 2013-14 academic year. Cornell has had at least four players earn the honor in nine of the past 10 seasons. In addition to the individual accolades, the squad also earned the NFHCA Collegiate National Academic Team Award for the sixth time during head coach Hornibrook's tenure.

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.

SISTER ACT: The 2014 campaign will mark the first time since the 2007 campaign that the Cornell roster will not feature at least one set of sisters.

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

UP NEXT: The Big Red remains on the road next weekend when it travels to Brown on Saturday, Oct. 25, before playing its final non-conference game of the season with a neutral site contest vs. No. 20 Maine at the University of Albany on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.