GAME 3: Cornell (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) at Cal (1-3, 0-0 Pac 12)

Date & Time: Saturday, February 25 - 1:00 p.m. PT
Venue: California Memorial Stadium - Berkeley, Calif.
Twitter: @CornellWLax
Cornell Game Notes
 

STORY LINES

• The Cornell women's lacrosse team kicks off February break with a trip to the West Coast beginning with a matchup against Cal on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. PT. 
• The contest will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
• It will be the fourth all-time meeting between the programs and the second in the Golden State, with the Big Red 4-0 all-time against the Bears dating back to the first meeting in 2000.
• Cornell is off to a 2-0 start this season after topping Central New York rival Colgate 16-8 on Tuesday afternoon in the home opener.
• Separate 9-1 and 5-0 Big Red runs allowed the home team to claim its 22nd win in its past 23 meetings against the Raiders.
• The Big Red is now in search of its first 3-0 start since 2016, when it opened the year with eight consecutive victories.
• Picked fourth in the Ivy League's preseason media poll, Cornell returns eight starters and 18 letter winners from last season's 8-8 squad. 
• Cornell went 4-3 in Ivy play last spring, making its ninth appearance in 11 all-time (including eight of the past nine) Ivy League Tournaments as the No. 3 seed. 
• Four senior All-Ivy selections return in 2023, with Katie Castiello and Amanda Cramer on attack, Annie Thomas in the midfield and Hilary Hoover on defense.
 

SERIES HISTORY VS. CAL

Overall: Cornell leads 4-0, first meeting in 2000
In Berkeley, Calif.: Cornell leads 2-0
Current Streak: Cornell, 4 games
Last Meeting: Cornell, 12-4 (3/23/2016 in Ithaca, N.Y.)
Graap vs. Cal: 4-0 (2-0 on the road)
Series Notes: the Big Red has won all four previous meetings against the Golden Bears • the last time Cornell went to the West Coast to play the Bears, Cornell broke the school's single-game scoring record in a 23-6 rout of Cal • Cornell is 12-3 all-time against current members of the Pac-12 lacrosse conference.
 

A WIN OVER CAL WOULD

• give Cornell a 3-0 record this season, its first 3-0 start since 2016.
• extend the Big Red's advantage in the all-time series to 5-0.
• make Cornell 13-3 all-time against current members of the Pac 12 Conference.
• push the Big Red's all-time record in California to 6-1.
• be the 365th in program history (364-310-4 in 51 seasons, .539).
 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cornell women's lacrosse team used big efforts in the middle periods to force a running clock before capturing a 16-8 win over Colgate in the team's home opener at Schoellkopf Field. 
• Nine different Big Red players scored goals and a 9-1 run spanning the first and second quarters put the home team ahead, with a 5-0 surge over the final 8:16 of the third quarter putting the game away. 
• Cornell held a 36-19 shot advantage, a 16-11 edge in the draw circle and won the battle on the ground 19-16. 
• Ellie Horner recorded seven saves over the first three quarters to pick up the win in goal for the Big Red, with Mackenzie Clark stopping two shots in the fourth quarter in her first collegiate appearance.
• Amanda Cramer led the Big Red offense with three goals and an assist, with five other players recording two goals apiece. 
• Fellow captain Bridget Babcock had two goals, three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while both Annie Thomas and Alexa Donahoe won five draw controls apiece.
• For Colgate, Kait Henning had two goals and Kyra Lucey notched a goal and an assist. 
• Molly Krsestinski won five draws and three ground balls and caused a turnover for the Raiders.


 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Through two games this season, eight different players have scored multiple goals and six have at least four points.
• Cornell is winning nearly 58 percent of its draws this season (37-of-64). 
• The Big Red has successfully converted 11-of-15 free-position shots (73 percent), with the foursome of Amanda Cramer (3-3), Shannon Brazier (3-3), Mia DiChiara (2-2) and Josie Vogel a combined 10-for-10.
• Senior Annie Thomas' cousin, Caroline Ramsey, is an All-Ivy field hockey player for the Big Red and a member of the U.S. national team.
• In just 24 career games, Thomas has 125 draw controls — a mark that already ranks fourth in school history.
• Thomas had 73 draw controls in 16 games in 2022 to set the single-season school record, surpassing Sarah Hefner's 2014 record of 68.
• Senior captain Amanda Cramer, an honorable mention All-Ivy selection and the team's leading scorer in 2022, is a transfer from Northwestern who mother, Caroline, was a gymnast for the Big Red.
• With 41 goals and nine assists, Cramer has reached 50 points for the Big Red in just 18 games played.
• Sophomore defender Alessia Packard has a sister (Antonia, field hockey) and brother (Charles, men's lacrosse) who are also current varsity athletes for the Big Red.
• Cornell's 218 draw control wins in 2022 was second all-time in a season, just shy of the 222 recorded in 2017. 
• The team's 13.3 goals per game in 2022 ranked second all-time at Cornell (14.2 in 2012).
• The Big Red has qualified for the Ivy League Tournament nine times in the 11 years it has been held.
• Seniors Bridget Babcock, Amanda Cramer and Hilary Hoover will serve as team tri-captains.
• Head coach Jenny Graap has 222 career wins for the Big Red, ranking her 13th all-time among Cornell head coaches in all sports and second among women coaches (behind Andrea Dutcher with 346 volleyball wins from 1974-87).
• In her 26th season, Graap is the longest tenured women's head coach in school history and currently in the Ivy League.
 

NEXT UP

• Cornell completes its West Coast swing when it visits No. 15 Stanford on Monday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. PT at Cagan Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.
• The Big Red leads the all-time series between the sister schools 7-3, though the Cardinal leads 3-2 over the past five meetings.