EASTON, Pa. -- For the second straight day, the Cornell field hockey team fell behind 2-0 on the road against a Patriot League opponent, and for the second straight night the Big Red couldn't complete the comeback, falling 2-1 at Lafayette on Monday evening at Rappolt Field. Cornell dropped to 1-2, while the Leopards improved to 3-1.
Lafayette scored twice in a span of just over three minutes in the second quarter. Laila Pasic opened the scoring at 18:15 off an assist from Maddie Evans, and Lena Thedrian doubled the lead at 21:24 with helpers from Emma Maher and Katie Gibb. Cornell had a pair of chances to answer before the half but couldn't cash in. Sophomore
Chloe West was denied on a penalty stroke by Lafayette goalkeeper Addison Kahn at 19:07, and West missed on a second stroke attempt at 40:18 in the third quarter, also saved by Kahn.
The Big Red finally got on the board in the fourth quarter when Uma Käding redirected a feed from
Stella Thibeault at 55:17, cutting the deficit to 2-1. It was Käding's second goal of the season and the 19th of her career, moving her into 15th place on Cornell's all-time scoring list. Cornell couldn't find an equalizer in the final five minutes despite sustained pressure, and Lafayette closed out the win.
Kahn finished with five saves for the Leopards, while
Martha Broderick made four saves for Cornell. Cornell held a narrow 11-10 edge in total shots, with each team recording six on goal, while Lafayette held the penalty-corner advantage, 6-3.
Cornell will head to Ohio State for a pair of contests this weekend, starting with a neutral site matchup with Big 10 foe Indiana on Friday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.
