TOWSON, Md. -- The Cornell women's lacrosse team burst out to a 4-1 lead over the first 15 minutes and never looked back in a 13-7 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins on Saturday afternoon from Tiger Field. Cornell improved to 7-3, while the Dolphins fell to 3-8.

Junior Josie Vogel led the charge for the Big Red with a career-high five goals on seven shot attempts. Vogel was followed right behind by sophomore Ella Wilmot with two goals, while junior Kylie Gelabert (two goals, one assist) and Sophie Ward (one goal, one assist) closed the multi-point club. Cornell's defense was anchored by junior goalie Ellie Horner, earning her sixth win of the season after making five saves and allowing four goals over 47 minutes of action.

Maddie Herman and Jenna Peed paced Jacksonville with two goals each in a game that saw the Dolphins get outshot, 31-19. Paige Pagano also suffered the loss in the cage after allowing seven goals and making three saves before being subbed out at the beginning of the third quarter. 

Cornell struck first about two minutes off the stick of Vogel, taking a feed from Gelabert and burying her 22nd of the year to go up 1-0. That was just the start of the push for the Big Red offense, with a Dolphins turnover allowing the Big Red to set up shop in the Dolphins' defensive end. Wilmot ensured the extra opportunity was worth it, shaking her defender and putting one home to jump up 2-0. Jacksonville tried to stop the run after a Big Red turnover before throwing it away and giving the Big Red a free possession. Slaminko became the third Big Red attacker to put forward a goal with her 12th of the year seconds later to extend the lead and force a Jacksonville timeout. The stoppage did nothing to slow the roar of the Big Red, as Vogel put home her second of the quarter after the defense forced the Dolphins into a shot clock violation to go up 4-0. Jacksonville finally found the back of the net off a hookup between Maddy Orefice and Olivia Johnson to get within three after the opening quarter. 

The late goal by Orefice put a pep in the steps of a Jacksonville offense that was outshot 8-3 in the opening period. A key save by Pagano off a shot by Bridget Babcock allowed a quick runout and quality shot by Peed that sailed past Horner to put the Dolphins within two. A dry spell would occur after the Peed goal, as a combined seven turnovers and five shots were tallied for the two squads over seven minutes and change. The seventh turnover came back to bite the Dolphins, with Gelabert poking the ball free from Brynn Hoffman and scooping it up. Vogel made the caused turnover count, firing home her third of the day and the first goal for the Big Red since 4:28 to go in the opening period. The goal proved costly to the Dolphins, as contact against Vogel on the goal turned into a woman-up opportunity that worked to perfection from a connection from Babcock to a cutting Gelabert to increase the Big Red lead. That goal would be the second-to-last one to find nylon for Cornell, with Wilmot finding the net again after a draw control win by Annie Thomas to cap a three-goal run over less than two minutes to have a 7-2 lead at the half.

Both teams traded possessions to open the third before Vogel snuck back onto the sheet again, converting her second free position shot of the day to give Cornell its largest lead at 8-2. Jacksonville matched Vogel's goal with its first goal in nearly 14 minutes seconds later, hoping it would provide a spark the Dolphins desperately needed. But a yellow card administered to the Dolphins gave Cornell another woman-up opportunity it did not waste, with Sophie Ward doing all the work to find her 15th of the season to push the chips back towards the Big Red. But the memorable moment was coming down the pipeline from Hilary Hoover. The senior captain, who missed last season due to injury, went to work after the Dolphins threw it away, grabbing the Big Red clearing attempt and did not slow down to net her first goal in a Big Red uniform with 4:38 to go. Jacksonville answered Hoover's milestone with its fourth of the day a minute later to put the score at 10-4 heading into the fourth.

Despite the late goal by the Dolphins, Cornell came out on a roll to open the fourth. Winning the opening draw of the fourth, Cornell immediately tested Jacksonville with a blocked shot. But a ground ball scoop by Wilmot gave Cornell another opportunity, as Dylan Madigan knifed through the Dolphins' defense and fired a one-timer home to become the ninth Big Red player to score on the day. Vogel's fifth of the day followed Madigan's goal a minute later off a feed in traffic from Patten to push the Big Red ahead by eight. Jacksonville did not back down from the deficit, jumping on its lone goal run of the game with three consecutive from Brianna Samuels, Peed, and Herman to pull within five with 6:22 to go. But Cornell put the icing on the cake less than 30 seconds later on Ward's second of the day to put the game on ice and secure the Big Red's seventh win of the season.

BIG RED NOTABLES

• Junior attacker Josie Vogel's five-goal performance bests her previous best of four set earlier this season at Le Moyne (Feb. 20) and Binghamton (March 12). She now leads the Big Red in goals (26) and points (32). 
• Senior defender Hilary Hoover became the sixth Big Red player to score their first-career goal this season, joining Ellie Bergin (vs. Virginia), Annie Parker (vs. Columbia), Dillyn Patten (vs. Columbia) and Ella Wilmot (at Le Moyne).
• Cornell forced the Dolphins into a season-high 21 turnovers during Saturday's win. It's also the second time a Big Red opponent has committed 20 or more in 2024, with Le Moyne being the other with 21. 
• The win is also the first for the Big Red at a neutral site since an 11-10 decision in double overtime against UMass from the USA Lacrosse Complex on March 17, 2018. 

UP NEXT
Cornell returns to Schoellkopf Field for the first time in over two weeks to renew its rivalry with #5 Syracuse on Tuesday, April 2 at 3 p.m. It will also be the first annual Team Molly game, as the Big Red will collect donations for Upstate Medical towards rare cancer research.