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ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell women's lacrosse team will take on No. 1 Syracuse in the Big Red's last non-conference match-up of the season on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Big Red (6-6, 3-2 Ivy) looks to get its first win over a top-20 team this season against the Orange (13-1, 5-1 ACC).

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Sophomore midfielder Emily Tripodi is currently third in the Ivy League and 28th in the nation for assists with 21, and third in the Ivy League and 23rd in the nation for assists per game with 1.75. Junior midfielder Sarah Hefner is currently third in the Ivy League and 19th in the nation for draw controls with 4.33 per game. Sophomore attack Lindsay Toppe is currently second in the Ivy League and 31st in the nation for goals with 37, and second in the Ivy League and 19th in the nation for goals per game (3.08). She is also second the Ivy League in points per game (3.92) and is fourth in the Ivy League in points (47), good for 38th and 58th in the nation, respectively.
 
HEAD COACH JENNY GRAAP
Jenny Graap returned to her alma mater in 1997 with one goal in mind: to build the Cornell women's lacrosse team into a championship contender. Now in her 17th year at the helm, the 2002 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Coach of the Year and 2006 Inside Lacrosse Magazine and IWLCA Northeast Coach of the Year has developed the Big Red women's lacrosse program into one of the most successful in the nation. She has posted a 156-105 record at Cornell and earned her 160th career win against Binghamton late last season.    
 
ABOUT No. 1 SYRACUSE
The Orange, based in nearby Syracuse, is a battle-tested squad with a 13-1 record overall this season. Syracuse has already played six of the top ten teams in the country, only dropping a close 12-10 loss against then-No. 3 Maryland at the Carrier Dome in early March. The Orange is 5-1 in ACC play and ranked No. 1 in the nation in the IWLCA Coaches' Poll. On offense, Syracuse is led by Kayla Treanor's incredible 77 points off 51 goals and 26 assists. Alyssa Murray also has 35 goals and 28 assists for a Syracuse squad that is averaging 15.86 goals per game. In net, Kelsey Richardson and Alyssa Costantino are splitting time, with Richardson getting most of the minutes.  She has a 8.10 goals-against average and a .377 save percentage.
 
THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE
The Big Red and Orange have a rivalry that dates back to 1998, with Syracuse claiming 12 of 16 games between them. The Orange has won the last seven games in the series, and the Big Red's last win came in 2006. Cornell has never defeated the Orange at the Carrier Dome. Last season, the Big Red traveled to the Carrier Dome to face the No. 5 ranked team in the country, and the Orange took a 9-2 lead into halftime and cruise to a 16-4 win. Kelly Lang was Cornell's leading scorer with two goals.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior attack Lindsay Toppe found the back of the net three times against Brown last Saturday to lead the Big Red's offense. Catherine Ellis had two goals and one assist while Shelby McNeilly (2 goals), Amanda D'Amico (2 goals), Sarah Hefner (1 goal, 1 assist) and Kristy Gilbert (1 goal) all chipped in tallies. Junior goalkeeper Carly Gniewek ended the day with 11 saves, with seven of those coming in the first half. Cornell went a perfect 13-of-13 on clears.

HOME SWEET HOME
Last season brought success at home, as the Big Red held an almost-perfect 6-1 record in home games. The only loss came on a 12-10 decision against Princeton, who eventually went on to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red has posted a 20-15 home record during the past five seasons, making 2013 its most successful season at Schoellkopf since 2006 when Cornell was a perfect 7-0 at home.
 
THE HUNT FOR 300
Cornell picked up its 298th program win on April 12 against Brown with an 11-10 overtime victory and will look to hit the 300-win milestone this season.

100-POINT CLUB
Junior attack Lindsay Toppe reached the 100-point mark with two goals against Albany on March 16. She is the currently the only member of the Big Red women's lacrosse team this season with over 100 career points (95-26—121).
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Two Cornell players have been named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week this season. Freshman attack Catherine Ellis received the honor this week (April 7) for her six-goal performance in the Big Red's 11-10 double-overtime victory against Dartmouth last Saturday. Junior attack Lindsay Toppe shared the award with Brown's Danielle Mastro on March 11.

2014 CAPTAINS
The Big Red will be represented by three captains this season: senior midfielder Amanda D'Amico, senior midfielder Chelsea Rowe, and junior attack Lindsay Toppe.
 
BACK ON THE FIELD
The Big Red has five returning seniors this year: attack Rachel Moody, midfielder Jessie Smith, midfielder Amanda D'Amico, midfielder Chelsea Rowe, and defender Cat Thomas. The current seniors are returning 26 percent of the goals scored from last season and 23 percent of the total points scored by the Big Red.
 
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
A large incoming class of nine freshmen joins the Cornell roster this season. On the attacking side, Catherine Ellis, Christie Powell, and Meredith Baker are new. The freshman midfielders are Mandy Powell, Amie Dickson, Kristy Gilbert, Catie Smith, and Kailey O'Hagan. Rounding out the freshman class is goalkeeper Renee Poullott.
 
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
*Amanda D'Amico has 61 goals, 45 ground balls and 72 points.
*Sarah Hefner has 34 goals and 61 ground balls. She is currently third in the all-time Cornell rankings for draw controls with 104.
*Claire MacManus has 48 ground balls.
*Rachel Moody has 38 goals and 59 points.
*Chelsea Rowe has 34 draw controls.
*Cat Thomas has 33 ground balls.
*Lindsay Toppe has 95 goals, 26 assists and 121 points. She is tied for first in the all-time rankings for game-winning goals (8).
*Emily Tripodi has 57 assists and 74 points. She is fifth all-time for assists (57) in the Cornell record books.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red plays host to Yale at Schoellkopf Field, Saturday, April 19 at 3 p.m.