ALBANY, N.Y. —  Cornell will take its first road trip of the season, heading to local rival No. 19 Albany. The Big Red is coming off a win over Villanova in its season-opener and is facing one of the few remaining teams to have not yet played a game in the Great Danes.
 
GAME 2: Cornell Big Red at No. 19 Albany
WHEN: Feb. 27, 2016 — 3 p.m.
WHERE: John Fallon Field — Albany, N.Y.
2016 RECORDS: Cornell 1-0, Albany 0-0
LIVE VIDEO: AmericaEast.tv

GAME NOTES
Cornell
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Six different players scored for the Big Red in its season-opening 7-6 win over Villanova. Senior attacker Olivia Mattyasovszky led the team with two goals and an assist. Freshman Tomasina Leska and sophomore Anna Baumeister both tallied their first career goals, while sophomore Joey Coffy, junior Amie Dickson and junior Kristy Gilbert each finished with a goal. Dickson tied a career high with six draw controls, while Coffy led the team with a career-high four ground balls. Junior goalkeeper Renee Poullott finished with six saves, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
 
A WIN WOULD...

• Give Cornell its first 2-0 start since 2013
• Even the all-time series at 2-2
• Give assistant coach Rachael Burek her first coaching win over her alma mater

 
ABOUT NO. 19 ALBANY
The Great Danes are one of the last teams to begin the season, as the contest with Cornell will be their season-opener. Albany graduated its leading point-getter in Maureen Keggins, but returns graduate student Rachel Bowles, junior Dakotah Savitcheff and sophomore Alie Jimerson, who combined for 140 points last season. Savitcheff led the Great Danes in scoring with 64 goals, and Jimerson's 38 assists were good for second on the team behind Keggins.  After advancing to the America East title game for the fifth-straight season, Albany was predicted to finish second in the conference in the preseason poll behind reigning America East champion Stony Brook. The Great Danes were a perfect 9-0 at home last season and earned the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Albany has continued to receive votes in the IWLCA Coaches' poll to start this season and moved up a spot to No. 19 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll this week.
 
THE SERIES VS. ALBANY
The Great Danes and the Big Red first met in 2013 and have played each season since, with Albany winning the past two. Cornell won the first meeting between the teams, emerging with a 15-13 victory on March 17, 2013.  The Great Danes led, 9-8, at halftime, but Cornell scored five unanswered goals late in the second half to earn the win. On March 16, 2014, the last time the teams met in Albany, the Great Danes took a 17-10 victory. Last season, Albany visited Schoellkopf Field on Feb. 28 and emerged with a narrow 12-11 win. Cornell led, 8-5, at halftime, but Albany scored four times in the first 7:08 of the second half to gain momentum.
ASSISTANT COACH RACHAEL BUREK
Cornell assistant coach Rachael Burek graduated from Albany in 2013 after a successful lacrosse career. She was named America East Co-Player of the Year as a senior after finishing ninth in program history with 106 goals and fourth with 63 career assists.  In the first meeting between the Great Danes and the Big Red, a 15-13 Cornell win, Burek led Albany with five points on three goals and two assists.
ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY
Senior co-captain Emily Tripodi is two assists from tying the Cornell program record for career assists and three assists from breaking it. Tripodi currently sits in second with 89 career helpers behind Courtney Farrell '08 with 91.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Junior attacker/midfielder Amie Dickson has been named an honorable mention Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. Dickson was named First-Team All-Ivy at the conclusion of the 2015 season after leading the Ivy League with 59 points and 31 assists.
 
BACK ON THE ATTACK
The Big Red returns the bulk of its attack from the 2015 season, despite the graduation of Lindsay Toppe. Senior co-captain Emily Tripodi will likely continue to serve the role of feeder after finishing the 2015 season with 30 assists.  Senior Catherine Ellis will once again have her eye on the net. Ellis finished second on the team last season with 38 goals, starting all 16 contests. Senior Olivia Mattyasovszky will use her imposing 6-foot frame to challenge defenders, while Jessica Schwab and Meredith Baker will also serve as returning options on the front line.
 
UP THE MIDDLE
In the midfield, where Cornell boasts the most depth, a returning corps of speedy sophomores will be the storyline. The likes of Joey Coffy and Taylor Reed will bring athleticism to the midfield and be a differentiator for the Big Red. Coffy and Reed will be joined by upperclassmen leaders, junior Kristy Gilbert and senior Shelby McNeilly. Gilbert will add firepower to the midfield, while McNeilly plays a more defensive style. Juniors Kailey O'Hagan and Christie Powell will bolster the midfield's versatility, while sophomores Anna Baumeister and Paige Craig are likely to operate as swing players.
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Cornell lost just one defender to graduation in 2015, meaning the Big Red returns an incredibly experienced defensive corps. Senior co-captain Brittany Marriott will once again bring her leadership and direction to the defensive unit. She will be joined by classmate Maddie Kiep, who will add athleticism and physicality, and junior Catie Smith, who excels at applying pressure. Seniors Abby Hanson and Catherine Moubayed will bring an aggressiveness and knack for earning ground balls and interceptions while sophomores Hilary Lemonick and Cait Callahan will be impactful in marking schemes for the Big Red backline.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES
The Big Red returns an experienced and capable goaltender in junior Renee Poullott, who finished the 2015 season with an 8.77 goals-against average and .437 save percentage. Freshman Samantha Nielsen will serve as the backup to Poullott. 
 
FRESH FACES
Cornell has added eight newcomers to the roster for the 2016 season. Tomasina Leska and Sarah Phillips join the Big Red attack, while Hannah O'Reilly, Shannon Bertscha and Christie Raymond will add to the team's depth at midfield. Natalie Paletta and Sarah Nicholson join the team's defense, and Samantha Nielsen will be an option in goal. The Class of 2019 features three high school All-Americans (Leska, Nielsen, Raymond) and two who were invited to try out for the U.S. Women's U19 National Team (Leska, Raymond).
 
FORMIDABLE FOES
This season, the Big Red will face off against six opponents currently ranked in the national polls: No. 1/1 Maryland, No. 2/2 Syracuse, No. 6/2 Penn State, No. 19 Albany, and Ivy rivals No. 9/9 Princeton and No. 13/16 Penn. The Big Red visits Albany on Feb. 27, heads to reigning National Champion Maryland on April 2, travels to Penn State on April 13, plays at Princeton on April 16, hosts Syracuse on April 19 and closes the regular season with a home matchup against Penn on April 30.
 
FAMILY TIES
Freshmen Natalie Paletta and Sarah Phillips both have ties to the Cornell Athletics Department. Natalie's father, Steve Paletta, was a men's lacrosse Second-Team All-American, captained the Big Red to a national runner-up finish in 1987 and was named First-Team All-Ivy. Natalie's mother, Christine, was a member of the Cornell gymnastics team from 1986-88. Sarah's father, Andy Phillips, and uncle, J.D. Phillips, were teammates of Steve Paletta's. Sarah's grandfather, John Phillips, also played lacrosse at Cornell.
 
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
A team-high 11 players from the Big Red hail from right here in New York State. Cornell has commonly brought in most of its players from the Northeast with a particularly focus on New York, which is both the home of Cornell and one of the country's biggest hotbeds of lacrosse.
 
MEET THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Emily Tripodi and Brittany Marriott have been chosen to be co-captains for the 2016 season. Marriott will be serving as a captain for the second consecutive season after she was chosen to lead the team as a junior with Lindsay Toppe.
 
RECORDS WATCH
*Senior co-captain Emily Tripodi is just two assists away from tying the Cornell record for career assists. With her three more assists, Tripodi will take over the top spot and break Courtney Farrell '08's record of 91.
*Junior Amie Dickson is just four assists away from cracking the all-time top 10. Dickson currently has 36 assists, behind Libby Johnson '11 in 10th with 40.
*Tripodi is also nine points away from breaking into the top 10 program list for career points. Tripodi currently has 125 career points. Tina Hennessey '93 is currently in the No. 10 spot with 134.
*With the win over Villanova, junior goaltender Renee Poullott is currently tied for sixth with 15 career wins. With one more win, Poullott will tie for fifth, while four more will tie her for third.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red will return home for its Ivy League opener when Yale visits Schoellkopf Field on March 5 at 1 p.m.