NEW YORK, N.Y. – Caroline Allen notched a career-high six goals as the Cornell women's lacrosse team downed Columbia, 12-9, to pick up its third straight win Saturday afternoon at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. The contest was neck-and-neck for much of the afternoon, but the Big Red (3-2, 2-0 Ivy League) scored five of the last six goals to down the Lions (2-5, 0-2 Ivy League).
 
Columbia opened the scoring just under a minute into the contest with a goals from Laine Parsons. Shane Bertscha netted a goal just under two minutes later to even the score at one..
 
Columbia responded with two straight goals to push back ahead, 3-1, before Allen netted two goals in less than a minute to even things up at three.
 
With 17:06 left in the first, Alexandria Absey found the back of the net to put the Lions back ahead by one. Allen responded with 13:43 left in the period to once again even the score.
 
Columbia jumped ahead one once again with 11:11 remaining in the first half, but the Big Red had consecutive goals to take its first lead of the game. The first goal came from Grace Paletta with 9:32 left in the first and the next came from Allen with 7:48 left.
 
The Lions closed out the half with two consecutive goals to take the 7-6 lead into halftime.
 
In the second stanza things got off to a slow start with no scoring in the first 6:22. Freshman Genevieve DeWinter ended the drought to even the score at seven with an unassisted tally.
 
Columbia's Rachel Graff put the Lions up, 8-7, with the helper credited to Emily Manville with 21:43 left.
 
Cornell then went on the 5-1 run, which started with Paletta's second goal of the afternoon with 16:26 remaining. Allen then gave the Big Red its second lead of the contest with a goal on a free position shot just over a minute later, tying her previous career high. DeWinter added her second of the contest 13 seconds later to put the Big Red ahead two. Ellie Walsh netted the Big Red's fourth consecutive goal with 13:47 left.
 
Columbia's Chelsea Witteck ended the Big Red's scoring burst with a goal with just over 10 minutes remaining to make 11-9.
 
Allen's sixth goal of the contest proved to be game's final tally, as the junior captain netted a free position shot to set a new career high.
 
The Big Red returns to action at 3 p.m. on Monday when it takes on Marist in Poughkeepsie.
 

NOTES TO KNOW

• This marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Big Red has started the Ivy play with a 2-0 record.
• Allen surpassed her previous high of five goals in a contest, which she set in the Big Red's season-opener against Villanova on Feb. 16.
• The result marks Cornell's first road win of the season, as it is now 1-1 away from home this season.
• The Big Red is 23-0 in the all-time series against Columbia.
• Cornell has held its last three opponents to single digits. The last time that happened was in 2017, when it held four straight opponents to less than 10 goals from March 25-Aprl 8.