GAME #15: Cornell vs. Princeton
GAME TIME: Saturday, Nov. 1, at 12:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads, 28-5-3
LAST MEETING: Princeton won, 4-0, Nov. 2, 2013 (Princeton, N.J.)
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (10-4, 4-1 Ivy); Princeton (5-10, 4-1 Ivy)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/fhockey/ 
LIVE VIDEO: None

THE MATCH UP: With two weekends left in Ivy League play, the Big Red field hockey team sits in a three-way-tie for first place with Princeton and Columbia, making Saturday's contest between Cornell and the Tigers crucial to both teams' hopes for an Ivy title. The game is slated to begin at noon on Marsha Dodson Field and out of town fans can follow along via live stats.

THE SERIES WITH PRINCETON: The Tigers have dominated the series with Cornell from the get-go, winning the first five meetings, beginning with a 4-0 victory in 1978. The Big Red's best stretch in the series came from 1983-1990, as Cornell posted a 4-2-2 record, but a 2-1 overtime win by Princeton in 1991 began a 14-game unbeaten streak for the Tigers. The streak was snapped with a 4-3 Big Red victory at Princeton in 2007, but the Tigers have won the last six outings and hold the 28-5-3 advantage in the series.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Perennial power Princeton comes into the contest with a deceptive 5-10 record overall, as nine of its 10 non-conference opponents have made an appearance in the NFHCA Poll at some point during the 2014 season. In conference, the Tigers have been true to form, boasting a 4-1 record with its lone blemish coming in a 3-2 loss at Columbia. Maddie Copeland and Sydney Kirby have 14 points apiece with Copeland registering a team-high seven goals, while Kirby has a team-best four assists. Anya Gersoff has started all but one game in goal for the Tigers and has posted a 2.66 goals-against average and a .694 save percentage, with both numbers improving in league contests where she has recorded a 1.09 GAA and a .714 save percentage.  
 
LAST TIME VS. PRINCETON: The No. 9 Princeton field hockey team scored three late goals to blow open what had been a tightly contested game and defeat the Big Red, 4-0, on Nov. 2 on Bedford Field in Princeton, N.J. Senior goalie Carolyn Horner made 13 saves to keep Cornell in the contest but the visitors were not able to find the back of the net.
 
THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her 11th season at Cornell (97-81, .545) ... Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 268-128-10 (.672) record as a head coach, including a 111-39-4 mark at Houghton and a 60-8-6 record at New Brunswick.

SEASON RECORD WATCH:
*The Big Red needs just one more win to tie the school record of 11 wins in a season, set during the 2010 and 2008 campaign.
*With her two assists last weekend, junior Taylor Standiford tied Cari Hills' the school record for assists in a single season (11). She needs just one more to take the record outright.
*Senior Ann DiPastina sits just behind Standiford and Hills in third place with 10 assists on the year.
*Junior Marisa Siergiej needs just one more goal to tie the school record with 14 goals in a single season, a mark currently shared by Hannah Balleza (2012), Kelley Boutin (1999) and Linda Miller (1982).
*Siergiej needs just one more game-winning goal to tie the school record of five game-winners in a single season, a mark currently held by Alyssa DePaola (2005).
*Siergiej has set the school record for penalty strokes converted in a single season (four), the most since the stat began being recorded in the 2001 season.
 
CAREER RECORD WATCH:
*Junior Marisa Siergiej currently sits in eighth place overall in Cornell history with 59 career points, needing just two more to surpass Kelley Boutin (1996-98) and move into seventh place.
*Siergiej's 28 career goals is also good for sixth place all-time and she needs just one more to move into a tie for fifth place with Emily Robb (1995-98).
*Siergiej has set the school record for penalty strokes converted in a career (four).
*Taylor Standiford sits in second place with 26 career assists and needs just eight more to break Cari Hills (1994-97) school record.
*Ann DiPastina is tied with Natalie Appleton (2006-09) and Blair Corcoran (2002-05) in 11th place with 14 career assists and needs just one more to move into a tie with Heather McCormick (1994-96), Abbi Horn (2005-08) and Ellen Graap (1985-99) in eighth place.
*Marisa Siergiej is currently tied for fifth place in Cornell history with Hannah Balleza with eight career game-winning goals. She needs just one more to move into a tie with Emily Robb (1995-97) and Beth Paciello (1985-88) in third place.
 
IVY WEEKLY HONORS: 
*Krysten Mayers has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice this season (Sept. 30, Oct. 28).
*Mayers is Cornell's first two-time Rookie of the Week since Hannah Balleza in 2010.
*Marisa Siergiej has been named the Ivy League Player of the Week twice this season (Sept. 16, Oct. 28).
*Siergiej is the first Big Red to earn two Player of the Week awards in a single season since Molly Kauffman in 1996.
*With Cornell winning both of the weekly awards on Oct. 28 by Siergiej (Player) and Mayers (Rookie), the pair gave the Big Red its first sweep of the field hockey weekly awards since Hannah Balleza '13 and Siergiej were named Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Oct. 9, 2012.
*Kelly Johnson was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 23.
*Both Johnson and Mayers went on to be named the ECAC Rookie of the Week after winning the Ivy League honor on Sept. 23 and Sept. 30, respectively.
 
IN THE RANKINGS: Cornell enters the week in the top 25 of eight NCAA statistical categories, including:
*Shutouts Per Game – eighth (0.36)
*Goals Against Average – ninth (1.27)
*Winning Percentage – 13th (.714)
*Scoring Margin – 14th (1.48)
*Assists Per Game – 16th (2.21)
*Goals Per Game – 21st (2.79)
*Scoring Average – 21st (2.75)
*Points Per Game – 22nd (7.79)
 
INDIVIDUAL NCAA RANKINGS: Big Red players rank among the best in the NCAA, including:
*Kelly Johnson – fifth in goals against average (1.04)
*Marisa Siergiej – 10th in goals per game (0.93)
*Taylor Standiford – 11th in assists per game (0.79)
*Ann DiPastina – 13th in assists per game (0.71)
*Kelly Johnson – 23rd in save percentage (.735)
*Marisa Siergiej – 27th in points per game (1.86)
 
SIERGIEJ'S SURGE: Marisa Siergiej leads the Big Red with 13 goals this season, exceeding her career-high 10 goals from a season ago. Her 0.93 goals per game is good for first in the Ivy League and 10th in the nation.
 
FRESHMAN SCORING: Krysten Mayers enters the weekend ranked second on the team in both goals (8) and points (17). Her eight goals on the season rank fifth overall in Cornell history for freshman scoring, while her 17 points rank seventh all-time among all first-year Big Red players. 

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.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS: The Big Red's schedule features two teams that are ranked in the current 2014 NFHCA Division I Poll – No. 7 Syracuse and No. 12 … Cornell defeated No. 20 Maine on Oct. 26, knocking the Black Bears out of the poll. It was the Big Red's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 19 Syracuse, 3-2, on Oct. 25, 2007.  

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: Since Coach Hornibrook has taken over the program, Cornell has posted an impressive 83-14 record in games in which they have scored first.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE (A NEW) HOME: The Big Red is 35-19 all-time on Marsha Dodson Field.

UP NEXT: The Big Red will play its final regular season game and honor its seniors – Ann DiPastina and Katherine Stone – when it welcomes Dartmouth to Marsha Dodson Field on Saturday, Nov. 8 at noon.