GAME INFORMATION
GAME #1: #15/15 CORNELL BIG RED at VILLANOVA WILDCATS
TIME: 3 p.m.
DATE: Sat. Feb. 18, 2017
PLACE: Villanova Stadium — Villanova, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO: Villanova.com
LIVE STATS: Villanova.com
RECORDS: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League); Villanova (0-1, 0-0 Big East)
 
About the Big Red
• Cornell is coming off of a record-setting 2016 season in which it won the program's first-ever Ivy League Tournament Championship and not only notched its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2006 but also earned the right to host the first two rounds on Schoellkopf Field. 
• The Big Red returns three of its stop five point-getters from a year ago with seniors Amie Dickson (28g, 8a) and Catherine Ellis (22g, 12a) and junior Taylor Reed (23g, 11a).
• Renee Poullott returns between the pipes for Cornell and is coming off of a junior year in which she had a 7.36 goals against average, .465 save percentage, seven caused turnovers and a team-high 40 groundballs.
• The team returns 22 players and added a total of seven newcomers to the roster.

About the Wildcats
• Villanova played its first game of the season on Feb. 11, falling to the Bucknell Bison, 10-6, in the home opener. 
• The Wildcats got five goals from rookies in that game, with Liz Torjan netting three in her debut while classmate Katie Comerford scored twice. 
• Julia Michaels and Khaia Baranowski each played a half between the pipes for the Wildcats, with Michaels making two saves and allowing seven goals while Baranwoski stopped five shots and allowed three goals. 
• The Wildcats, who finished the 2016 season with a 4-13 overall record and a 2-5 record in Big East Play, were picked to finish eighth in the 2017 Big East Preseason Poll.
• The team returns 19 upperclassmen and added a total of 12 newcomers to the roster in 2017.
• Senior captain Carolyn Dottino is Villanova's top returner in scoring, having put up the fifth-most points on the team in 2016 (10g 6a).
• In the midfield, Devin Hassinger was fourth on the team in ground balls (18) and third in draw controls (20) and is the top returner in those categories.
• Senior captains Sam Scarfogliero and Cassidy Luidens will patrol the backfield for the Wildcats this season; Scarfogliero was third on the team in groundballs in 2016 (19). 
• In goal, 2016 starter Julia Michaels returns for Villanova after posting 7.79 saves per game (25th in the nation) and .482 save percentage (18th in the nation).

The Series with the Wildcats 
• The only other time that Cornell and Villanova have met was last year in the Big Red's season-opening, 7-6 win on Schoellkopf Field. 

A Win Would…
• Give Cornell a 2-0 all-time record against Villanova.
• Give Cornell its sixth consecutive season-opening win.
• Bring the Big Red to a 16-4 record in season-openers under head coach Jenny Graap.

About Head Coach Jenny Graap '86
• Now in her 20th season directing the Cornell women's lacrosse program in 2017, Jenny Graap amassed a 180-120 record in her first 19 seasons as the head coach of the Big Red, with her 200th win coming in the form of a 11-10 win over Penn in the 2016 Ivy league Tournament Championship. 
• Cornell has made the Ivy League tournament each of the last five seasons and six of the seven years that the tournament has been held. 
• Graap guided the Big Red to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2001 and 2002 – reaching the semifinals in the latter year – and also brought the team to the tournament in 2006 and 2016. 
• Since she returned to her alma mater in 1997, Graap has led the team to postseason play nine times and has won at least 10 games eight times as well.

Preseason All-Americans
• The Big Red had four players named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American list.
• Senior tri-captain and defender Catie Smith was named to the second team.
• Junior midfielders Joey Coffy and Taylor Reed and senior goalkeeper Renee Poullott were all named honorable mention Preseason All-Americans.

In the Crease
• Senior Renee Poullott returns in goal for the Big Red after finishing 2016 with a .465 save percentage, 7.36 goals against average, seven caused turnovers and a team-high 40 groundballs. 
• Sophomore Samantha Nielsen and freshman Katie McGahan will serve as Poulott's backups. 

The Big Red Defense
• Cornell graduated four defenders that combined to play a possible 73 out of 76 games last season but returns a staunch defense nonetheless.
• Senior tri-captain Catie Smith will lead the defensive corps while Christie Powell will slot into a new position next to her classmate Smith. 
• Juniors Cait Callahan, Hilary Lemonick and Anna Baumeister will each bring distinct styles of play while sophomores Natalie Paletta and Sarah Nicholson bring speed and determination into the fold.

The Mighty Middle
• Cornell returns a deep and talented midfield group that includes the trio of senior tri-captain Kristy Gilbert – and her rocket shot - along with juniors Joey Coffy and Taylor Reed, who both broke the 30 point barrier last season. 
• Sophomores Christie Raymond and Hannah O'Reilly bring offensive and defensive styles, respectively, while junior Ida Farinholt's drive should help her make a healthy return.

Attack, Attack, Attack
• Amie Dickson and Catherine Ellis were both in the top five of the Big Red's point getters in 2016 – and both attackers are back for their senior seasons. Dickson, who led the team in shots last year (75), and Ellis will both be looked upon to help set up their teammates.
• Senior Meredith Baker and junior Paige Craig will both factor in as interior attackers in the critical scoring area for the Big Red.
• Sophomores Tomasina Leska, Sarah Phillips and Shannon Bertscha will also serve as returning options on the front line. 

Meet the New Kids
• Mary Kate Bonanni – who has an instinctive style of play – and Alex Monello are the two new faces in the backfield.
• Lucy Pedlow, Caroline Allen and Taylor Lis will enter the midfield fold for the Big Red.
• Isabel Zachara will factor into the attack rotation while Katie McGahan is the lone newcomer between the pipes. 
• The Class of 2020 includes five US Lacrosse All-Americans (Allen, Lis, McGahan, Monello, Pedlow) and six US Lacrosse Academic All-Americans (Bonanni, Lis, McGahan, Monello, Pedlow, Zachara).
• The class hails from six different states: Pennsylvania (Allen), New York (Bonanni), New Jersey (Lis, Zachara), Georgia (McGahan), Oregon (Monello), North Carolina (Pedlow).

Meet the Captains
• Seniors Catherine Ellis, Kristy Gilbert and Catie Smith will be serving as Cornell's captains for the 2017 season.
• Ellis was second on the team in scoring last year (22g, 12a), scored the memorable overtime-winner against Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal and was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team.
• Gilbert – a key component of the Big Red midfield who excels on both sides of the ball – appeared in all 19 contests last year and started 18 of them while putting up 24 points (18g, 6a). 
• Smith, a 2016 First-Team All-Ivy selection and Third-Team IWLCA All-American, set a new single-season program record and led the Ivy League with 41 caused turnovers last season.

Formidable Foes
• The 2017 schedule includes five games against teams that were in last season's NCAA Tournament.
• Non-conference tilts with two national quarterfinalists in Penn State and the University of Southern California, as well as a matchup against Syracuse, awaits Cornell.
• Games against Penn and Princeton will double as not only Ancient Eight battles but also pit the Big Red up against fellow 2016 NCAA Tournament teams.

2016 Ivy League Tournament Champions
• The Big Red took home the 2016 Ivy League Tournament Championship title.
• Junior Taylor Reed was named the Most Outstanding Player while Olivia Mattyasovszky '16, junior Joey Coffy and seniors Amie Dickson, Catherine Ellis and Renee Poullott were named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Cornell's win over Penn in the championship game marked just the second time in the tournament's seven-year history that a team other than Penn or Princeton claimed the crown. 
• The championship game victory was also head coach Jenny Graap's 200th career win.

Big Red Rewind
• Cornell began the 2016 season by getting off to an 8-0 start, which was the best start to a season in program history and finished the season with a 14-5 record, marking the second-most wins in program history.
• After taking home the Ivy League Tournament Championship, the team qualified for the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2006.
• Cornell also earned the right to host the first two rounds on Schoellkopf Field and got its first NCAA tournament win since 2002 with a 15-11 win over Canisius in the first round.
• Olivia Mattyasovszky '16 (33g, 4a), Emily Tripodi '16 (9g, 27a) and senior Amie Dickson (28g, 8a) all tied for the team lead in scoring with 36 points each  while juniors Taylor Reed (23g, 11a), Catherine Ellis (22g, 12a) and Joey Coffy (26g, 5a) all eclipsed the 30 point mark. 
• Senior Renee Poullott started all 19 games, recording a .465 save percentage, 7.36 goals against average, seven caused turnovers and a team-high 40 groundballs.
• As a team, the Big Red held opponents to seven goals or fewer on 11 occassions.
• Tripodi set a school record with 115 career assists and finished with 161 career points for eighth all-time in Big Red History. 
• Senior Catie Smith set the single-season program record with 41 caused turnovers. 

Up Next
• The Big Red will next play on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. when it welcomes Penn State to Schoellkopf Field for the home opener.