ITHACA, N.Y. – The first of two neutral site games for the 2024 regular season comes this Sunday when Cornell women's lacrosse heads to the USA Lacrosse Complex to battle the No. 15 Virginia Cavaliers.

GAME INFO:
SITE: Tierney Field – Sparks Glencoe, Md.
DATE and TIME: Sunday, Feb. 25 at noon
RECORDS: Cornell (2-0, 0-0 Ivy League), Virginia (3-1, 0-1 ACC)
SERIES RECORD: Virginia Leads, 1-0
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast 

MATCHUP HISTORY
- Sunday's game will be the second all-time meeting between the Big Red and the Cavaliers.
- The lone battle favored the Cavaliers, as Virginia escaped with a 5-4 victory on April 29, 1988, in Ithaca to close the Big Red's regular season. Virginia was ranked sixth in the country at the time. 
- Meg Bantley '88 had two goals and an assist for Cornell, who outshot the Cavaliers 13-10, while junior Beth Paciello recorded five saves in net. 
- Jenny Graap, the Karin Bain Kukral '82 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse, will be facing off against an ACC opponent for the 16th time as the leader of the Big Red. 
- Graap will also be looking to snap a four-game skid against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

A WIN OVER VIRGINIA WOULD   
- Clinch a 3-0 start for the second consecutive season.
- Tie the all-time series between the Big Red and the Cavaliers at one.
- Be the 14th win for Cornell against an ACC opponent under Jenny Graap.
- Give Cornell its earliest victory over a team ranked in the IWLCA poll since 2016. 
- Be Coach Graap's 251st career win and 230th as head coach of the Big Red.
- Secure the 372nd win in program history (371-325-4 in 51 seasons, .533).

LAST TIME OUT: ELEVEN PLAYERS RECORD POINT AS BIG RED CRUISES PAST LE MOYNE
Cornell was firing on all cylinders on both ends of the field on Tuesday in the 315, outshooting Le Moyne 33-15 and scooping up 23 ground balls to defeat its CNY foe, 17-4, from Ted Grant Field. 

The upperclassmen led the way for the Big Red, as Josie Vogel secured her fourth career hat trick with four goals, and senior Sophie Ward grabbed her first hat trick in a Cornell uniform in a game that saw 11 athletes log a point or more. Other notables in the victory for the red and white included Maggie Pons (goal, career-high four assists), senior captain Caitlin Slaminko (two goals, career-high five draw control wins), and three saves in net for junior goalie Ellie Horner.

Cornell's offense started hot early, as Kylie Gelabert and Ward scored less than a minute apart to give the Big Red an early 2-0 cushion. Le Moyne would respond early in the second half to tie things at three before Cornell came alive, as six players scored as part of a 7-0 run that stretched over 18 minutes to retake a 10-3 lead and never give it back. The red and white finished with 28 shots on goals, the most a Jenny Graap-led team has had since a 20-15 win over Albany on March 29, 2022. 

Cornell's victory was also historic for Jenny Graap, as the Karin Bain Kukral '82 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse became the 39th coach in NCAA Women's Lacrosse history to hit 250 career wins.

INSIDER: VIRGINIA
- Virginia comes into Sunday's battle at 3-1 and 0-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
- The Cavaliers are coming off its first ACC battle of the season on Friday night against the No. 8 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. Virginia would use two late comeback attempts, including a game-tying goal from Morgan Schwab with less than 30 seconds in regulation to push the game into overtime, but eventually lost to its conference foes, 10-9, in Charlottesville.
- Schwab was the catalyst for the Virginia offense, tallying three goals and handing out two assists in the loss. Three other Cavaliers earned multi-point nights in a game with 50 combined shots, as Kate Galica and Mackenzie Hoeg had two goals apiece, while Jenna Dinardo had a goal and an assist. Defender Maggie Bostain also had a team-high in caused turnovers (four) and draw controls (four), and sophomore goalie Mel Josephson scooped up a team-high three ground balls and had four saves.
- Katia Carnevale and Mackenzie Hoag have been a problem for opposing defenses, scoring nine goals each through four games in 2024. Senior attacker Morgan Swab also has seven goals and a team-high ten assists this season. The Fairport, N.Y. native is tied with Maggie Jackson for third in career assists at Virginia with 108.
- Virginia's defense is anchored by senior Maggie Bostain, who has a team-high nine caused turnovers and seven ground balls recorded this season. Mel Josephson has started all four games in net for the Cavaliers, recording 40 saves and a 9.16 goals allowed per game.
- The third quarter has been the period for Virginia, scoring 16 goals and ripping 31 total shots right out of halftime in 2024. Virginia has faltered at points on both ends of the field in the fourth, as opponents have outshot them 37-20 over the final 15 minutes.
- Since coming in at #16 in the IWLCA preseason poll, Virginia has jumped to #15 after three weeks of action.
- Head coach Sonia LaMonica is in her first season at the helm of the Cavaliers after being the head coach at Towson for the past 14 years. LaMonica amassed a 139-91 record as coach of the Tigers and led the team to first or second in the Coastal Athletic Conference standings in ten of those 14 seasons. Her husband, Michael LaMonica, also joins her staff from Towson.
- The Cavaliers are coming off an 11-7 record in 2023 and a berth into the NCAA tournament for the 18th consecutive season under former head coach Julie Meyers, who stepped down last June after 28 years at the helm. Virginia would be eliminated in the opening round, losing a 16-14 heartbreaker to UAlbany.

UP NEXT
Cornell will head home to Ithaca to open up Ivy League action against Dartmouth College on Saturday, March 2 from Schoellkopf Field. Game action will begin at 3 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN Plus.