GAME 10: Cornell (6-3, 2-1 Ivy) at #1 Syracuse (11-0, 5-0 ACC)

Date & Time: Tuesday, March 28 - 6:00 p.m.
Venue: JMA Wireless Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
Twitter: @CornellWLax
Cornell Game Notes
 

STORY LINES

• The Cornell women's lacrosse team will square off with the top-ranked team in the country for the fourth time time when the Big Red visits No. 1 Syracuse on Tuesday, March 28 at 6 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome. 
• The contest will be broadcast on the ESPNU with Leah Secondo and Sheehan Burch on the call.
• The Big Red is coming off a 15-11 loss to No. 17 Princeton, a game Cornell led by five goals in the first half.
• Cornell is 0-2 all-time against the No. 1 team in the country, including a narrow 7-5 defeat to top-ranked Orange during the 2014 season.
• Its highest ranked win in school history was against No. 2 Florida (9-6) in 2011 at Schoellkopf Field.
• The Big Red's explosive offense is averaging 13.6 goals per game and has four players with at least 24 points.
• In its six wins, Cornell has surrendered just 9.5 goals per game, a number that rises to 15.0 goals in its three losses.
• 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. SYRACUSE

Overall: Syracuse leads 19-5, first meeting in 1998
In Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse leads 11-0
Current Streak: Syracuse, 14
Last Meeting: Syracuse, 20-9 (4/12/2022 in Ithaca, N.Y.)
Graap vs. Syracuse: 5-19 (0-11 on the road)
Series Notes: Syracuse has won 14 in a row after the teams split the first 10 meetings • the Big Red won the first-ever meeting between the teams, 8-7 in Ithaca • the teams met twice in 2002, with the Big Red winning the regular season matchup and a meeting in the first round of the NCAA Tournament en route to an appearance in the Final Four • Cornell is 20-34 all-time against current members of the ACC, having met Boston College (8-4), Notre Dame (5-7), North Carolina (0-3), Virginia (0-1) and Virginia Tech (2-0) in addition to the Orange • the Big Red has never faced Duke, Louisville or Pitt.
 

A WIN OVER SYRACUSE WOULD

• improve Cornell's record to 7-3 on the season.
• snap Syracuse's 14-game win streak over the Big Red.
• be the first-ever win for Cornell against the No. 1 team in the country.
• be the program's first-ever triumph in the JMA Wireless Dome.
• be the 369th in program history (368-313-4 in 51 seasons, .540).
 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Princeton women's lacrosse team closed strong, handing Cornell its eight straight setback against the Tigers in a 15-11 loss at Schoellkopf Field. 
• Nina Montes, who entered the game with four goals on the season, tallied six times on seven shots, while Amelia Hughes made 11 saves in goal, including six in the second period to keep Princeton in the contest. 
• McKenzie Blake scored three times and Kari Buonanno had a goal and two assists for her three points.
• The Big Red dominated the draw (20-9), with Annie Thomas and Shannon Brazier winning seven apiece. 
• By the end of the afternoon, Thomas held the school's career draw controls record with 163, four more than Sarah Hefner's 159 from 2012-15. 
• Amanda Cramer, who had four goals and an assist, notched five draw controls.
 • Ona day that the Big Red honored the McGahan family, including three-year starting goalkeeper Katie, with the unveiling of the McGahan Family Locker Room, sophomore Ellie Horner made 13 stops, her second-highest career total.
• Cornell surpassed the 11-goal mark for the ninth time this season, but relied on Katie Castiello (five goals), Cramer (five points) and Josie Vogel (two goals, one assist) for the offense. 
• Maggie Pons was credited with two assists.


 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• The Big Red has scored at least 11 goals in all nine contests this season and has allowed single-digit goals four times.
• Cornell has had two players named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week this season  — goalkeeper Ellie Horner (Feb. 27) and midfielder Shannon Brazier (March 6). 
• 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 31 games, Thomas has 163 draw controls — a mark that already sits atop the school's career charts.
• 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.
• 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 were 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 226 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 among women's lacrosse coaches in the Ivy League.
 

NEXT UP

• Cornell will close out non-conference season when it heads to No. 20 Penn State on Sunday, April 2 at 3 p.m. at Paner Stadium.
• The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 10-3, including five straight victories.
• PSU won last season's matchup between the teams, a 20-11 victory in Ithaca.