Box Score (PDF)
 
NEW YORK – Cornell women's lacrosse pulled away in the second half, netting 10 goals after halftime to push past Columbia 18-12 on Saturday afternoon at Robert K. Kraft Field. The win maintains the Big Red's unblemished series record against the Lions – now 19-0 all-time – while it moves Cornell to 2-0 to begin Ivy League play.
 
Freshman mid Joey Coffy had a career game, netting her first collegiate hat trick. Sophomore mid Amie Dickson also added a hat trick, while eight other players tickled the twine in the balanced offensive attack.
 
Junior Emily Tripodi had a big game, leading Cornell (5-1, 2-0 Ivy League) with five points (1g-4a) on the afternoon. The four helpers tied a season-high, while it moved her into a tie for second on the program's all-time assist list, tying Allison Schindler (2003-06) with 70 for her career.
 
Senior Lindsay Toppe and sophomores Catherine Ellis and Kristy Gilbert collected two goals apiece. Freshman Taylor Reed also netted her first career multi-goal game with a pair of tallies. Senior Sarah Hefner, junior Olivia Mattyasovszky and sophomore Shelby McNeilly also added one goal each for the Big Red.
 
Columbia (0-5, 0-2 Ivy League) gave the Big Red all it could muster in a tightly contested first half. Despite getting off to polar opposite starts to the season, the Lions were crisp and decisive in the attacking third throughout the opening half. The Big Red used two scoring runs to take control of the contest around the halftime horn.
 
McNeilly netted a goal to give Cornell a one-goal lead heading into the break. Gilbert added back-to-back tallies coming out of the break to give Cornell its widest lead of the game with just under 28 minutes left to play.
 
After the team's traded the next six overall tallies, another four-goal spurt secured the win for the Big Red. Tripodi started the run with a free-position goal into what essentially amounted to an empty-net, as Columbia goalkeeper Kelsey Gedin was whistled for a foul. Dickson and Ellis widened the gap, while Mattyasovszky capped the run with a nice turning shot from five yards out.
 
Gedin would be the difference in keeping things close for the Lions. She finished with 14 saves in the losing effort, as Cornell outshot Columbia 34-to-20 in the contest.
 
While Cornell has been excellent in jumping out to fast starts on teams early this season, Columbia had other ideas in the opening half. Caroline Joy put the Lions up just 1-0 just 19 seconds into the game, scoring right off the opening rush. Columbia would go on to score four of the first five goals in the contest, prompting an early timeout from Head Coach Jenny Graap just seven minutes into the game.
 
The Big Red responded well off the timeout, reeling off a four-goal run to take a 5-4 advantage. Toppe scored two goals on the run, including an excellent move to reverse her momentum at the side of the eight-yard crease, before firing home a shot top shelf to tie the score. Coffy also added her third goal of the season, while Dickson pushed Cornell ahead for the first time on the day with 11:08 left in the opening half.
 
The teams would trade tallies over the remainder of the half, as Cornell would struggle to get settled in the defensive zone. Sophomore goaltender Renee Poullott had a difficult time in the dreary conditions, making just one save in the opening 30 minutes and allowing seven goals. She would finish with a stronger second half, allowing just five more goals after the break.
 
Up next for the Big Red is a huge non-conference road date with #5/6 Syracuse on Tuesday, March 17. Opening draw is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App.