ITHACA, N.Y. — Now one of just three remaining undefeated teams in Division I, the Big Red will look to keep its unblemished record in tact when California makes the trip to the East Coast. Cornell has won each of its three previous meetings with the Golden Bears, including a 23-6 victory in Berkeley last season, which set a program scoring record.
 
GAME 6: Cornell Big Red vs. California Golden Bears
WHEN: March 23, 2016 — 5 p.m.
WHERE: Schoellkopf Field — Ithaca, N.Y.
2016 RECORDS: Cornell 5-0 (2-0 Ivy), California 3-4 (1-1 MPSF)
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 five games of the season. Fourteen players have recorded points for the Big Red thus far, led by senior Olivia Mattyasovszky with 10 goals and one assist and sophomore Taylor Reed with seven goals and four assists. Senior Maddie Kiep has taken over the role of draw specialist and leads the team with 16 draw controls. On defense, junior Catie Smith has caused nine turnovers and scooped up 18 ground balls, while in net, junior Renee Poullott has posted a 6.40 goals-against average and a .515 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD...

• Give Cornell its first 6-0 start since 2013
• Tie for the Big Red's best start under Jenny Graap
• Keep Cornell undefeated against California in four all-time meetings
• Give Cornell a 4-0 record at Schoellkopf Field this season

ABOUT CALIFORNIA
The Golden Bears make the cross-country trip to Ithaca on the heels of a thrilling 10-9 overtime win over San Diego State on Sunday. After losing its first three of the season, the victory marks Cal's third win in its last four games, with the Golden Bears also topping Longwood and Vermont. Two of Cal's losses however, have come at the hands of ranked opponents, including a narrow 16-15 overtime loss to then-No. 16 Ohio State in the season opener. The matchup at Schoellkopf will be just the third road game for the Golden Bears, who have yet to win away from California Memorial Stadium. Sophomore Meredith Haggerty and junior Elizabeth Pellechi lead the scoring charge with 12 goals and two assists each, while junior Jena Fritts leads in points on two goals and 13 assists. Freshman Jenny Wilkens has seen the bulk of the work in net, posting a .421 save percentage and 14.03 goals-against average.

THE SERIES VS. CALIFORNIA
The Big Red has won all three previous meetings against the Golden Bears. Cornell took a trip to the West Coast last season and broke a scoring record in a 23-6 rout of Cal in Berkeley, netting the most goals in a single game in program history. The Big Red got goals from 10 different players, including three from both Amie Dickson and Olivia Mattyasovszky. Dickson finished with a career-high eight points, tacking on five assists, also a career mark.
 
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
Fourteen different players have contributed on the scoresheet for the Big Red through the team's first five games, with 11 players posting multiple points. Each of Cornell's first five games have seen at least five different players score for the Big Red, with the team getting goals from eight different scorers on three occasions.
 
ELITE COMPANY
With a 5-0 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 three remaining unbeaten Division I teams and is the only unranked team without a loss.
 
KEEP OUT
As of March 18, through the Big Red's first five games, Cornell ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 6.40 goals per game. Junior goalkeeper Renee Poullott ranked fourth in save percentage at .515 and eighth nationally in goals-against average at 6.25.
 
HOT STREAKS
*Sophomore Anna Baumeister has registered a point in all five games so far this season (4-1–5).
*Senior Emily Tripodi has a point in four straight games (2-7–9).
*Sophomore Taylor Reed has registered multiple points, including at least one goal, in each of her last four games (7-4–11).
*Junior Catherine Ellis is on a three-game point streak (3-2–5).
*Junior Kristy Gilbert has a goal in each of her last three games.
 
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.
*Junior defender Catie Smith was recognized as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on March 14. Smith caused a career-high five turnovers in a 9-8 win at Colgate and picked up five ground balls. She added four more ground balls and another caused turnover in the 14-7 win over Columbia.
 
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. 5/3 Syracuse, No. 10/8 Penn State and Ivy rivals No. 11/7 Princeton and No. 16/17 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 now tied for 10th all-time with 134 career points.
*With the win over Columbia, junior goaltender Renee Poullott moved into a tie for third all-time with 19 career wins. Four more victories will tied her for second.
*Poullott also currently ranks 12th for career saves with 201. She needs nine to tie for 11th and 10 to move into the top 10.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red will begin a three-game road stint with an Ivy League matchup at Brown at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Cornell will then head to local rival Binghamton on March 29 and to defending National Champion Maryland on April 2.