ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ivy League portion of its 2024 schedule opens this weekend for Cornell women's lacrosse as it welcomes the Dartmouth Big Green to Schoellkopf Field.
GAME INFO:
SITE: Schoellkopf Field – Ithaca, N.Y.
DATE and TIME: Saturday, March 2 at 3 p.m.
RECORDS: Cornell (2-1, 0-0 Ivy League), Dartmouth (2-1, 0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Dartmouth Leads, 33-11
BROADCAST: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
MATCHUP HISTORY
- Saturday's game will be the 45th all-time meeting between the Big Red and the Big Green.
- Cornell and Dartmouth have split the last ten battles, but Cornell has won four out of the last six, including two straight.
- The Big Red offense has come alive in that span, scoring ten or more goals in six games. Cornell is 5-1 in those matchups.
- Three of Cornell's games against Dartmouth have gone to overtime. The Big Green holds a 2-1 advantage after taking a 10-9 win in Hanover in 2015.
A WIN OVER DARTMOUTH WOULD
- Push Cornell's record to 3-1 and start 1-0 in conference play for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
- Be the 12th win over Dartmouth in program history and give Cornell its longest winning streak over the Big Green (three consecutive).
- Give Jenny Graap her 251st victory as a head coach and 230th at Cornell.
- Secure the 372nd win in program history (371-326-4 in 51 seasons, .538).
LAST TIME OUT: BIG RED SUFFERS FIRST LOSS OF '24 TO VIRGINIA AT USA LAX
Cornell had the first two goals but could not keep the momentum in a 20-11 loss to the No. 15 ranked Virginia Cavaliers last Sunday from William G. Tierney Field in Sparks, Md.
Junior Kylie Gelabert led the way for the Big Red with two goals and two assists, making it the first time the Victor, N.Y. product has had four or more points in a game since a 17-6 win over Colgate in Ithaca on March 9, 2022. Senior Maggie Pons and Josie Vogel also continued their early-season tear with two goals and an assist each. Bridget Babcock closed out the multi-point club for the Big Red with two assists in the first half in a game that saw the Cavaliers have a 29-18 shots on goal cushion at the final whistle.
Pons continued to be one of Cornell's top options on the attack early, scoring two goals off excellent feeds from Gelabert to push the Big Red to an early 2-0 lead. Virginia would storm back with four straight goals from four players to take its first lead at 4-2. Cornell continued to push the envelope in the first, tying things up at four on goals by Sophie Ward and Vogel on consecutive possessions. Cornell would stay as close as one goal to open the second until a 4-0 blitz by the Cavaliers offense over just under five minutes of game action gave Virginia the cushion it needed to secure the victory.
Freshman Ellie Bergin also secured the first goal of her career during the second quarter of Sunday's contest, making it the third consecutive week a Big Red athlete has netted their first career goal, joining Dillyn Patten (vs. Cal-Berkeley) and Ella Wilmot (at Le Moyne).
INSIDER: DARTMOUTH
- The Big Green comes into Saturday's game at 2-1 after taking down Vermont, 16-7, on Tuesday night from Scully-Fahey Field. Dartmouth led wire-to-wire after starting the game on a 5-0 blitz and never looked back in a game that saw them have a 25-18 advantage in shots on goal.
- Dartmouth had six players record multi-point performances in the victory, led by a three goal and two assist performance from Fiona O'Keeffe. The freshman was not alone with a hat trick on the night, as Katie Elders (3g-1a) and Catherine Erb (3 goals) joined O'Keeffe at the top of the scoring sheet. Nine assists were also handed out in the win, the highest for the green and white since recording 11 in its 2023 season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson.
- The Big Green defense was led by goalie Gisele Todd, who made 11 saves and scooped up a team-high five ground balls to earn her second win this season. Dartmouth's defense also clamped down, handing the Catamounts their lowest clearing percentage (14-19, .737), ground balls (nine), and shots on goal (18) through five games this season.
- Todd highlights a group that returns all four of its All-Ivy honors from a year ago. The reigning Ivy League Goaltender of the Year had the second highest saves per game (8.67) and third best save percentage (.428) in the conference a season ago.
- Dartmouth's top scoring duo also comes back in Catherine Erb and Katina Christensen. The sophomore and junior had 63 of the Big Green's 168 goals a year ago and combined for 12 total hat tricks.
- Katie Elders has been the hot shot for the Big Green offense so far this season, recording 12 goals through three games.
- Alex McFadden is in her fourth season directing the Dartmouth Big Green, amassing a 16-23 record. She has also battled Cornell twice as the Josie Harper Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse, going 0-2.
- Dartmouth's Corkins Family Associate Head Coach for Women's Lacrosse, Theresa Ladouceur, battled Jenny Graap seven times as a player at Syracuse (2008-11) and as an assistant at UAlbany (2013-15).
- The 2023 season was a roller coaster for the Big Green, as it finished 6-9 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Its loss last season on March 5th to Cornell started a six-game skid, followed by a three-game winning streak. Dartmouth also had four ranked opponents on its schedule last year, with its lone win coming in the second to last game of the season against #24 Princeton in Hanover, 15-14.
UP NEXT
Cornell will stay home for the second week in a row, hosting the Columbia Lions in another Ivy League clash on Saturday, March 9. The first draw is set for 1 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN Plus.
