Women’s Lacrosse Closes Road Swing At Columbia on Saturday
GAME 6: Cornell (4-1, 1-0 Ivy) at Columbia (3-2, 0-1 Ivy)
Date & Time: Saturday, March 11 – 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Wien Stadium – New York, N.Y.
Twitter: @CornellWLax
Cornell Game Notes
STORY LINES
• The Cornell women’s lacrosse team will attempt to start out a season 2-0 in Ivy League play for the third time in four seasons when it visits Columbia on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. at Wien Stadium.
• The contest will be broadcast on the ESPN+.
• Cornell has been from coast-to-coast over the past two weeks, putting in 6,432 miles of travel over that span in going from Ithaca to California, back to Ithaca and up to New Hampshire, and now on to New York City.
• The Big Red have been road warriors and is playing the last of five of its first six contests away from home (3-1 on the road in 2023).
• The Big Red’s explosive offense is averaging 14.0 goals per game with five players averaging at least 2.2 points per contest.
• The defense, meanwhile, has held opponents to single-digit goals in three of its past four contests.
• Picked fourth in the Ivy League’s preseason media poll, Cornell returns eight starters and 18 letter winners from last season’s 8-8 squad.
• Cornell went 4-3 in Ivy play last spring, making its ninth appearance in 11 all-time (including eight of the past nine) Ivy League Tournaments as the No. 3 seed.
• Four senior All-Ivy selections return in 2023, with Katie Castiello and Amanda Cramer on attack, Annie Thomas in the midfield and Hilary Hoover on defense.
SERIES HISTORY VS. COLUMBIA
Overall: Cornell leads 25-0, first meeting in 1997
In New York, N.Y.: Cornell leads 13-0
Current Streak: Cornell, 25
Last Meeting: Cornell, 20-2 (3/7/2020 in Ithaca, N.Y.)
Graap vs. Columbia: 25-0 (12-0 on the road)
Series Notes: Cornell is unbeaten all-time against the Lions, including a perfect 13-0 in New York City • 17 of those wins came by at least six goals • the closest games were played in 2010 and 2011, a pair of 9-7 Big Red victories • the Big Red has averaged 14.6 goals per game against the Lions in those 24 wins, hitting that mark or better in six of the past seven meetings
A WIN OVER COLUMBIA WOULD
• improve Cornell’s record to 5-1 on the season.
• make Cornell 4-1 on the road in 2023.
• keep the Big Red unbeaten all-time vs. the Lions (26-0).
• be the 367th in program history (366-311-4 in 51 seasons, .540).
LAST TIME OUT
• The Cornell defense showed up and showed out to help the Big Red claim the 2023 Ivy League opener over Dartmouth, 11-6, at Scully-Fahey Field.
• Cornell limited the Big Green to three goals in each half, caused nine turnovers, won the battle on the ground (19-13) and got six saves from Ellie Horner to overcome a slow start by the offense to earn its second straight win over the Big Green.
• Shannon Brazier was all over the field with six ground ball wins, two draw controls, two caused turnovers and an assist in the win.
• Cornell turned things around in the draw circle, winning 10-of-14 in the second half as the Big Red flipped the score.
• Annie Thomas won four and Alexa Donahoe captured three on the afternoon.
• A 30-20 edge in shots allowed the offense to come alive after halftime, finding the back of the net nine times.
• Maggie Pons had two goals and two assists for a team-high four points, with Josie Vogel registering a hat trick and both Caitlin Slaminko and Katie Castiello scoring twice.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
• Cornell has scored at least 10 goals in all five contests this season and has allowed single-digit goals three times.
• The Big Red has scored 12 women-up goals to just two for its opponents through five games.
• Cornell has had two players named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week this season — goalkeeper Ellie Horner (Feb. 27) and midfielder Shannon Brazier (March 6).
• Senior Annie Thomas’ cousin, Caroline Ramsey, is an All-Ivy field hockey player for the Big Red and a member of the U.S. national team.
• In just 27 career games, Thomas has 136 draw controls — a mark that already ranks fourth in school history.
• Thomas had 73 draw controls in 16 games in 2022 to set the single-season school record, surpassing Sarah Hefner’s 2014 record of 68.
• Senior captain Amanda Cramer, an honorable mention All-Ivy selection and the team’s leading scorer in 2022, is a transfer from Northwestern who mother, Caroline, was a gymnast for the Big Red.
• Sophomore defender Alessia Packard has a sister (Antonia, field hockey) and brother (Charles, men’s lacrosse) who are also current varsity athletes for the Big Red.
• Cornell’s 218 draw control wins in 2022 were second all-time in a season, just shy of the 222 recorded in 2017.
• The team’s 13.3 goals per game in 2022 ranked second all-time at Cornell (14.2 in 2012).
• The Big Red has qualified for the Ivy League Tournament nine times in the 11 years it has been held.
• Seniors Bridget Babcock, Amanda Cramer and Hilary Hoover will serve as team tri-captains.
• Head coach Jenny Graap has 224 career wins for the Big Red, ranking her 13th all-time among Cornell head coaches in all sports and second among women coaches (behind Andrea Dutcher with 346 volleyball wins from 1974-87).
• In her 26th season, Graap is the longest tenured women’s head coach in school history and currently among women’s lacrosse coaches in the Ivy League.
• The Big Red is 175-17 all-time under Graap when leading at halftime (.911).
NEXT UP
• Cornell returns home to face Central New York rival Binghamton on Tuesday, March 14 at 5 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The Big Red has won all nine previous meetings between the teams, including an 18-4 Cornell win on Feb. 22, 2022.
