GAME INFORMATION
GAME #1: Cornell vs. Colgate
GAME TIME: Saturday, Sept. 3 at 12:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Marsha Dodson Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 21-19-3
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 9-0, Sept. 5, 2014 (Hamilton, N.Y.)
* 2016 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); Colgate (1-1, 0-0 PL)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/fhockey
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.ivyleaguedigitalnetwork.com

GAME #2: Cornell at Lehigh
GAME TIME: Sunday, Sept. 4, at 2:00 p.m.
GAME SITE: Ulrich Sports Complex (Bethlehem, Pa.)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 22-1-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 7-0, Oct. 25, 2015 (Ithaca, N.Y.)
* 2016 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); Lehigh (1-1, 0-0 PL)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lehigh/fhockey
LIVE VIDEO: http://campusinsiders.com/network/patriot_league/live

* records prior to contests on Sept. 1
 
OPENING UP: The Cornell field hockey team opens its 45th season on Saturday, Sept. 3 as it welcomes Colgate to Marsha Dodson Field for a contest at noon, before heading to Lehigh for a contest on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. … The Big Red is 25-15-4 (.614) all-time in season-openers. Last season, the Big Red dropped an overtime decision to Lock Haven to see head coach Donna Hornibrook's record slip to 8-4 in season openers during her time with Cornell.

THE SERIES WITH COLGATE: The Big Red's history with Colgate goes back nearly as far as the field hockey histories for both programs, meeting for the first time in 1974, the third year of existence for Cornell and just the second year for the Raiders program. The series has been incredibly tight, but has swung in the Big Red's favor with three consecutive wins giving Cornell the advantage, 21-19-3 all-time. Coach Donna Hornibrook holds a 7-4 record against the Raiders.

THE SERIES WITH LEHIGH: The series with Lehigh began in 1991, and Cornell is 22-1-1 all-time against the Mountain Hawks, with its lone loss coming during the 1993 campaign. The Big Red has won 20 straight in the series and head coach Donna Hornibrook is a perfect 11-0 vs. Lehigh.
 
VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Big Red is 65-55-7 all-time vs. the current members of the Patriot League, thanks mostly to a 22-1-1 lead against Lehigh. The Big Red also holds a winning record against Colgate (21-19-3) and Holy Cross (7-5). Cornell holds a losing record against American (0-2), Boston University (0-1), Bucknell (10-15-1), and Lafayette (5-12-2) … Cornell is 27-13 vs. the Patriot League during Coach Hornibrook's tenure.
  
THE HEAD COACH: Cornell head coach Donna Hornibrook is in her 13th season at Cornell (109-88, .553) ... 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 280-135-10 (.671) record as a head coach, including a 111-39-4 mark at Houghton and a 60-8-6 record at New Brunswick.
 
SEASON PREVIEW
One season removed from finishing with its first-ever top 20 RPI and top 20 strength of schedule, the Big Red field hockey team is looking to continue  to establish itself as a national power.  
 
"We graduated some outstanding players, including All-American Marisa Siergiej," says head coach Donna Hornibrook. "But we return a lot of key players that were at the core of last season's success. I'm seeing great leadership from our upperclassmen and the players came back in great shape to hit the ground running this preseason."
 
Attack
The Big Red's attack unit returns 21 goals from a season ago, led by Mideast Region All-American Krysten Mayers, and a pair of returning letter winners in Katie Carlson and Kate Fitzpatrick.
 
A year ago, Mayers led the Big Red offensively, tying the school record with 14 goals on the season. She enters her junior season ranked 10th in Cornell history for career goals (24), 10th overall in career game-winning goals (6), and 10th overall in career points (52).
 
Carlson started all 17 games during her sophomore season and finished ranked fourth on the team in goals (five) and fifth overall in points (15), while Fitzpatrick grew by leaps and bounds during her freshman season to earn the team's Most Improved Player award. 
 
"What I like about this attack unit is that they are all equally committed to team defense as they are to scoring," says Hornibrook. "They've really worked hard and developed as defenders, which will allow us to put a lot more pressure on our opponents."
 
Looking to provide depth for the attack will be junior Gabby DePetro, sophomore Kjersti Anderson, and freshman Taylor Reed.
 
After a season away from the team, DePetro has quickly come back to the form that saw her play in all 16 games with six starts during her rookie season.
 
Anderson earned solid playing time a year ago and will build on that experience during her sophomore season, while Reed will look to provide minutes as she continues to fine-tune her skills on the college level.
 
Midfield
With the graduation of two-time captain and Cornell's all-time assist leader Taylor Standiford, the Big Red will have a different look this season. The coaches will rely on Mideast Region All-American Katy Weeks to carry the load in the middle of the field by using her vision and dominant stick-skills to create opportunities offensively. A year ago, Weeks registered career highs in both points (21) and goals (eight), while adding five assists. Of her eight goals, three were game-winners, one was the Big Red's only score vs. No. 10 Albany, and one came in the final moments of Cornell's game vs. Dartmouth to send the contest to overtime. 
 
Also returning to the midfield is senior Elizabeth Horak, junior Isabel Josephs and sophomore Isabel Siergiej. All three played in all 17 games last season, with Josephs and Siergiej holding starting positions. Sierjiej finished the year with 22 points on 12 assists and five goals, while Josephs (three assists) and Horak (one goal, one assist) finished with three points apiece.
 
A pair of freshman – Kirsten Pienaar and Maddy Conklin – will provide depth in the midfield, while also providing the possibility to move into the back.
 
"Kirsten has played at a high level internationally and she could eventually move into the role of a central midfielder for us," says Hornibrook. "Maddy is an excellent player with a flexible skill set, so we just need to see where we need her to play the most."
 
Back
Although the back will miss the presence of All-American Marisa Siergiej, Coach Hornibrook is confident in the ability of junior Sam McILwrick and senior Luisa Schulte-Bockum to anchor the backline defense.
 
A member of the Canadian U21 national team that took fourth place in the 2016 Pan American Junior Championship, McILwrick started all 17 games a year ago, while Schulte-Bockum played nearly every minute during her junior season and set the school record for defensive saves in a single season (nine).
 
"Sam has become a great flat tackler," says Hornibrook. "She's always excelled at quick passes and making those tight connections in the back, but where she's really improved this past year is in making those penetrating passes up-field. As for Luisa, she has really grown by leaps and bounds during her time at Cornell. She's developed into an incredibly consistent and dependable defender."
 
Looking to fill in the back line will be a pair of rookies – Rose Gorski and Kristen Ferguson.
 
Gorski was a two-time all-state selection out of New Trier High School in Illinois, while Ferguson was named first-team all-conference, first-team All-Tidewater, and second-team all-region in 2015. 
 
"Rose is an explosive player with good vision and good ball speed," says Hornibrook. "Kristen is a great athlete and a really hard worker that will fit into our defensive system nicely."
 
Goalies
Incumbent starter Kelly Johnson returns to cage for the Big Red for her junior season. Despite struggling with injury throughout her sophomore campaign, Johnson managed to start 12 games, posting an 8-4 record with four shutout victories, good for first in the Ivy League. Coach Hornbook hopes that good health, and the tutelage of goalie coach Ali Harris, will see Johnson replicate a rookie season that saw her post a 1.22 goals-against average, which was the sixth best GAA in Cornell history in a single season and was good for first in the Ivy League and ninth in the nation.
 
"Kelly has the potential to be one of the best goalies in the Ivy League if she stays healthy," says Hornibrook. "She's just had bad luck with illness and injury during her time here. Hopefully we can avoid some of those issues this year and she can have the type of year that we know she's capable of having."
 
A season-ending injury to sophomore Mackenzie Gagliardi has opened the door for rookie Maddie Henry to serve as Johnson's back-up. A three-year letter winner at Friends' Central School, Henry closed her senior year with a .910 save percentage, good for first overall out of 111 area high school goalies.  As a member of the WC Eagles, she won the U19 National Club Championship in 2015.
 
"Maddie is working hard because she knows she could be called on at any moment to step into goal," says Hornibrook. "Coach Harris is doing a great job getting her ready and Maddie is doing a great job of learning what it takes to be a collegiate goalie."