ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red field hockey team rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to Penn last weekend with a definitive victory over Columbia this afternoon on Marsha Dodson Field. Cornell scored in a variety of ways, getting a pair of goals from both Marisa Siergiej and Katie Carlson, and received a solid game in goal by Kelly Johnson to improve to 5-3 on the year and 1-1 in the Ivy League.
 
The Big Red triumph snapped Columbia's five-game winning streak as the Lions slip to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
 
"This was an important win for us … to have the lead with two minutes to go [last weekend against Penn] and to give it up – psychologically this was an important win for us," said head coach Donna Hornibrook. "The girls dug deep today and I was really happy they got the win."
 
Cornell out shot the visitors, 18-8, including a mark of 9-3 in the first half as the Big Red built a 3-1 advantage. The home team also put more shots on goal (12-7) and earned more penalty corners (8-5).  
 
Johnson made five saves for Cornell, including two in the final minutes of the game, while Columbia goalie Kimberley Pianucci made six saves and got a defensive save from Lion center back Maeve Doherty.
 
"We scored a bunch of different ways, which was great," Hornibrook said. "We wanted to see if we could create some corners and I was really happy with the danger our penalty corner unit created today. That was critical. I liked the balance of our scoring today."
 
Carlson scored her first goal of the season and got the Big Red on the board in the 18th minute when she collected a pass from Krysten Mayers and beat Pianucci from close range.
 
Cornell's lead was short-lived, as Doherty scored on a penalty corner to knot the game at 1-1 at the 21:50 mark.
 
Back-to-back goals by Marisa Siergiej in a span of 2:15 gave Cornell the insurmountable 3-1 halftime lead. The first goal came on a penalty corner, with the assists going to Taylor Standiford and Isabel Siergiej, before coming back moments later to convert a penalty stroke. The stroke, which was initially earned by Isabel Siergiej, was the first of the season for the Big Red and the fifth converted stroke by Marisa Siergiej, who already holds the Cornell record of career penalty strokes scored.
 
Carlson scored just over 10 minutes into the second half when she redirected a high shot by Isabel Siergiej into the net to make it a 4-1 contest.
 
Lions All-American Christina Freibot scored one final time for the visitors when she redirected a penalty corner from Doherty, but just over five minutes later Mayers stole the ball from a Columbia defender, drove to the top of the circle and ripped a reverse stick shot into the corner of the net to account for the 5-2 final.  

Cornell is back in action tomorrow when it travels up I-81 to take on No. 2 Syracuse at Coyne Stadium at 2 p.m.