PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Cornell women's lacrosse team got within one with 58 seconds to go and had the final chance to find the equalizer in its third Ivy League game of 2024 against Princeton. But the Big Red could not push the game into overtime, falling 13-12 to the Tigers on a wet and chilly Saturday afternoon from Sherrerd Field at Class of '52 Stadium. Princeton improved to 5-3 (1-0 Ivy), while Cornell dropped to 5-3 (2-1 Ivy). 

Senior Caitlin Slaminko led the charge for a Big Red offense that registered more shots (36-30) and shots on goal (21-16) than the home team, registering her first hat trick of the season alongside a team-high six draw controls. Junior Josie Vogel also registered her sixth multi-point outing of the season with two goals and an assist and reserve Dylan Madigan registered the first two goals of her Big Red career, and sophomore Ellie Bergin chipped in two. Kylie Gelabert (one goal, three assists) and Ella Wilmot (career-high three assists) closed out the multi-point performances for the Big Red, who has now lost its last nine games against the Tigers and the last three by a combined five goals.

Six Tigers registered two points or more in the win, including five goals for the second time this season by senior attacker Grace Tauckus. Jami MacDonald (2-1-3) and Haven Dora (0-3-3) closed out the top performers on the attack for Princeton. McKenzie Blake and Abigail Roberts had ten of the Tigers' eleven draw control wins, while Amelia Hughes earned the win between the pipes with nine saves on 21 attempts. 

Cornell got things started just 29 seconds into the game off the stick of Patten, zooming past her defender and finding the back of the net for the eleventh time this season to give the Big Red a 1-0 advantage. That lead would swell to 3-0 on goals by Sophie Ward and Caitlin Slaminko before Grace Tauckus converted a free position shot to put the Tigers on the board. But Cornell had the last laugh in a quarter with Gelabert feeding Vogel for a ripper that shocked Hughes to put the Big Red up 4-1 after the opening fifteen minutes of action. The Big Red attack put the pressure on in the period, having an 8-1 shots-on-goal advantage and winning all six draw controls. 

Princeton scored first to open the second, with McKenzie Blake finding her 23rd of the year off the draw to cut Cornell's lead to two. The Big Red answered Blake's goal about two minutes later, as a racing Patten found Dylan Madigan alone in the middle of the Princeton defense zone. The freshman did the rest, cutting to the right and firing a distance shot that found the bottom right corner of the net to score the first goal of her Big Red career and extend the lead back up to three. Princeton answered Madigan's goal with another on a woman-up opportunity after a yellow card by Caitlin Tully. That goal sparked a 4-0 run over five minutes, allowing the Tigers to take its first lead at 6-5 heading into halftime. Princeton flipped the script on the Big Red in the second quarter with a 12-6 shot advantage and won four out of six draw controls. 

After a rough second quarter, Cornell's offense would put the pedal to the medal by sending three shots toward Hughes. The first one would be the one that found the back of the net off another excellent feed from Wilmot from behind the cage in the stick of Gelabert, who ran past Caroline Burnett and scored her twelfth of the year to tie things at six. The cat and mouse game continued back and forth, with Samantha DeVito and Ellie Bergin registering goals to keep things glued together at seven. Princeton and Cornell continued to trade blows midway through the quarter, as Tauckus and Slaminko registered free position goals 1:30 apart to keep things knotted at eight. Princeton needed just a minute of game action to take the lead right back on a goal by Blake that ballooned into a two-goal cushion with 2:07 to go. It looked like the Tigers would go into the final quarter with the lead. But the Big Red did not waiver, as Madigan's second of the day put Cornell within one with 50 seconds left. That was just enough time for the equalizer, as a draw control win by Slaminko allowed Vogel to shake Princeton's Sam Whitling and secure her second goal of the day with seven seconds left in the third to make it a 10-10 game heading into the final 15 minutes.

Princeton opened the final stanza by drawing first blood 37 seconds in on Tauckus' fourth of the day past new goalkeeper Mackenzie Clarke to take an 11-10 lead. Cornell's confidence did not waiver, as a turnover by Blake allowed the Big Red to reset. Cornell would get an attempt about two minutes after the turnover by Gelabert that hit the post. But the shot clock reset, allowing Cornell to get a fresh 60 to work with. And a yellow card by Princeton's Dylan Allen allowed the Big Red to cash in with a wide shot by Bergin skipping straight to Wilmot. The freshman fired it back into traffic to a cutting Slaminko, who did all the rest to tie things up again before Tauckus scored her fifth of the day with 8:16 left to retake the lead. Princeton would stretch its lead to two before a cluster of fouls and yellow cards were the only action for nearly two minutes. Cornell did have a chance on a free position by Wilmot with 2:15 to go but was denied by Hughes, allowing Princeton to continue milking the clock. But a caused turnover by Grace Faircloth allowed Cornell to call a timeout with 1:11 to go after its successful clear. With the huddle on the sideline, head coach Jenny Graap drew up a play that worked to perfection, as Gelabert found a cutting Bergin for her second of the day to put Cornell within one with 0:58 left. The attention turned to the draw circle as Annie Thomas and Sophie Whitewater stepped in for the highest stake draw control of the day. Whitewater would be called for the violation, allowing one final opportunity for Cornell. But the equalizer did not come, as a shot by Vogel was blocked and scooped up by the Tigers, who ran out the final seconds to hand the Big Red its first defeat in Ivy play.

BIG RED NOTABLES

• Senior defender Annie Thomas earned her 200th career draw control during the third quarter of Saturday's game, becoming the first player in program history to secure 200 or more for the Big Red.
• Freshman attacker Dylan Madigan registered her first career goal in a two-output effort on the offensive end for the Big Red. She also becomes the fifth Big Red player to score their first career goal this season, joining Ellie Bergin, Annie Parker, Dillyn Patten, and Ella Wilmot. 
• Captain Caitlin Slaminko secured her fourth career hat trick as a member of Big Red and broke her previous season high in draw controls (19).
• Junior Josie Vogel extended her goal and point streak to a team-high 22 straight games. 

UP NEXT
Cornell faces a quick turnaround, heading up Route 13 to renew its in-state rivalry against the Colgate Raiders on Tuesday, March 26 at 5 p.m. from Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium. Game action will be available on ESPN Plus.