GAME INFORMATION
GAME #8: Cornell vs. Columbia
GAME TIME: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 12:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 16-3
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 2-1 (OT), Sept. 27, 2014 (New York, N.Y.)
2015 RECORDS: Cornell (4-3, 0-1 Ivy); Columbia (5-2, 1-0 Ivy)
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

 
GAME #9: Cornell at Syracuse
GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: J.S. Coyne Stadium (Syracuse, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Syracuse¬¬ leads, 27-2-1
LAST MEETING: Syracuse won, 5-0, Oct. 12, 2014 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
2015 RECORDS: Cornell (4-3, 0-1 Ivy); Syracuse (9-0, 3-0 ACC)
LIVE VIDEO: None
LIVE STATS
TELEVISION: TWCS (Channel 51 in Ithaca)

THE WEEKEND: The Big Red field hockey team looks to rebound from a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to Penn in its Ivy League opener, when it welcomes Columbia to Marsha Dodson Field on Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon. The following day, Cornell will face its toughest test of the season when it travels up I-81 to face No. 2 Syracuse at Coyne Stadium at 2 p.m. The game with the Lions will be broadcast live on the Ivy League Digital Network, while the game with the Orange will be broadcast locally on Time Warner Cable Sports (channel 51 in Ithaca). 

THE SERIES WITH COLUMBIA:  The series with the Lions began in 1991, six seasons before Columbia officially joined the Ivy League in field hockey. Cornell is 16-3 all-time against Columbia. Despite the lopsided nature of the series, seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by a single goal, including four overtime contests.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: After opening the 2015 campaign with a pair of loses, Columbia has rattled off five wins in row, including a 2-0 decision in its Ivy League opener vs. Brown last weekend. The Lions are led by senior Christina Freibott's four goals and 2 points, while junior Meredith Kalberer has also reached double-digit points (10) on the strength of three goals. Senior Pianucci returns in goal for the Lions. She has posted a 2.55 goals-against average and a .691 save percentage to go along with one shutout. 

LAST TIME VS. COLUMBIA:  Cornell freshman Krysten Mayers scored with just 57 seconds remaining in the first overtime stanza to hand the Big Red a 2-1 sudden victory triumph over Columbia on Sept. 27 in New York City. Mayers earned the game-winner when she snagged a long upfield pass from Katherine Stone, drove past the Lions' defender and found the back of the net. Mayers also had the Big Red's first goal of the game, putting the visitors on the board midway through the first half when she drove down the center of the circle and beat Lions' goalie Kimberly Pianucci to make it a 1-0 contest at the 14:02 mark. The Big Red outshot Columbia, 12-7, and held the 6-4 edge in penalty corners. Pianucci kept the home team in the contest with five saves, and also benefited by a defensive save from Lauren Skudalski, who stopped a chance by Taylor Standiford in the 31st minute. Cornell junior Elizabeth Schaeffler saw her first start of the season and made three saves, including a great stop on a penalty corner with just 28 seconds remaining in regulation, to earn the win. The game was forced into overtime after a goal by Christina Freibott in the 65th minute of play.

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE: The series with the Orange began in 1979 and Syracuse has dominated from the beginning to earn a 27-2-1 all-time record against the Big Red. Cornell's first win in the series came in just the fourth-ever meeting between the two squads when it defeated Syracuse by a score of 1-0 inside the Carrier Dome in 1983. Its most recent victory came in 2007 when the Big Red earned a 3-2 victory on Coyne Field.
 
SCOUTING THE ORANGE: No. 2 Syracuse enters a Friday evening contest against Monmouth with a perfect 9-0 record. The Orange are a talented and well-balanced team that ranks in the top 10 in the nation in goals per game (seventh – 3.78), goals-against average (third – 0.87), save percentage (eighth – .800) and scoring margin (second – 2.83). Emma Russell and Roos Weers both rank 19th in the nation in goals per game (0.89), while Alma Fenne is 18th in the country in assists per game (0.67). Jess Jecko returns in goal for Syracuse and is on pace for another brilliant season, as she currently ranks third in the country in GAA (0.87) and ninth overall in save percentage (.789).
 
LAST TIME VS. SYRACUSE: The Big Red came up short in its upset bid to No. 13 Syracuse, dropping a 5-0 decision on Oct. 12 at Marsha Dodson Field in Ithaca, N.Y. For the first time all season, the Big Red was out shot (13-9) and out cornered (5-2), and Syracuse held the slight edge in shots on goal (7-6). In a game that was much closer than the final score indicated, the Big Red put six of its nine shots on goal, but was turned away time after time by Syracuse goalie Jess Jecko. Freshman Krysten Mayers had two outstanding opportunities on a pair of break-away chances, while Marisa Siergiej had two penalty corner shots that were saved. Annalena Ulbrich had two penalty corner goals for the visitors, while Laura Huff, Emma Russell and Lieke Visser each scored once for the Orange. Cornell goalie Elizabeth Schaeffler finished with two saves.

VS. ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE: The Big Red is 3-35-1 all-time vs. the current members of the ACC, due mostly to a 2-27-1 record against its newest member, Syracuse. The Big Red's only other victory against the conference has come against Virginia (1-3). Cornell also has a losing record against Boston College (0-4) and North Carolina (0-1) and has never played Duke, Louisville or Wake Forest … Cornell is 1-8 vs. the ACC during Coach Hornibrook's tenure.

LIVE FROM NEW YORK: The Cornell Department of Athletics and Physical Education is proud to announce that it will offer live video streaming beginning with the Big Red's Ivy League home opener vs. Columbia. The game will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE (A NEW) HOME: The Big Red is 37-22 all-time on Marsha Dodson Field. Collectively, the team has outscored its opponents by a margin of 126-97 and has taken significantly more shots (1,002-624) than its opponents. The defense has been equally solid in the circle, allowing just 331 penalty corners (5.6 per game).

THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her 12th season at Cornell (102-85, .545) ... She is the second winningest coach in Big Red field hockey history, behind only Shelby (Pontz) Bowman, who registered 115 wins over 19 year … Hornibrook became the sixth coach in Cornell field hockey history in January 2004 ... She has a 273-132-10 (.671) record as a head coach, including a 111-39-4 mark at Houghton and a 60-8-6 record at New Brunswick.
 
SHUTOUT STREAK: The Big Red had shutout four straight opponents – Sacred Heart (9/11), Monmouth (9/13), Vermont (9/19) and Maine (9/20) – matching the school record for consecutive shutouts, set twice before. The last time Cornell had four straight clean sheets came over the 1990 and 1991 seasons, as the Big Red defeated Dartmouth (1-0), Colgate (1-0) and Brown (1-0, OT) to close the 1990 season before opening the 1991 campaign with a 5-0 win over CW Post. Cornell has had four straight shutouts in the same season just once before, blanking Brockport (3-0), Lafayette (0-0, 2OT), Colgate (1-0) and Princeton (0-0, 2OT) in 1985.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: The Big Red has had two players named Ivy League Rookie of the Week so far this season … Kate Fitzpatrick was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, as well as the ECAC Rookie of the Week on Sept. 15 after tallying one goal against Sacred Heart and one goal vs. Monmouth ... Isabel Siergiej took home both the Ivy League and the ECAC honor on Sept. 22 after scoring two goals on two shots vs. Vermont and being named to the Catamount Classic All-Tournament Team.
  
A NATIONAL PRESENCE: Cornell sophomores Kelly Johnson and Sam McILwrick have been selected to represent the United States and Canada, respectively, as members of their nation's U21 junior national teams that will compete in the Junior Pan American Games this spring. 

TEAM NCAA RANKINGS: The Big Red ranks in the top 20 in the nation in …
* Shutouts per game – 1st (0.57)
* Goals-Against Average – 12th (1.27)
* Defensive saves – 12th (5)
* Save Percentage – 13th (.763)
* Scoring Margin – 20th (1.27)
 
INDIVIDUAL NCAA RANKINGS:
* Kelly Johnson ranks ninth in save percentage (.789).
* Kelly Johnson ranks fifth in goals-against average (.97).
* Luisa Schulte-Bockum ranks third in defensive saves (4).
* Krysten Mayers ranks sixth in goals per game (1.00).
* Krysten Mayers ranks eighth in points per game (2.29).
 
IVY LEAGUE RANKINGS:
* Krysten Mayers ranks third in the Ivy League in points (16).
* Krysten Mayers ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game (2.39).
* Krysten Mayers ranks second in the Ivy League in goals (7).
* Krysten Mayers ranks second in the Ivy League in goals per game (1.00).
* Isabel Siergiej ranks ninth in the Ivy League in assists (3).
* Taylor Standiford ranks ninth in the Ivy League in assists (3).
* Isabel Siergiej ranks ninth in the Ivy League in assists per game (0.43).
* Taylor Standiford ranks ninth in the Ivy League in assists per game (0.43).
* Katy Weeks ranks third in the Ivy League in game-winning goals (2). 
* Luisa Schulte-Bockum ranks first in the Ivy League in defensive saves (4).
* Sam McILwrick ranks eighth in the Ivy League in defensive saves (1).
* Kelly Johnson and Mackenzie Gagliardi are tied for first in the Ivy League in shutout wins (2).
* Mackenzie Gagliardi ranks first in the Ivy League in goals-against average (.36).
* Kelly Johnson ranks second in the Ivy League in goals-against average (.97).
* Mackenzie Gagliardi ranks first in the Ivy League in save percentage (.857).
* Kelly Johnson ranks third in the Ivy League in save percentage (.789).
 
CAREER RECORD WATCH:
* Marisa Siergiej currently sits in sixth place overall in Cornell history with 70 career points, needing 15 more to surpass Emily Robb (1995-98) and move into fifth place.
* Krysten Mayers ranks 15th overall for career points (37), needing just three more to pass Alyssa DePaola (2005-07) in 14th place. 
* Taylor Standiford is 18th overall for career points (36) and needs just one more to tie Krysten Mayers, Mary Beth Delaney (1985-88) and Kate Thompson (2007-10) in 15th place.
* Marisa Siergiej's 31 career goals is also good for fourth place all-time and she needs just four more to move into a tie for third place with Hannah Balleza (2010-13).
* Krysten Mayers ranks 10th in Cornell history for career goals (17), needing nine more to move into a tie with Beth Paciello (1985-88) in 9th place.
* Taylor Standiford sits in second place with 30 career assists and needs just four more to break Cari Hills (1994-97) school record.
* Marisa Siergiej has already set the school record for penalty strokes converted in a career (four).
* Marisa Siergiej is tied for fifth place in Cornell history with Hannah Balleza with eight career game-winning goals. She needs just one more to move into a tie with Emily Robb (1995-97) and Beth Paciello (1985-88) in third place.

RANKED OPPONENTS: The Big Red's schedule features four teams that are ranked in the latest NFHCA Division I Poll – No. 2 Syracuse, No. 6 Albany, No. 13 Delaware, and No. 20 Princeton … Cornell defeated No. 20 Maine on Oct. 26, 2014, giving the Big Red its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 19 Syracuse, 3-2, on Oct. 25, 2007.  
 
ONE OF THE BEST: Head coach Donna Hornibrook ranks among the best when it comes to winning. Among active Division I head coaches, she ranks 16th overall for winning percentage (.630) and 18th for career wins (213), rankings that would be higher if the NCAA counted her 60-8-6 record at Canada's New Brunswick.
 
CLOSE CALLS: Cornell's 3-2 overtime loss to Penn on Sept. 25 continued the Big Red's trend of playing in one-goal games. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Big Red has lost 63 games, with 39 of those coming by a single goal, including 18 in overtime. During that same span, Cornell has won 82 games, with 41 coming in one-goal games, including 11 in overtime.

EARLY LEADS: Scoring first has been a big part of the Big Red's success in recent years. Since Coach Hornibrook has taken over the program, Cornell has posted an impressive 87-14 record in games in which they have scored first. Conversely, the team has won only 14 games in which they have had to come back from an early deficit to win. The first was Coach Hornibrook's very first victory with the team, a 6-3 win over Lehigh in 2004, with the latest coming on Nov. 8, 2014 as Cornell overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Dartmouth, 4-1.

KNOCK THREE TIMES: When the Big Red fell to Penn, 4-3, on Sept. 21, 2013 it marked only the fourth time in Coach Hornibrook's career with Cornell that the team scored three goals and lost the contest. Under Coach Hornibrook, the Big Red has won 65-of-69 in a game in which it scores at least three goals, a mark that was raised when it defeated Monmouth (5-0) on Sept. 13, 2015.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Seniors Taylor Standiford and Marisa Siergiej have been named team captains for the 2015 season. Standiford also served as team captain a year ago.

2014 SEASON RECORDS:
* A year ago, Cornell posted an 11-5 record overall, tying the school record for victories in a single season, previously set in 2008 and 2010.
* The squad set a school record for points (127), points per game (7.94), goals (45), and assists (37) in a single-season. 
* Defensively, the team set a school record, allowing just 3.9 penalty corners per contest.

TICKLE THE ALL-IVY: Following the 2014 season, Marisa Siergiej was one of four unanimous first-team All-Ivy selections. In addition to Siergiej, freshman Sam McILwrick and sophomore Katy Weeks were named second-team All-Ivy, while both senior Ann DiPastina and freshman Krysten Mayers earned honorable mention.
 
EVERYBODY'S (REGIONAL) ALL-AMERICAN: A year ago, Marisa Siergiej become just the 12th player in Big Red history to be named first-team All-Mideast Region All-American.
 
10 WINS: With its 11 victories a year ago, Cornell has won at least 10 games in seven of Coach Hornibrooks' 11 seasons. She is the only field hockey coach in Big Red history to lead the team to a 10-win season.

SOLID IN THE CIRCLE: Cornell's defense was outstanding last season, setting the school record by giving up just 3.9 penalty corners per contest, while allowing opponents just 8.0 shots per game, the lowest average since the 1983 season (6.7 shots per game). 

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Cornell earned the first national ranking in program history on Sept. 30, 2014 coming in at No 19 in the 2014 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Big Red fell out of the poll the following week after a 1-0 loss to American, but may have managed to hold onto its No. 19 ranking if it weren't for the fact that Indiana upset No. 4 Duke on the same day to jump into the rankings at No. 18.

UP NEXT: The Big Red hits the road for a pair of games next weekend when it travels to Yale and Holy Cross on Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11, respectively. Last season, Cornell defeated both the Bulldogs and Crusaders, improving to 19-17-1 all-time vs. Yale and 6-5 all-time vs. Holy Cross.