ITHACA, N.Y.— The Cornell field hockey team lost a hard-fought battle to No. 1 Michigan Sunday, falling to the Wolverines 3-2.

Michigan struck first when Sofia Southam found the back of the goal after a shot attempt by teammate Katie Anderson was redirected in to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead just 28 seconds into the game. 

Cornell's very familiar penalty corner formation of Natalie Stone (push), Bridget Mahoney (stop) and Caroline Ramsey (strike) netted the Big Red's first goal of the day at the 9:45 mark of the opening quarter when Ramsey sent a laser of a shot from the top of the arc to the bottom left corner of the Wolverines' goal. 

The Big Red didn't hold a lead throughout the game, as the tie in the first quarter only lasted until Sarah Pyrtek scooted a pass from Nina Apoola into the Big Red goal to give Michigan the lead before Sofia Southam tipped in a Halle O'Neill shot during a penalty corner to extend the Michigan advantage. 

"We had a rough start, but then we came into it," said head coach Andy Smith. "We played the best team in the country toe-to-toe and I'm really proud of the way we performed."

The Big Red blanked the Wolverines in the second half and netted its second goal off an identical penalty corner when Ramsey scored her second of the day (fourth of the season) 13:15 left to play into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Big Red, time expired shortly after and the team fell to 2-2 on the season. 

"We've been looking forward to this day since we knew it was on our schedule," said Ramsey. "The hype before the game definitely set the tone from the opening whistle and we came out ready to play hard."

Michigan won the shooting contest, taking 22 shots (eight on goal) while the Big Red recorded seven (four on goal).

Aerin Park had an outstanding day in net, recording a season-high five saves while facing 22 shots and 13 penalty corners. 

Caroline Ramsey recorded five shots while Natalie Stone and Bridget Mahoney each picked up another. 

Sunday's contest was the first meeting between Cornell and Michigan. 

"This is a learning experience for us. We'll move forward from this point and hopefully get the credit we deserve for the way we played today against a team as good and well-coached as Michigan," said Smith. 

The Big Red close its five-game season-opening homestand when local foe Syracuse visits Marsha Dodson Field Wednesday.