BOULDER, Colo. — Cornell Big Red women's lacrosse turned an early wake-up call into a statement Tuesday afternoon, erupting for 15 unanswered first-half goals to power past UC Davis Aggies women's lacrosse, 20-4.
UC Davis struck first, but Big Red's response was immediate — and relentless.
After UC Davis' first and only goal of the half, Cornell rattled off 15 straight goals, turning a one-goal deficit into a 15-1 halftime advantage and effectively putting the game out of reach for the Aggies by the break.
The second half was no different than the first for Cornell: all gas, no brakes. Big Red netted three more goals with UC Davis' second goal of the match coming at the end of the third quarter. And in the final quarter, Cornell and UC Davis went back and forth with goals, two each, to reach the final score of 20-4.
Cornell out shot UC Davis 32-11, dominated the draw circle 17-8 and forced 11 turnovers while committing just five. Clean clears (11-of-13) kept the pressure on and prevented the Aggies from finding any sustained rhythm offensively.
Ellie Bergin set the tone, finishing with four goals and three draw controls to spark the surge. Lilly Whaling added three goals, while Dillyn Patten, Lexie Tully, Kathleen Michaud, Ella Wilmot and Gretta White each scored twice in a balanced offensive effort. Ellie Bornhoeft, Cameron Traveis and Holly Newman also found the back of the net (scoring one a piece) as 11 different players contributed to the 20-goal output.
Defensively, Cornell was equally sharp. Mackenzie Clark allowed just one goal and made two saves across 36:04 in the cage before Lucy Gomez played the final 23:56.
Though UC Davis found a pair of late goals in the fourth, the outcome had long been decided. Cornell outscored the Aggies 18-3 after surrendering the opening goal, flipping the script in emphatic fashion.
From that early deficit to a dominant finish, the Big Red left no doubt — responding with poise, pressure and a first-half blitz that defined the afternoon.
The squad returns to action this Sunday, February 22 at home on Schoellkopf Field versus James Madison University with first draw scheduled for noon. The match will be livestreamed on ESPN+ with live stats available.
