ITHACA, N.Y. — No. 25 Cornell battled back from a four-goal halftime deficit but came up just short in an 11-9 loss to No. 17 Penn State University on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
The Nittany Lions struck first, scoring the game's opening three goals and setting the tone early. Dillyn Patten put Cornell on the board in the first quarter, and added her second of the day with two minutes remaining in the frame, but Penn State carried a 5-2 lead into the second.
Kathleen Michaud opened the second-quarter scoring for the Big Red at the 10:26 mark and found the back of the net again less than three minutes later to trim the deficit to 7-4. Penn State answered late in the half to take an 8-4 advantage into the break.
Out of halftime, Cornell showed renewed energy. "I'm pleased with the response," said Graap. "We felt a little flat in the first half, but the players recognized that and stepped up. It really came down to just a couple of plays in the second half."
Michaud and Patten each netted their third goals of the game in the third quarter to complete their hat tricks, trimming the deficit to 11-6 heading into the fourth.
Lilly Whaling scored just 42 into the final quarter, and Lexie Tully followed 28 seconds after that to bring Cornell within three. Whaling added her second goal of the quarter with 7:23 remaining, trimming the margin to 11-9.
Cornell's defense tightened down the stretch, holding Penn State scoreless over the final 14 minutes, but the Big Red could not find the equalizer.
"I thought once our defense settled in, we played pretty stingy the rest of the way," The Karin Bain Kukral '82 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse, Jenny Graap said. "It really comes down to just a couple goals here or there. That four-goal deficit at halftime was tough."
Michaud and Patten each finished with three goals to lead Cornell's offense. Whaling added two, and Tully chipped in one.
Penn State tallied assists on eight of its 11 goals, while Cornell managed one, proving to be a key difference in the contest. "They had eight assists on the day, and we had one," Graap said. "It's so much harder for a goalie to save a shot off a feed than someone dodging right in and shooting. We got forced into a lot of dodging and didn't always generate great shots."
The Big Red matched Penn State with 27 shots and held a 14-8 advantage in draw controls, fueled by freshman Addie Smith's work at the circle. "To win the draw control stat against a team like that is pretty darn good," Graap said. "Addie had a day for us on the draw, and a lot of credit goes to Riley Van Holtz, who works with that unit."
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Clark played all 60 minutes and recorded eight saves.
With this loss, Cornell's record is now 2-2 this season and PSU's is still undefeated, improving to 6-0.
Cornell will look to rebound quickly when it returns to action Tuesday, March 3 against Binghamton.
"We don't have much time to feel bad for ourselves," Graap said. "It's a young team, and there are definitely lessons learned. We just have to clean a few things up and get ready for the next one. We can do it."
