GAME INFORMATION
GAME #16: Cornell vs. Dartmouth
GAME TIME: Saturday, Nov. 8, at 12:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Dartmouth leads, 22-12-1
LAST MEETING: Dartmouth won, 3-0, Nov. 9, 2013 (Hanover, N.H.)
2014 RECORDS: Cornell (10-5, 4-2 Ivy); Dartmouth (5-11, 3-3 Ivy)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/fhockey/
LIVE VIDEO: None

THE MATCH UP: In the final weekend of Ivy League play, the Big Red field hockey team's hopes of a conference crown are still alive when it welcomes Dartmouth to Marsha Dodson Field on Saturday, Nov. 8 at noon. Cornell will also be looking to tie a school record for wins in a single-season and send its two seniors – Ann DiPastina and Katherine Stone – out with a victory in their final game on Dodson Field. The game is slated to begin at noon and out of town fans can follow along via live stats.

THE SERIES WITH DARTMOUTH: The Big Green holds a commanding lead in the series with Cornell, going 22-12-1 against the Big Red. The teams first met in 1979, a 0-0 tie, and Dartmouth won the next five meetings before Cornell snapped its losing streak in 1985 with a 1-0 victory. From then, the series was fairly even until 1998 when Dartmouth began an eight-game winning-streak against the Big Red. Cornell ended the Big Green's run in 2006 and won five straight, its most consecutive wins in the series, before falling in consecutive one-goal games (including one overtime contest) in 2011 and 2012 … After a 3-0 victory last season, head coach Donna Hornibrook improved to 6-4 against Dartmouth.

SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN: Dartmouth has dropped its last four contests, including Ivy games to Columbia and Harvard, to fall to 5-11 overall and 3-3 in the conference. Offensively, the Big Green has been solid, averaging 2.1 goals per game, with Ali Savage leading the team in both goals (10) and points (26), while Janine Leger has a team-high eight assists. The defense has struggled, however, allowing opponents nearly 21 shots per game and giving up 7.9 penalty corners and 3.25 goals per contest. Senior goalie Ellen Meyer has played all but 27 minutes on the season and has posted a 3.18 goals-against average to go along with a .734 save percentage.  
 
LAST TIME VS. DARTMOUTH: The Big Red ended the 2013 season on a high-note, as it defeated Dartmouth, 3-0, in Hanover, N.H. In their final game wearing the Red and White, seniors Hannah Balleza, Mallory Bannon, Elly Plappert and Carolyn Horner were all instrumental in the victory. Balleza registered one assist on the day to finish in fourth place in Cornell history for both career points (91) and career assists (21). Plappert scored twice to finish the season ranked second on the team with a career-high nine goals, while Bannon was crucial in the defensive backfield. With the shutout win, Horner moved into second place in Cornell history for eight career shutouts, and seventh place overall with 17 career victories. She also finished the game with five saves to move into 10th place in Big Red history with 229 career stops. Additionally, Marisa Siergiej finished the day with one goal, including the game-winner, and one assist, while Georgia Lord added a helper.Cornell held the slim edge in shots (16-13) and penalty corners (10-9), while the Big Green held the 7-5 edge in saves, with six credited to goalie Ellen Meyer and one defensive save credited to Brooke Van Valkenberg.
 
SO WHAT'S THE SCENARIO: Entering the weekend, Columbia and Princeton sit tied atop the Ivy League standings with identical records of 5-1, while the Big Red sits one spot down with a mark of 4-2. A Cornell victory over Dartmouth, coupled with loses by both the Lions and Tigers would result in a three-way tie for the championship. Should all three teams have a record of 5-2 following games the on Saturday, a draw will be conducted to determine the Ivy League's automatic bid recipient to the NCAA Tournament.  
 
THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her 11th season at Cornell (97-82, .542) ... Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 268-129-10 (.671) 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.
*Junior Taylor Standiford has tied Cari Hills' school record for assists in a single season (11) and 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 seventh place overall in Cornell history with 60 career points, needing just eight more to surpass Joanne Powell (1976-79) and move into sixth 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 – ninth (0.33)
*Goals Against Average – 14th (1.38)
*Scoring Margin – 14th (1.32)
*Winning Percentage – 17th (.667)
*Assists Per Game – 17th (2.20)
*Scoring Average – 19th (2.70)
*Goals Per Game – 21st (2.73)
*Points Per Game – 21st (7.67)
 
INDIVIDUAL NCAA RANKINGS: Big Red players rank among the best in the NCAA, including:
*Kelly Johnson – 10th in goals against average (1.25)
*Marisa Siergiej – 12th in goals per game (0.87)
*Taylor Standiford – 12th in assists per game (0.73)
*Ann DiPastina – 15th in assists per game (0.67)
*Kelly Johnson – 36th in save percentage (.714)
*Marisa Siergiej – 26th in points per game (1.80)

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 0.87 goals per game is good for first in the Ivy League and 12th in the nation.
 
FRESHMAN SCORING: Krysten Mayers enters the weekend ranked second on the team in both goals (9) and points (19). Her nine goals on the season rank fourth overall in Cornell history for freshman scoring, while her 19 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. 6 Syracuse and No. 14 Albany … 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.

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 (.631) and 19th for career wins (208), rankings that would be higher if the NCAA counted her 60-8-6 record at Canada's New Brunswick.
 
CLOSE CALLS: Cornell's 3-2 loss to Princeton on Nov. 1, 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 60 games, with 37 of those coming by a single goal, including 16 in overtime. During that same span, Cornell has won 80 games, with 41 coming in one-goal games, including 11 in overtime … So far this season, the Big Red has played in nine one-goal games, including one in overtime, and has posted a 5-4 record.

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 83-14 record in games in which they have scored first. Conversely, the team has won only 13 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. 26, 2014 as Cornell overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat No. 20 Main, 3-2, in Albany, 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 62nd victory in a game in which it scores at least three goals when it defeated No. 20 Maine (3-2) on Oct. 26, 2014.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE (A NEW) HOME: The Big Red is 35-20 all-time on Marsha Dodson Field. Collectively, the team has outscored its opponents by a margin of 117-91 and has taken significantly more shots (945-561) than its opponents. The defense has been equally solid in the circle, allowing just 302 penalty corners (5.5 per game).

IVY START: Before falling to Harvard, the Big Red 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 No. 13 Syracuse.

MORE SHOTS: Cornell has outshot 13 of its 15 opponents this season.
 
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.
 
10 WINS: With its victory vs. Brown, Cornell earned its 10th win of the season, having reached 10 wins seven times during head coach Donna Hornibrook's 11-year campaign with the Big Red.