ITHACA, N.Y. -- A two game week begins for Cornell women's lacrosse when it heads down to Vestal to challenge the Binghamton University Bearcats for a Tuesday evening showdown from the Bearcats Sports Complex.
GAME INFO:
SITE: Bearcats Sports Complex - Vestal, N.Y.
DATE and TIME: Tuesday, March 12 at 4 p.m.
RECORDS: Cornell (4-1, 2-0 Ivy League), Binghamton (4-4, 0-0 America East)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 9-1
BROADCAST: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: bubearcats.com
MATCHUP HISTORY
- Tuesday's game will be the 11th all-time meeting between the Big Red and the Bearcats.
- The Big Red has been dominant in the last ten matchups, boasting a 9-1 record and is 5-0 in Vestal against the Bearcats. Binghamton though snapped a nine game losing streak to Cornell last season, using a 6-3 run in the third quarter to take a 13-12 victory in Ithaca.
- Cornell has made finding the back of the net a habit against Binghamton, averaging 17 goals per game over the ten matchups.
- Binghamton's offense has struggled in the series, averaging only 6.3 goals scored per game and have scored double figures only twice.
A WIN OVER BINGHAMTON WOULD
- Give Cornell a 5-1 record through six games for the second consecutive season.
- Be the 14th win in the Jenny Graap era and the seventh win in the last 11 battles against a member of the America East Conference.
- Hand Jenny Graap her 253rd victory as a head coach and 232nd at the helm of the Big Red.
- Secure the 374th win in program history (373-326-4 in 52 seasons, .533).
LAST TIME OUT: LATE FIRST QUARTER SURGE PUSHES BIG RED TO 27TH STRAIGHT WIN OVER COLUMBIA
After an early 2-2 tie, Cornell ripped off a 5-0 run to close the first quarter and never looked back in a 13-5 victory over Columbia on Saturday from Schoellkopf Field. The win over the Lions also pushed the Big Red to 2-0 in conference action for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Maggie Pons led the way for the high-powered Cornell offense, logging two goals and two assists in a game that saw 43 shots on goal combined between the Ivy foes. Pons' performance also extended her points streak to 20 consecutive contests dating back to last season. The upperclassmen theme carried over to Bridget Babcock, as the senior captain continued her hot streak with three points (two goals, one assist), and tying her career high with five ground balls. Junior goaltender Ellie Horner also stood tall in net with a season-high 14 saves to earn her fourth win of 2024.
Columbia put Horner to work with five shots over the first three minutes before Patten guided a shot into the bottom right corner to give Cornell the early advantage. But after the Lions ripped off consecutive goals, Cornell's offense woke up in a big way. Ella Wilmot got things started by finding a cutting Babcock, who snuck a shot past Ava Kimche to draw things at two. The captain's goal was the spark for the Big Red, as Pons, Patten, Gelabert, Josie Vogel, and Ward picked up goals over the final 3:34 of the quarter to provide a 7-2 cushion that it would never get back.
It was also a career day for Annie Parker, who blasted her first career goal into the back of the net during the third quarter. With that goal, the junior is now the fourth player to record her first career goal through five games this year, joining Ellie Bergin, Dillyn Patten, and Ella Wilmot.
VOTES, VOTES, VOTES
With the release of the newest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) pool, Cornell is one of five teams that is receiving votes this week alongside Drexel, Penn State, Rutgers, and Stanford. Monday's poll results make it the first time the Big Red has at least received votes in the poll since it was ranked No. 23 on April 2, 2018.
INSIDER: BINGHAMTON
- The Bearcats roll into Tuesday looking to shake off two defeats last week in a 12-11 overtime loss on the road against Coastal Carolina on Wednesday and a 12-5 defeat at home vs. Niagara on Saturday. Those back-to-back losses also snapped a four-game winning streak for the green and white.
- Looking at Wednesday's contest, Binghamton held the advantage on draw controls (16-11), ground balls (18-13), and shots on goal (25-18), but a free position goal by the Chanticleer's Sydney McClure with 1:01 left in the extra frame doomed the Bearcats. Flashing forward into Saturday's contest, Binghamton found itself behind the eight ball early, with Niagara ripping off the first four goals and never giving the lead back. Despite the loss, Binghamton outshot the Purple Eagles (29-24) and made Niagara's Jordan Roy work for the win in net with 12 saves.
- Junior Olivia Muscolino was the star attacker over the two games, combining for six goals on 11 total shots. Other notables over the two losses were Abigail Carroll with seven points (three goals, four assists) and 11 draw control wins for Kristen Scheidel.
- Carroll and Muscolino have been the leaders of the Binghamton attack, combining for nearly half of Binghamton's 101 goals this year (43) and eight hat tricks. As a team, Binghamton also has 57 unassisted goals already this season.
- Hayley Weltner is the draw control ace for the Bearcats, logging a team-high 46 wins through eight games. The senior also set the new program mark in career draw controls secured in the loss to Niagara with 205, knocking off Rebecca Golderman's previous mark of 202. Sofia Salgado has started all eight games in net for the Bearcats, allowing 89 goals and having 52 saves so far this season.
- The Bearcats are not afraid to grip it and rip it this season, currently sitting in the top 20 in all of NCAA DI lacrosse in shots per game (33.14) and are second in the America East Conference in shots on goal per contest with 22.57.
- Binghamton has been disciplined regarding fouls, committing only 10.14 per game. However, the Bearcats have struggled with causing turnovers in 2024, sitting 105th out of 120 teams in DI women's lacrosse in that metric (5.71).
- Assistant coach Briana Tedesco has been an assistant for the Lax Maniax Lacrosse Club since 2017, a program started by current Cornell assistant coach Sarah Burlingame.
UP NEXT
Cornell will close its two-game week by welcoming Penn State University to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m. Saturday's contest will also be the Big Red's final home game of March, as their final three games of the month will be at Princeton (March 23), at Colgate (March 26), and a neutral site game in Maryland against Jacksonville (March 30).
