ITHACA, N.Y. – Fresh off a resounding 17-8 victory last weekend in Philadelphia, Cornell women's lacrosse will make its anticipated home opening debut this Saturday when it welcomes high-flying Albany to Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red will look to limit the Great Danes who have gotten off to an impressive start this season and are currently receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
 
Cornell Big Red (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. Albany Great Danes (2-0, 0-0 America East)
Saturday, February 28, 2015 | 2:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Schoellkopf Field
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Game Notes
Cornell | Albany
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell women's lacrosse kicked off its 44th varsity season last Saturday with an emphatic 17-8 victory over previously unbeaten Temple. The Big Red offense was on-fire right off the hop in the opener despite the cold and snowy conditions. Cornell tallied 11 times in the first half en route to a five goal lead at the break. The visitors scored the first four goals coming out of halftime to blow the game open in the win. Lindsay Toppe made a bold statement in the start of her Ivy League Attacker of the Year title defense. She plundered the Owl net for five goals, while she also added an assist on the game's first tally to finish with a game-high six points. Sophomore Amie Dickson had a career game with four goals and an assist, while also adding four ground balls and four draw controls. Emily Tripodi added one goal and four assists, while Catherine Ellis finished with three goals and two helpers. Renee Poullott picked up the victory in relief of starter, Carly Gniewek, finishing with five saves.
 
Great Dane Headlines
Albany also found grand success in its season opener last weekend against Quinnipiac. In a dominant offensive showing, the Great Danes downed the Bobcats 21-5 in wintry conditions. Albany jumped all over Quinnipiac, making a 6-0 scoring run to start the game, while running away with the easy victory. The scoring continued in the squad's second game, as it downed Manhattan 25-7 on Wednesday afternoon in the team's home opener. Senior attacker Maureen Keggins leads the squad with 17 points (7g-10a) through two games. Rachel Bowles (7g-1a) and Alie Jimerson (3g-5a) compliment her on the offensive end with eight points apiece.
 
The Series Against Albany...
The Big Red have met the Great Danes just twice in the history of the two programs. Cornell won the first matchup in a 15-13 barnburner in a neutral site contest in 2013. The Great Danes took the second matchup with a 17-10 victory last season in Albany.
 
Last Season's Matchup...
Cornell came flying out of the gates in last season's matchup, tallying the games first two goals on markers from Amie Dickson and Rachel Moody. Albany gained traction after that, outscoring the Big Red 11-2 over the rest of the opening half. Lindsay Toppe, Catherine Ellis and Rachel Moody each scored a pair of goals in the 17-10 loss.
 
Let's Get It Started
Cornell head coach Jenny Graap has done an excellent job of having her team looking in mid-season form right out of the starting gates. Since she took the helm of the program in 1998, the Big Red is 14-4 in season opening games, which includes victories over nationally ranked opponents: #15 Rutgers (2000), #14 Penn State (2001), #7 Notre Dame (2003), and #20 Notre Dame (2005). Cornell has outscored its opponents by a 218-148 margin in those contests. The Big Red is 13-4 in home openers since she took over. Overall, Cornell is 25-19 in season openers.
 
Tournament Streaks
Cornell has been a staple to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament since it was first held at the conclusion of the 2010 regular season. The Big Red have appeared in four of the five Ivy Tournaments, including each of the last three seasons.
 
All-Ivy Returners
Although the Big Red will be without the services of Honorable Mention All-Ivy selection Rachel Moody due to graduation, the squad still returns three players who were selected to All-Ivy teams a season ago. Senior Lindsay Toppe was the team's lone First Team selection after she finished in a three-way tie for first in points (58) and second in goals (47). Fellow seniors Sarah Hefner and Claire MacManus each earned Second Team All-Ivy recognition after posting fine seasons in 2014. Hefner finished in a tie for second in the league with 68 draw controls, while MacManus was lauded for her excellent one-on-one defensive coverage. With the three returners, the Big Red boast and All-Ivy selection in all three zones with one each in the attacking zone, midfield, and defensive zone.
 
Toppe of the League
Lindsay Toppe was named the 2014 Ivy League Attacker of the Year after equalling her career-highs for points (58), goals (47), and assists (11). She has been absolute force for the Big Red and is already one of the greatest scorers in program history. She was a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American as selected by InsideLacrosse.
 
Different Faces, Familiar Places
Cornell has done an excellent of establishing its presence at some of the strongest lacrosse high school and prep school programs throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The Big Red has multiple players from Honeoye Falls-Lima and Fox Lane High School in New York, The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, and Harriton High School in Pennsylvania. Not only has these pipelines brough incredible talent to East Hill, but it also has helped players assimilate quickly into the program. The Hotchkiss School is the most represented program on the roster with four players hailing from the Connecticut prep program.
 
Northeast State of Mind
Most of Cornell's roster hails from relatively nearby. 23 of the squads 28 players hail from New York or a neighboring state. New York is unsurpisingly most represented with 9.
 
The Breakdown
Cornell returns substantial amount of experience from last season's squad. The team graduated only five seniors from a season ago. The current squad boasts just four seniors. The junior class is much larger with eight players, while the sophomore class is the team's largest with nine. The team also welcomes seven members in the freshman class, who are set to make their collegiate debut this weekend.
 
Rookie Round-Up
The program has been glowing about the freshman class since it stepped foot on campus this past fall. The freshman class has seven members, with many expected to make significant contributions in their debut seasons. Five players are midfielders, an extremely fast and versatile group. The class also brought in two-defenders who will add size and physicality to the backfield.
 
Fine Feeds
Junior attacker Emily Tripodi has already established herself as one of the best creators in the history of the program. Her vision and lacrosse instincts are off-the-charts, allowing her to quickly diagnose defensive systems and how to best exploit them. The Big Red offense often runs through her stick, as she already ranks fourth in program history with 63 assists for her career. She began the 2015 campaign with an impressive showing in the opener. She led all players with four assists, while she also netted one goal. In the process she passed Jaimee Reynolds (1999-2002) for fourth on the all-time list.
 
Height in the Crease
The Big Red boasts one of the strongest and tallest offensive threats in the Ivy League in 6-0 junior attacker Olivia Mattyasovszky. She is poised for a breakout season after a phenomenal off seasons. The Big Red will look to utilize her as a post-up player around the crease, as her strength and length will help her carve out space in front of the opposition net. Cornell hopes that she will be a terror for opponents this season.
 
Between the Pipes
The Big Red will be in good shape from an experience standpoint in net this season. The squad returns both of its goal keepers from last season in senior Carly Gniewek and sophomore Renee Poullott. Both players saw action in the first game. Although senior Carly Gniewek got the start in Saturday's opener against Temple, she relinquished the net after 14-minutes of action. Poullott performed well in relief, making five stops on the day, while allowing just four goals in 38+ minutes of action. Experience wise, Cornell boasts plenty with either keeper in the crease.
 
Elevated Ellis
Sophomore Catherine Ellis is poised for a big season in 2015, after tallying 23 goals in her debut a season ago. She has one of the best shots on the team, as evidenced by her six goal performance against Dartmouth. She seemed to pick up where she left off last season in the opener, scoring three goals and adding two assists in the five point performance.
 
Strong on the Draw
The Big Red will return its top draw control option in senior Sarah Hefner in 2015. She was fantastic in that regard last season, breaking the single-season team record with 68 to finish in a tie for second in the conference. She currently ranks second all-time in program history with 127 for her career after her team-high four draw controls against the Owls. Overall, Cornell went 19-for-27 on the draw. Amie Dickson added four draw controls, while Claire MacManus, Brittany Marriott, Abby Hanson, and Maddie Kiep all secured two draws in the opener versus the Owls.
 
Milestone Victory
Cornell reached a milestone victory when it bested Temple 17-8 in the opener. The win was number 300 for the program.
 
O' Captain My Captains
The Big Red will field two captains in 2015. Lindsay Toppe will serve as a captain for the second consecutive season, while junior defender Brittany Marriott will hold the honor for the first time this season.
 
Up Next
The Big Red will stay at home as it welcomes local rival Colgate for a mid-week game at Schoellkopf Field. Opening draw for the contest is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4.