ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell field hockey team will kick off its home and Ivy League schedule on Friday, Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. when it meets Columbia at Marsha Dodson Field. The Big Red will also face Bryant at home on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.

GAME INFORMATION
Columbia at Cornell
DATE & TIME: Friday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m.
SITE: Schoellkopf Field – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Columbia (1-2, 0-0 Ivy League), Cornell (0-4, 0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 21-6
STATS: CornellBigRed.com
DIGITAL PROGRAM: CornellBigRed.com
GAME NOTES: CornellBigRed.com

Bryant at Cornell
DATE & TIME: Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m.
SITE: Schoellkopf Field – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Bryant (1-3, 0-0 America East), Cornell (0-4, 0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 2-0
STATS: CornellBigRed.com
DIGITAL PROGRAM: CornellBigRed.com
GAME NOTES: CornellBigRed.com

STORYLINES
• The Big Red's 0-4 start this season is deceiving — each loss has come to a team ranked in the NFHCA top 20 with three coming by a single goal, including a 1-0 loss to No. 1 Northwestern.
• The battle-tested Big Red has had 10 different players score a point, while Martha Broderick is averaging 8.5 saves per game in goal.
• Cornell entered the 2024 campaign with nine starters and 19 letter winners returning from one of the top teams in program history and has its eyes set on achieving even more.
• The 2023 Big Red set team records for goals (58), assists (62), points (178) and wins (12) a season ago and ranked among the national leaders in scoring defense as well.
• Smith's team was playing its best hockey of the season over the final weeks of 2023, as the Big Red was 7-2 beginning in October with its lone losses coming in one-goal defeats to nationally-ranked Harvard and against perennial Ivy contender Princeton.
• A number of returners will be looking to step up after the graduation loss of two-time All-American Caroline Ramsey, the 2023 Ivy League and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year.

THE SERIES WITH COLUMBIA
Overall: Cornell leads 21-6
In Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell leads 11-2
Current Streak: Cornell, 4 games
Last Meeting: Cornell won 3-1, 9/15/2023 in New York, N.Y.
Smith vs. Columbia: 4-0 (2-0 at home)
Series Notes: Cornell holds a commanding 21-6 edge in the all-time series, including a perfect 4-0 mark since Andy Smith took over as the Big Red's head coach in 2019 … the Big Red won the first eight meetings and 14 of the first 15 … the Lions' three-game win streak from 2016-18 was its longest in series history … Cornell has outscored Columbia 11-2 over the past three meetings.

THE SERIES WITH BRYANT
Overall: Cornell leads 2-0
In Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell leads 2-0
Current Streak: Cornell, 2 games
Last Meeting: Cornell won 4-0, 10/28/2018 in Ithaca, N.Y.
Smith vs. Bryant: 0-0 (0-0 at home)
Series Notes: Cornell has won the only two previous contests with Bryant, outscoring the Bulldogs 13-0 in those contests ... the teams first met in 2008, a 9-0 Big Red victory ... the last meeting occurred in 2018 with Cornell earning a 4-0 triumph ... the Big Red  holds an 11-19 all-time record against current members of the America East: Maine (3-4), UMass Lowell (0-0), New Hampshire (0-0), UAlbany (3-11), UC Davis (0-0) and Vermont (3-4) in addition to Bryant.

LAST TIME OUT: #9 Louisville 4, Cornell 3 (Sept. 15, 2024)  //  Recap  //  Box Score
• Sophomore Julia Ramsey's two fourth quarter goals sparked the Cornell field hockey team's late rally, but No. 9 Louisville had the final answer to escape with a 4-3 win at Trager Stadium on Sept. 15. 
• Trailing 3-1 in the fourth, the 2023 national assistant leader scored a pair of goals in the span of 70 seconds to knot the score, the second coming on a well-executed penalty corner with 10 minutes remaining. 
• Two minutes later, Louisville's Caroline Pusey deflected a cross into the goal for the go-ahead score and, despite several corners - including two in the final 20 seconds - could not tie it up.
• Big Red freshman Blake Wilks scored her first career goal to get the visitors on the scoreboard in the first half, but that came after Louisville staked itself to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. 
• The Cardinals turned a pair of penalty corners into goals, one from Chloe Cuzzupe and another from Tyler Everslage. 
• Louisville went into the fourth with a 3-1 edge after Lauren Masters potted the lone goal in the third.
• Cornell held a 16-12 edge in shots, though Louisville's Emily Young was up to the challenge with 10 saves. 
• Martha Broderick made five big stops in goal for Cornell.

LAST TIME VS. COLUMBIA: Cornell 3, Columbia 1 (Sept. 15, 2023)  //  Recap  //  Box Score
• The Cornell field hockey team scored three first half goals, then rode its defense in the final 30 minutes to pick up a hard-earned 3-1 Ivy League victory over Columbia at Columbia Field Hockey Stadium on Sept. 15, 2023. 
• Grace Leahy scored twice sandwiched around Polly Parsons' first collegiate goal within a minute of the Lions equalizing in the first quarter. 
• Martha Broderick and the defense did the rest, smothering the Lions and holding them without a goal over the final 55:51, making a pair of strong saves in picking up her second victory in goal. 
• Senior Antonia Packard recorded her first career assist in the win.
• The Lions got three saves in goal from Katie Wimmer, while the lone score of the game was from McKenzie Bloom. 
• Conell held a narrow 7-6 edge in shots and only two penalty corners were issued in the contest, one to each team.

LAST TIME VS. BRYANT: Cornell 4, Bryant 0 (Oct. 28, 2018)  //  Recap  //  Box Score
• The Big Red field hockey team finished its non-conference slate with a bang, downing Bryant, 4-0, on Oct. 28, 2018 on Marsha Dodson Field. 
• The game served as the team's annual fundraising event and the Big Red raised more than $2,700 for the CNY Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
 • Cornell had four different players tally a goal, while seven total registered at least one point. 
• The offense was led by Grace Royer, who had one goal and one assist. 
• Kristen Ferguson, Isabel Windham and Claire Jones also scored for the Big Red. 
• Assists were credited to Gabby DePetro, Julianne Magano and Kate MacGillis.
• The Big Red had an 18-7 advantage in shots, including an 11-2 edge in shots on goal, and a 7-3 lead in penalty corners.
• Maddie Henry needed to make just two stops to earn the third shutout of her career.

RECORD WATCH:
• Junior Grace Leahy's 16 career goals are tied for 16th in school history and is 11 shy of reaching the top 10 all-time at Cornell.
• Leahy's six game-winning goals is tied for 12th all-time and is one shy of joining the top 10.
• Senior Claire Wolfe is seventh in school history in career assists and is just two shy of the top five, while sophomore Julia Ramsey is eighth with 18 and needs four to also join the top five.
• With her 1.58 goals against average, sophomore Martha Broderick ranks sixth in school history, just behind fifth-place Kelly Clark '88 (1.41).
• Broderick's 12 career wins in goal is 12th all-time and needs five to reach the top 10.
• Head coach Andy Smith has earned 40 victories in five seasons, good for fourth in Cornell history and seven shy of Michelle Tambroni  (1997-2003) with 47. 

NOTES TO KNOW:
• Entering Friday, the Big Red's first four opponents this season have combined for a 19-5 record. 
• Ten different players have scored at least one point for the Big Red through four games this season, with only sophomore Julia Ramsey (two goals) posting more than two points.
• Sophomore Martha Broderick has 34 saves in just four contests this season after recording 54 as a freshman in 17 contests.

TWO NAMED TO NFHCA WATCHLIST:
• Two members of the Cornell field hockey team have been named to the 2024 NFHCA Watchlist. 
• Sophomore goalkeeper Martha Broderick and junior midfielder Grace Leahy were among 29 Ivy League and 171 total players on the list.  
• Broderick captured second-team All-Ivy honors as a freshman in 2023. 
• A three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, she led the conference in goals against average (1.22) and ranked fifth in save percentage (.720), sitting 15th and 38th nationally. 
• Broderick set a school record with 12 wins in the cage.
• A second-team All-Ivy pick as a sophomore, Leahy was also an NFHCA All-Region second team pick in 2023. 
• She ranked third in the conference (and 20th nationally) in goals behind only teammate Caroline Ramsey '24 with her 11 tallies. 
• In 15 contests, all starts, Leahy registered 22 points and tallied three game-winning goals, including in victories over Yale and nationally-ranked Syracuse. 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
• The Big Red entered the 2024 season picked to finish fourth in the Ivy League Preseason poll.
• Hannah Balleza '14 has been elected to the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame for induction on Sept. 28 as part of the Class of 2024. The four-time All-Ivy League pick and a two-time second-team NFHCA Mideast All-Region pick is one of 11 former Big Red greats to be inducted this fall and the 20th to be elected with field hockey connections.
• Caroline Ramsey '24 was among the final players that survied to the final cut for the U.S. national team that competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. 
• Eight members of Cornell's fall 2024 roster to be selected for either a senior national team or a junior selection camp in the past year, with Polly Parsons and Blake Wilks (USA) and Elizabeth and Olivia Friedberg and Grace Leahy (Canada) joining Georgia Kelly (Ireland), Martha Broderick (Scotland) and Annabel Cheveley (England).
• The Big Red coaching staff, led by head coach Andy Smith, was named the 2023 NFHCA Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year after a majority vote of its regional colleagues. Smith, along with assistant coaches Gareth Terrett and Kellie Joyce, helped guide Cornell to a school-record 12 wins and a second-place finish in the Ivy League at 5-2.
• A total of 13 members of the Cornell field hockey team were named to the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad. It was the fifth consecutive season the Big Red produced at least a dozen members on the team. Given to student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher through the fall semester of the current academic year, the baker's dozen was among 997 selections to the team. Six members of the Big Red team - Sofia Escalona, Lexie Hausheer, Antonia Packard, Caroline Ramsey, Claire Vaughn and Claire Wolfe - were among 181 players nationally to make the team for the fourth consecutive year. Joining Escalona, Hausheer, Packard, Ramsey, Vaughn and Wolfe are Martha Broderick, Sarah Burns, Annabel Cheveley, Georgia Kelly, Jane McNally, Emma Poplyk and Jenna Villeneuve.
• Three Cornell field hockey players were named to the NFHCA Division I Scholar of Distinction. Martha Broderick, Sarah Burns and Caroline Ramsey were among 260 undergraduate student-athletes nationwide that posted a 3.9 grade point average or better during the fall semester.
• Caroline Ramsey, the program's first two-time All-American, graduated following the 2023 with Cornell single-game records for goals (4), as well as season and career records for goals (55), game-winning goals (14), points (123), and defensive saves (19). 
• The three-year captain was named the 2023 NFHCA Mideast Regional Player of the Year and the Ivy League and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year. 
• As a senior, Ramsey ranked second nationally in goals (24) and points (54), both single-season school records, while leading the Big Red to a second-place finish in the Ancient Eight and a school-record 12 wins. 

UP NEXT:
• The Big Red opens up a two-game weekend road trip with an Ivy League contest against Dartmouth on Friday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• Dartmouth leads the all-time series 22-21-1, though Cornell has won 10 straight contests between the programs.
• Cornell will visit Colgate on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.