ITHACA, N.Y. – A battle of Central New York foes is on the docket Tuesday afternoon for the Cornell women's lacrosse team as it heads up I-81 to battle Le Moyne College.

GAME INFO:
SITE: Ted Grant Field – Syracuse, N.Y.
DATE and TIME: Tuesday, Feb 20 at 2:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League), Le Moyne (1-0, 0-0 NEC)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 1-0
BROADCAST: NEC Front Row
LIVE STATS: lemoynedolphins.com

MATCHUP HISTORY
- Tuesday's game will be the second meeting all time between the Big Red and the Dolphins.
- Cornell took the last matchup in Ithaca by an 11-5 margin on March 11, 2009, on Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y.
- The Big Red defense created havoc for the Le Moyne offense, causing a then school record 20 turnovers and allowed only nine shots on goal.
- The 2009 would be the second-to-last season Le Moyne women's lacrosse would compete at the highest level of Division I athletics, as it bumped down to Division II and the Northeast 10 Conference after the 2010 season.

A WIN OVER LE MOYNE WOULD
- Secure a 2-0 start for the fourth consecutive season.
- Extend the Big Red's record in the series to 2-0.
- Make Cornell 2-0 against current members of the Northeast Conference.
- Snap a two game losing skid against teams located in New York State.  
- Be head coach Jenny Graap's 250th as a head coach and 229th at Cornell.
- Be the 371st in program history (370-317-4 in 51 seasons, .538)

LAST TIME OUT: CORNELL KNOCKS OFF CAL IN SEASON OPENER
An 8-4 run over the final 30 minutes was exactly what the doctor ordered as Cornell got its 2024 season going with a 13-7 victory over the University of California-Berkeley last Saturday from Schoellkopf Field. Despite multiple snow squals and chilly conditions, the Big Red was scorching on the day, having almost double the number of shots (26-13) and shots on goal (19-10) than its West Coast counterparts in the win.

Cornell had nine players record at least a point on Saturday, led by Maggie Pons. The senior put on a clinic for the attacker position, tying her career-high with four goals while also dishing out two assists on five shots taken. Two more upperclassmen followed Pons with multi-goal outings in senior captains Caitlin Slaminko and Bridget Babcock, who helped keep the Big Red's program record against the Golden Bears blemish-free (6-0). Babcock was also a headache for the Cal offense from her midfielder position, securing a team-high three caused turnovers and scooping up two ground balls. Captain Hilary Hoover also had a season opener to remember, as the senior returned to the field for the first time since 2022, securing her first career assist and tacking on a caused turnover.

Other notables included three saves and a team-high three ground balls for junior goalie Ellie Horner and six draw control wins for Annie Thomas, putting her 17 away from becoming the first player in program history to earn 200 draw control wins.

Both the Big Red and Golden Bears traded the first two goals of the game before Pons' second goal of the season with 1:21 to go in the opening period sparked a 3-0 run that carried over halfway into the second quarter to keep the Big Red ahead for good. Cal tried to claw its way back in an entertaining fourth quarter that saw a combined 11 shots on goal, cutting the deficit back down to 10-7 with 3:13 to go. Cornell would slam the door shut of any comeback attempt as Sophie Ward, Babcock, and Slaminko each netted a goal over that span to send the fans home warm and happy with a 13-7 victory.

INSIDE THE DOLPHINS
- Le Moyne comes into Tuesday's matchup at 1-0 after taking down Cal, 9-6, on Thursday from Ted Grant Field in Syracuse.
- Senior Rhonee Shea Pal put on a show in the Dolphins' first game in DI competition since 2010, as the midfielder tied her career-high with five goals on seven shots. Three other Dolphins also earned multi-point afternoons in sophomore Bella Sampo (two goals), senior Sarah Hutchings (one goal, two assists), and junior Grace Detor (goal, assist).
- Fifth-year goalkeeper Paige Crandall also stood tall in the cage, picking up 11 saves on 24 shots faced to earn her 48th career victory in the green and white. Senior defender Lilly Locastro was also a problem for the Golden Bears offense, tying her career-high with five caused turnovers and picking up a team-high three ground balls.
- The Dolphins are a new addition to the Division I landscape after joining the Northeast Conference on July 1, 2023. Le Moyne previously played at the DI level from 1999-2010, winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament four times (2002-03, 2006-07) and earning three berths to the NCAA tournament (2002-03, 2007).
- Before jumping to DI this past summer, the Dolphins dominated the NE-10 competition in Division II, making ten conference championships finals and earning five regular-season crowns in 12 seasons.
- Head coach Liz Beville returns to the sideline for her fourth season at the helm of the Dolphins. A former player and four-time SUNYAC Champion at SUNY Cortland, Beville has put Le Moyne on the map, earning three consecutive seasons of double-digit wins and two trips to the NCAA tournament.
- Tuesday's contest will be the second time Beville has matched up against Cornell's Jenny Graap, as she was the interim head coach for the Colgate Raiders in 2019. Cornell won that matchup on Schoellkopf Field by a 14-6 score.

LAST TIME VS LE MOYNE
A 5-0 run to open the first half gave the #14 Cornell women's lacrosse team the fuel it needed to move to 4-0 with an 11-5 victory over Le Moyne on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at Schoellkopf Field.

Four Cornell athletes registered multiple points in the first-ever matchup between both schools, including a hat trick from midfielder Jessica Wiegand and two goals and an assist from attacker Libby Johnson. Shannon McHugh (two goals) and Jessi Steinberg (one goal, one assist) rounded out the top of the sheet in the win.

Le Moyne would get within three goals thanks to two goals in less than a minute from Michelle Phillips and Nerissa Barzee late in the first half. But Cornell would weather the storm, jumping on another scoring run of 6-0 that closed the first half and pushed over halfway into the second half to lay the hammer down.

Kristen Reese earned the win in the cage for the red and white, allowing two goals and saving two Dolphin shots. Kyla Dambach also saw action between the pipes for Cornell, making two saves on five attempts. Mia Valletta led the Dolphins offense with two goals, while Rebekah Elmer scored one and tacked on an assist.

Cornell had an edge in almost every category in the final stats, including draw controls (13-4), ground balls (24-17), and shots on goal (24-9).

UP NEXT
The Big Red will close out February with a road trip to Maryland to battle the University of Virginia at the USA Lacrosse Complex on Sunday, Feb. 25. Game action begins at noon from Tierney Field.