ITHACA, N.Y. – Playing its first game as a nationally ranked team, Cornell field hockey certainly looked the part in its 4-0 demolition of Yale on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Marsha Dodson Field. The victory stretched the Big Red's winning streak to seven games, the second longest stretch in program history, as it improved to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the Ivy League.With Columbia's 3-2 victory over Princeton, the Big Red is now the lone undefeated team in conference play. 
 
Cornell peppered the Bulldogs repeatedly throughout the contest, racking up an 18-3 shot advantage and a 13-0 penalty corner advantage in the lopsided victory.
 
Junior keeper Elizabeth Schaeffler continued her stellar play, making one save to post her first shut out of the season.
 
The Big Red controlled play from the outset, snatching the early lead just under five minutes into the contest. The Big Red has been lethal on set plays off of penalty corners this season and capitalized on its first of the day for the game-winning goal. Senior Ann DiPastina pushed the ball into play to junior stopper Taylor Standiford, who settled the ball at the top of the circle. Freshman Sam McILwrick stroked a low howitzer that beat Yale (1-8, 0-3 Ivy League) keeper Heather Schlesier to the right corner of the net to notch the first collegiate goal of her Big Red career.
 
Playing confidently with the early lead, the Big Red continued to push the territorial advantage. Cornell nearly stretched its lead to two just three minutes later. The Big Red again created the glorious opportunity off of a corner. Junior Marisa Siergiej and senior Katherine Stone both fired point blank shots, but Schlesier was up to the task on both occasions.
 
The Big Red finally broke through exactly at the half. Cornell drew its sixth penalty corner of the half as time expired, setting up on final opportunity. Siergiej fired a shot from the high slot, which was blocked. The ball caromed to freshman Krysten Mayers, who was able to get just enough on the shot to push it across the goal line.
 
The halftime break and persistent rain did little to dampen the explosive Big Red attack. Siergiej finally got her well-earned goal in the 49th-minute. The Big Red drew a penalty stroke and the junior made no mistake with the finish, blasting a shot to the high glove side as the keeper sprawled the opposite direction. The marker was her tenth of the season, the first Big Red player to reach double-digits this season.
 
Cornell capped the scoring with a goal from the run of play in the 67th minute. Freshman Isabel Josephs made a nice run down the right flank, before eluding the defender with some nimble stick work to work her way into the circle. She labeled a perfect cross from right-to-left across the goalmouth, where it was deflected in by junior forward Katie Garrity for her third goal of the season.
 
The No. 19 Big Red will return to action tomorrow when it welcomes American to Marsha Dodson Field for a noon start.