ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell women's lacrosse will look to lock up its berth into the Ivy League Tournament on Saturday afternoon when it takes on Harvard at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell will honor the seniors in the Class of 2015 in a pregame ceremony.
 
Cornell Big Red (8-5, 3-2 Ivy League) vs. Harvard Crimson (6-6, 3-2 Ivy League)
Saturday, April 18, 2015 | 1:00 PM | Ithaca, N.Y. – Schoellkopf Field
Live Stats | Live Video (ILDN)
 
Game Notes (PDF)
Cornell
 
Big Red Headlines
Cornell was victimized by the big goal scoring run for the second straight game on Tuesday evening against the 12th-ranked Nittany Lions. The Big Red got off to its patented fast start - scoring three of the first four goals in the contest - however Penn State dominated the remainder of the first half. The visitors scored seven straight goals to open up a five-goal lead it would not relinquish. The Big Red attempted the comeback and looked to pull within two early in the second half, but McNeilly's goal was waved off because it was ruled she used an illegal stick. Penn State jumped on the momentum shift to tally the next two goals to re-establish the five goal advantage. Despite the loss, the second half proved special for the Big Red, as Lindsay Toppe moved into first place on the program's all-time goal scoring list. She would finish with four goals in the half to lead all scorers in the game.
 
Crimson Headlines
Harvard has experienced an up-and-down type season, entering the Saturday matchup with a 6-6 record and an identical 3-2 mark in Ivy League play. Despite the middling record, the Crimson has been a tough out all season. All six of the team's losses have come against ranked opponents, including a one-goal loss to Syracuse and a two-goal loss to Penn. Harvard snapped a two-game losing streak on Tuesday evening, besting Holy Cross 12-4 at home. Sophomore Marisa Romeo leads the squad by a healthy margin as the teams top point-getter. She is tied for third in the League with 47 points, while she is the only Crimson player to top the 30-goal mark with 36 on the season. Julia Glynn and Audrey Todd provide complementary options with (19g-11a-30pts) and (22g-7a-29pts) lines, respectively.
 
The Series Against Harvard...
Cornell trails the overall series with Harvard 12-23 all-time. Despite the sizeable edge, the Big Red has faired well against the Crimson under Head Coach Jenny Graap. All 12 victories have come under her watch, while she holds 12-5 record overall.
 
Last Season's Matchup...
Cornell kicked off Ivy League play last season against Harvard, losing a 10-7 final in Cambridge, Mass. The Big Red got off to a strong start - scoring three of the first four and later putting together a three-goal run - taking a 6-5 lead to halftime. The Crimson defense locked down the Big Red attack in the second half, holding the visitors to a single goal to successfully complete the comeback. Toppe netted four points, which included a hat-trick to lead Cornell. Hefner added two goals and seven draw controls.
 
Senior Day - Class of 2015
Sarah Hefner
Hefner has made an immeasurable impact in the midfield over her illustrious career. She has cemented herself as the greatest player in the draw control circle in the 44-year history of the program. Hefner broke the program's single-game record for draw controls with 10 against Albany during her sophomore campaign. Last season, she absolutely obliterated the single-season program record by an astounding 17, after securing 68 draw controls. She passed Jaimee Reynolds to become the program's all-time leader in controls when she secured three in a historic victory over Cal earlier this season. She currently sits at 153 for her career. Also a steady contributor in the offensive zone, she has reached double-digits in goals each of the last three seasons, currently sitting at 47 for her career. Hefner was an Honorable Mention All-Ivy selection her sophomore year, while she was named Second Team All-Ivy last season.
 
Claire MacManus
MacManus is one of the most gifted athletes to ever put on a Cornell jersey. A multi-sport athlete, she has been a four-year starter on both the varsity women's soccer and lacrosse teams. A stalwart on the backend, her physicality and agility have been pivotal cog in Cornell's improved defense over the last few seasons. She was a Second Team All-Ivy selection a season ago, recording 15 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. This season she has tallied 16 grounders and eight caused turnovers. She currently sits at 68 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers for his career. Unafraid to get into the offensive act as well, she has chipped in four goals and two assists over her four years.
 
Lindsay Toppe
Toppe will go down as one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the program. She topped the 40-goal and 50-point marks in both her sophomore and junior seasons, earning First Team All-Ivy and First Team IWLCA All-Northeast Region honors both years. She tied a career-high with 47 goals last season en route to being named Ivy League Attacker of the Year in 2014. The national pundits recognized Toppe's splendid play, as her named appeared in the Top-50 Watch List for the Tewaaraton Award coming into the 2015 campaign. Despite facing constant double-teams, she did not miss a beat, entering play today with an Ivy League best 42 goals and 49 points. She equaled a single-game career-high with seven goals in the Big Red's historic victory over Cal earlier this season. In her last outing against nationally ranked Penn State, she tallied four times to break the program record for career goals. Toppe enters play today with 147 career goals and 10 game-winners – both program records – while she has totaled 182 points, which ranks third all-time.
 
Scoring Punch
Cornell leads the Ivy League as the top scoring offense. The squad has averaged over 14 goals per game and checks in with 183 on the year, already eclipsing last season's goal total. Not surprisingly, the Big Red has registered the most shots and most shots on goal with 381 and 293 respectively. Possession has been the key, as Cornell has dominated the ball over vast stretches this season.
 
Fast Starters
Cornell has made a habit of starting quickly in games this season. The Big Red has held a lead at halftime in 11 of 13 games this year, trailing just Syracuse and Penn State at the break. The Big Red has outshot opponents 220-138 in the opening 30 minutes - 163-98 in shots on goal - while the team has far outpaced opponents 94-60 in first half scoring. Cornell has led at the half in all five of its Ivy League contests this year.
 
Fine Feeds
Junior attacker Emily Tripodi has established herself as one of the best creators in the history of the program. Her exceptional vision and lacrosse instincts allow her to quickly diagnose how to best exploit them. She added two assists on Tuesday against Penn State to bring her total to 26 for the season and  85 for her career. She trails the top spot in program history by six. In addition to being an excellent creator for others in the attacking zone, she has put an added onus on creating her own looks this season. She added her second hat-trick of the season against Stanford and already has posted a career-high for goals in a season with 16.
 
Between the Pipes
Renee Poullott has been quite solid in recent contest, after hitting a bump in the road against Columbia and No. 5 Syracuse earlier this season. She played a solid game against the potent Nittany Lion attack, finishing with 10 saves in the contest. She made a couple huge stops in quick succession in the second half, but was tabbed with the loss for the third consecutive game. Poullott remains one win away from cracking the Top-10 all-time.
 
Dynamic Dickson
Sophomore Amie Dickson has really enjoyed a breakout during the 2015 campaign. She has already more than quadrupled last season's total point output of 10, pumping in a career high eight points in the big win over California. She had another big game at No. 5 Syracuse, finishing with a team-high five points on one goal and four assists. Dickson now sits at 22 goals and 25 assists on the year, after the one goal and three assist performance against Stanford. She also has made significant contributions throughout the stat sheet, proving to be an excellent two-way player in the midfield. She led the squad with five draw controls and two caused turnovers in the Stanford match. Dickson currently leads the Ivy League in points (47) and assists, while she is tied for 10th in goals. She is also fourth in the League with 40 draw controls.
 
Up Next
Cornell will conclude the regular season where it began, in Philadelphia, on Sunday, April 26, when it takes on Penn.