ITHACA, N.Y. — Two unblemished records will be on the line for Cornell on Saturday at Schoellkopf Field — the Big Red is 4-0 on the season and 19-0 all-time against Columbia. The Lions, on the other hand, will be looking for their first Ivy League win of the season.
 
GAME 5: Cornell Big Red vs. Columbia Lions
WHEN: March 12, 2016 — 3 p.m.
WHERE: Schoellkopf Field — Ithaca, N.Y.
2016 RECORDS: Cornell 4-0 (1-0 Ivy), Columbia 2-2 (0-1 Ivy)
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
LIVE VIDEO: Ivy League Digital Network

GAME NOTES:
Cornell
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is off to its best start since 2013, winning its first four games of the season. Ten players have recorded points for the Big Red thus far, led by sophomore Taylor Reed with eight on six goals and two assists. Senior Maddie Kiep has taken over the role of draw specialist and leads the team with 14 draw controls. On defense, junior Catie Smith has caused eight turnovers and scooped up 14 ground balls, while in net, junior Renee Poullott has posted a 6.25 goals-against average and a .490 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD...

• Give Cornell its first 5-0 start since 2013
• Keep Cornell at least tied for first place in the Ivy League at 2-0 in conference play
• Keep Cornell undefeated against the Lions in 20 all-time meetings
• Give Cornell a 3-0 record at Schoellkopf Field this season

ABOUT COLUMBIA
The Lions are 2-2 this season and 0-1 in Ivy League play, with both wins coming on the road. Columbia opened the season with a defensive battle, falling to Drexel, 6-5, in overtime, before serving Fairfield a 14-11defeat on Feb. 24. In the team's Ivy opener, the Lions were handled by Harvard, 15-6, on March 5. A Monday night trip to Marist gave Columbia its second win, as it topped the Red Foxes, 14-10. Junior Sara Ruzzi leads the Lions with 10 points on nine goals and an assist, while senior Jessie Ambrose is close behind with eight goals and nine points. In net, sophomore Kelsey Gedin has a .417 save percentage and 10.49 goals-against average.

THE SERIES VS. COLUMBIA
The Big Red has won all 19 meetings since Columbia introduced women's lacrosse in 1997. Last season's matchup was a high-scoring affair, with Cornell taking the 18-12 victory in New York City. The Lions put a scare in the Big Red, however, taking an early 4-1 lead. Cornell then scored four goals in about four minutes to go ahead, 5-4, but the Lions answered and took a 7-6 lead. Goals from Amie Dickson and Shelby McNeilly in the final 2:02 of the first half and a pair of tallies from Kristy Gilbert in the opening moments of the second half gave Cornell an advantage it wouldn't again relinquish.
 
TRIPODI MAKES HISTORY
With her first assist of the game on March 9 at Colgate, senior Emily Tripodi set a new program record for career assists, bettering the record of 91 set by Courtney Farrell in 2008.
 
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.
 
BALANCED OFFENSE
Ten different players have contributed on the scoresheet for the Big Red through the team's first four games, with nine players posting multiple points. Each of Cornell's first four games have seen at least five different players score for the Big Red, with the team getting goals from eight different scorers on two occasions. Five players are within three points of the team lead.
 
YOUNG GUNS
Nearly half of the Big Red's point production so far this season has come from underclassmen, with sophomores Taylor Reed, Joey Coffy and Anna Baumeister and freshmen Tomasina Leska and Christie Raymond teaming up for 21 of Cornell's 44 points through the first four games.
 
HOT STAR
With a 4-0 record to begin the season, Cornell is off to its best start since 2013, when the team won its first six games and ultimately went 10-6 on the season. The Big Red is one of just nine remaining unbeaten Division I teams.
 
KEEP OUT
As of March 10, through the Big Red's first four games, Cornell ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 6.25 goals per game. Junior goalkeeper Renee Poullott ranked eighth nationally in goals-against average at 6.25 and 20th in save percentage at .490.
 
IVY WEEKLY HONORS
Junior goaltender Renee Poullott was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 29 after helping Cornell hold then-No. 19 Albany to just five goals in a 9-5 victory on Feb. 27. Poullott made eight saves and posted a .615 save percentage in the win, while also tying a career-high with five ground balls and causing a turnover.
 
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 five opponents currently ranked in the national polls: No. 1/1 Maryland, No. 3/3 Syracuse, No. 9/10 Penn State and Ivy rivals No. 6/6 Princeton and No. 16/19 Penn. The Big Red visits 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.
 
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.
 
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 particular focus on New York, which is both the home of Cornell and one of the country's biggest hotbeds of lacrosse.
 
RECORDS WATCH
*Senior co-captain Emily Tripodi is  the new program record holder for career assists, recording two in a 9-8 win over Colgate on March 9 to better Courtney Farrell's record of 91 set in 2008.
*Junior Amie Dickson is just three assists away from cracking the all-time top 10. Dickson currently sits in 12th with 37 assists, one assist away from tying for 11th.
*Tripodi is also four points away from breaking into the top 10 program list for career points. Tripodi currently has 131 career points, good for 12th. Two more points will tie her for 11th.
*With the win over Yale, junior goaltender Renee Poullott took over sole possession of fifth all-time. She added another at Colgate, totaling 18 in her career. With one more win, Poullott will tie for third.
*Poullott also currently ranks 13th for career saves with 191. She needs just six to tie for 12th.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red will have a week and a half off before California makes the cross-country trek for a 5 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, March 23 at Schoellkopf Field.