Women Laxers Extend Winning Streak to Five

The women's lacrosse team came away with three wins over spring break on its first road trip of the season, besting Fairfield 17-4 (1-3), Delaware (2-4) 19-4, and Columbia (4-2, 0-1 Ivy) 15-1. The Red (5-0, 1-0 Ivy) did not allow a single first-half goal in all three contests, while the offense put up double-digit goals for the fifth straight game this season.

"Our defense was outstanding in all of the games," said head coach Jenny Graap '86. "We played really consistently at both ends of the field. It was also good to give experience to so many players."

Last week, seniors Sarah Averson and co-captain Erica Holveck were named Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their performances against Notre Dame and Rutgers. The pair continued their great play throughout the road trip.

Averson had another big game against Fairfield, recording five goals and an assist, and she began the scoring in the opening minute. The laxers put up 10 goals in the first half, while the Stags only managed to put two shots on net.

Freshman Maggie Fava came in to replace junior Ashley Charron in net for the second half, and the Red continued to dominate at both ends of the field, scoring five more goals before Fairfield got on the board with 13 minutes left in the game.

"Maggie faced her first shots against Fairfield, and she was nervous. I was really pleased with her performances in the games later in the week, she showed more poise and confidence," commented Graap.

Sophomore Kristin Smith posted a three-goal performance, while senior Sarah Fischer, juniors Kate Hirschfield and Jaime Quinn, and freshman Allison Schindler each had two tallies. Holveck scooped up five ground balls to go along with three assists.

Against Delaware, the Red came out with an equally strong offensive effort, again scoring 10 goals in the first half. Quinn scored a career-high five goals, while freshmen Lisa Giugliano, Liz Shaner, Lyndsay Robinson, and Schindler came off the bench to each score one goal apiece. Sophomore Lindsay Steinberg also chipped in, scoring a hat trick, and her first goals since the season opener.

In the backfield, senior co-captain Rachel Friedman led the way with six ground balls, while classmates Katie Lavin and Holveck each had four. Charron made six saves in goal for the first 50 minutes of play, with Fava entering for the last 10 minutes and recording two saves.

"Delaware was our toughest competition of the week. We were hoping that they would be more rigorous, but it wasn't a close game," remarked Graap.

The Red wrapped up the week with its Ivy opener at Columbia. The offense put up an incredible 46 shots, while the defense limited the Lions to just seven. With Hirschfield suffering an injury against Delaware, Schindler got the first start of the freshmen class, and did not disappoint. She scored a goal and two assists to go with a school-record nine ground balls.

"We had the most shots against Columbia, but we did not shoot particularly well against them, so that was frustrating," said Graap.

The offense was spread out with Fischer scoring a hat trick, and Quinn, Steinberg, Averson, and Lavin each chipping in two goals.

"Depth is a huge asset for us. Our competition can't contain our offense because we have so many weapons up front," said Graap.

Graap expects Hirschfield to be back to practicing with the team within a week, as the Red will head out to Philadelphia next weekend for a tough game against Penn. The laxers return home on April 4 for a showdown with defending national champion Princeton.

Swimmers Set Team Records

The men's swimming and diving team capped off its season this past weekend at the EISL championships at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in Uniondale, NY with a seventh-place finish.

The result was an improvement over last year's finish in the same event. Going into the final day of competition, only nine points separated the teams in the 5-8 spots.

The Red finished just five points behind Navy, with a total score of 635.5.

Harvard took the overall title with a score of 1592, while Princeton finished second with a 1565.

"The team felt great about our overall performance, the guys swam up to their capabilities. Four new school records and 12 top-five times, that was quite an accomplishment," said head coach Joe Lucia.

"I am very proud of how we performed as a united team the entire three days. Twenty-nine of our 48 individual events were lifetime best times and our relays were the best in a long time."

The Red set school records in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke and the 200- and 400-yard medley relay.

Freshman Stefano Caprara had a hand in all four records, setting the two individual records, and swimming in the relays along with seniors Danny Royce, Jeremy Sample, Charlie Ernst, and sophomore Doug Ernst.

In the 100-yard backstroke final, Caprara finished second to Princeton's Pat Donohue by one-tenth of a second, posting a time of 48.86 seconds. The medley teams finished fourth in both the 200- and 400-yard events.

"We lost six of our top eight scorers, so it was a big challenge coming into this season. To score more than last year would [have] been an awfully big thing to reach," commented Lucia.

In addition to the four school records, the team notched four finishes that rank second in the Cornell annals. These marks came in the 200 free relay, and the 50, 100, and 200 free events.

In addition, three times ranked third in school history, two finishes were fourth-best all-time, and three results were the fifth best in the Red's record book.

Senior Tim Lenz and sophomore Tony Schultz made the finals in the 3-meter dive, with the two taking seventh and eighth, respectively.

Lucia expressed confidence in the squad's ability to improve next year.

"We have a good group returning next season. We lose some good sprint power in four of our seniors, but we return a solid group and have some good guys coming in," remarked Lucia.

"We're not quite in Harvard or Princeton's league, but we'll be fairly competitive with the other eight teams."

Red Hopes to Ride Depth to NCAAs

After taking the women's lacrosse team to its first ever Final Four in 2002, head coach Jenny Graap '86 has a simple goal in mind for this season.

"I think we'd like to build on the experience of last season and improve if we can and to win the national championship would be great," she said.

That may sound like a daunting task, but the lady laxers are up to the challenge. Despite graduating nine seniors, including four time All-American and Ivy League Player of the Year Jaimee Reynolds '02, this year's squad is again poised to make a run at the Ivy and national titles.

"My philosophy is that we have to take one game at a time and focus on the opponent at hand. It's a long season, and we have to earn our ranking and a berth in the postseason," commented Graap.

While the faces may have changed, the team is still built around a dominating defense and a talented corps of offensive weapons.

Goalkeeper

For the first time in three seasons, there will be a new goalkeeper between the pipes in junior Ashley Charron. Playing behind Carrie Giancola '02 her first two seasons, Charron is ready to step up, earning two victories in her first two starts of the 2003 season. Freshman Maggie Fava comes to Cornell from Garrison Forest High in Maryland, where she was an All-American honorable mention her senior year.

Defense

The Red was ranked fourth in scoring defense last season, only allowing its opponents an average of 7.47 goals per game. Senior co-captain Rachel Friedman will be the leader in the backfield again this season. A three-year starter, she scooped up 27 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers. Joining her will be classmates Katie Lavin and Abby Beyer, who add size and skill to the defensive unit. As a defensive midfielder, senior co-captain Erica Holveck will also be a force in the back.

"Our goal for the defense is to keep it that we're recognized for shutting top attackers down and having the most communication and the toughest defense. I think that as a unit, that's something we're going to try to keep this year," says Holveck.

"We build our reputation on very strong defense," agreed Graap.

Midfield

Holveck will be a threat at both ends of the field, as she is an aggressive defender, and her speed is a vital part of the Red's transition game. Juniors Katie Hirschfield and Jamie Quinn provide an offensive punch in the middle. At 5-11, Quinn is the tallest player on the team and has shown promise after breaking into the starting lineup last season. Sophomore Julia Hughey is expected to be a big contributor at center, while classmate Jessica Williams has shown great scoring ability.

"Midfield for me is speed, and it's also ball-handling and the transition game. Moving the ball upfield with speed and being able to dodge quickly is important, so the players getting time in the midfield tend to be the ones with the best endurance and the best speed on the team. We've got a lot of depth at midfield," commented Graap.

Attack

The attack is led by a pair of Sarahs -- seniors Sarah Fischer and Sarah Averson. Having played together for four years, Fischer and Averson have posted impressive numbers, scoring 32 and 34 goals respectively last season.

"They work really well together as a set unit," said Friedman. "[Our offense] works the ball around when we need to, or we can score off a fast break."

Sophomore Lindsay Steinberg is developing into another offensive weapon. In her first career start against Notre Dame, she netted four goals, and in her next game was marked by Rutgers' best defender.

"If [our opponents] key in on our top attackers, then we're going to need to look to the next group of offense to step up and really produce some numbers," remarked Graap.

Women's Lax Routs Rutgers

Highlighted by a career day from senior Sarah Averson, the women's lacrosse team knocked off Rutgers, 15-7, to notch the 200th win in program history. With the win, the Red (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) remains undefeated against the Scarlet Knights (0-1) and extends its home winning streak to a record 14-straight games dating back to the 2001 season.

"The game was a bit of a roller coaster. I think we had moments of brilliance and then times of slumping and inconsistent play," commented head coach Jenny Graap '86.

Senior Sarah Fischer opened the scoring for the Red a minute into the game, as she brought the ball from behind the net and took a dropping shot that evaded Rutgers goalie Lyndsey Feldman. Averson and senior Katie Lavin each connected on free position shots to put the laxers up 3-0 after five minutes of play.

Cali Wojdyla set up the Scarlet Knights' first two goals, as Rutgers pulled within one midway through the half, at which point Graap called timeout.

"Rutgers is the kind of team that will capitalize on mistakes for sure. I wasn't too pleased that we let them score some of those goals which we were prepared for. We had known what their tendencies were and we were trying to deny some of that, and we just were a little bit off," said Graap.

The Red stopped Rutgers from building any momentum, as it scored four unanswered goals in the span of five minutes. Sophomore Julia Hughey and junior Jaime Quinn each connected on feeds from Averson, and then Averson took one in herself to put the Red up 6-2. Fischer added her second goal of the game on an unassisted tally with eight minutes left in the half.

Each team added two more goals before the end of the half, with Averson and Quinn scoring their third and second goals of the game, respectively.

The Red opened the scoring quickly in the second half, as senior co-captain Rachel Friedman got the ball off the opening draw and fed junior Kate Hirschfield to give Cornell a six-goal lead. It was Friedman's first assist since her freshman year. Rutgers scored two consecutive goals to cut the lead to four, before the Red went on a five-goal run to pull away.

"We shot better in the second half. I think in the first half, we were making their goalie look pretty good. We shot some point-blank right at her stick. Averson had three straight free position shots and she only scored on one of them, so I think getting our shooting going was a factor," commented Graap.

Averson and Fischer were responsible for four of the team's five straight goals, as sophomore Lindsay Steinberg, who had four goals last week in her first career start, was silenced by the Rutgers defense.

"Rutgers' best defender marked Steinberg the entire game, and then Fisch started to score a lot, so they faceguarded her. They tried to do it individually defensively, so we capitalized by working together," said Averson.

Fischer assisted on Quinn's goal at 16:39, then put one by Feldman off an assist from Hughey at 11:32. Averson scored two straight goals in the span of a minute, weaving through the Rutgers defense to tally an unassisted marker, and then taking a feed from freshman Lyndsay Robinson. Fischer capped off the Red's scoring by making a great play to fake out the defense for her fourth goal of the game at 8:10.

Rutgers added one last goal at 3:43, but was unable to mount a comeback, as the Red came away with the win. Junior Ashley Charron made nine saves in net, and freshman Maggie Fava came on for the final minutes of the game, but did not see any shots. A lot of underclassmen saw playing time in the latter part of the second half, and freshman Lisa Giugliano put a shot by Feldman at the buzzer that was waived off.

"I was very pleased with Lyndsay Robinson, who came in at center and took some of the draw controls for us. I think she showed some good poise out there and got some significant minutes," remarked Graap. "I think whenever you can get your younger players in and get them some experience and time is positive, and all of that will help us down the road."

Averson set career highs in points and assists, as she had five goals to go along with three helpers. She is one score away from her 100th career goal. Senior co-captain Erica Holveck equaled her career high in ground balls by scooping up six in addition to causing three turnovers.

The Red will hit the road for three games over Spring Break at Fairfield, Delaware, and Columbia. The team's next home game will be against Princeton on April 4.

W. Lacrosse Hosts Rutgers

After knocking off Notre Dame 13-5 last weekend, the women's lacrosse team will be gunning for the program's 200th win tomorrow, when it faces Rutgers on Schoellkopf Field at 1 p.m. The Red (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) jumped in both the Inside Lacrosse and IWLCA polls, and is now ranked No. 5 and 6, respectively. Rutgers is untested this season, as its season opener last weekend against Virginia Tech was postponed due to snow and bad field conditions.

"I expect Rutgers to be very athletic and very scrappy, so in those types of games, we have to be ready for their competitiveness," said head coach Jenny Graap '86. "Rutgers in the past has always given us a good game, mainly because they never give and they compete really hard."

In the home opener last weekend, the Red battled a determined Notre Dame squad, and held a 5-4 lead at halftime. The laxers then exploded for eight answered goals in the second half, while the Fighting Irish only managed one in the closing seconds of the game. In her first career start, sophomore Lindsay Steinberg notched four goals, as did senior Sarah Fischer. Senior Sarah Averson recorded a hat trick, while junior Ashley Charron made eight saves in goal.

Rutgers comes into tomorrow's game with a new head coach in Laura Brand. Brand comes to her alma mater after coaching at Fairfield for one season. The Scarlet Knights went 7-9 last season, with a 2-5 record in the Big East, and return 10 starters. Senior Kristin Checksfield, the 2002 Big East Defensive Player of the Year and a preseason All-Big East team selection, led the team last year in ground balls and caused turnovers, and will be a force on defense. Juniors Cristina Curiale and Cali Wojdyla -- last season's top two scorers -- along with senior Kate Slotman, will pose the biggest threat on attack.

"I think we have an advantage [because this is Rutgers' first game of the season.] Every game you learn and grow, and I think the experience playing games is irreplaceable," said Graap. "It's an advantage that it's our second game and their first. The flip side of that is they were scouting and watching us, and really getting to know our team, which is an advantage for them."

Last season, the Red came away with a 9-5 victory at Rutgers, and is looking to maintain its perfect 6-0 all-time record against the Scarlet Knights.

"They don't really care who are you, they just go hard, and we need to be ready for that. We can't go into the game flat, or go in expecting to play great and run up the score," remarked Graap.

Earlier this week, Averson was named a candidate for the 2003 Tewaaraton Trophy, given to the nation's top player. She needs six more goals to reach 100 for her career.

The Red will hit the road for three away games during Spring Break, including the Ivy opener at Columbia. Its next home game will be against Princeton on April 4.

Women's Hockey Loses to No. 1 Harvard, Brown in Season Ender

The women's hockey team closed out the regular season this weekend at Lynah Rink, with losses to No. 1 Harvard (26-1-1, 15-0-1 ECAC) on Friday, 7-1, and Brown (12-12-4, 8-6-1 ECAC) on Saturday, 9-1. The Red (4-19-3, 2-12-2 ECAC) held its Senior Night on Saturday and the team's six seniors were honored following the game.

Harvard opened the scoring Friday one minute into the game, as Ashley Banfield blasted a high shot from the left point through traffic and past senior Liz Connelly. The Red went on a power play at 5:15 and nearly capitalized on it, but a shot rang off the post.

"I thought we stepped up [our intensity] a fair amount. I think the team was excited to play Harvard, you always want to measure how you're doing against the number one team in the country. I thought we lost a little bit through the first period, we were a little inconsistent in the middle of the first period but after that we stepped it up," said head coach Melody Davidson.

Harvard netted two fluky goals within a minute of each other in the middle of the period. Nicole Corriero's initial shot was stopped by Connelly, but she gave up a rebound that Corriero knocked home. Jaclyn Pitushka gave the Crimson a 3-0 lead, as Connelly failed to cover the puck and Pitushka swept it in on the right side.

"The one thing I have to give this team credit for is that we don't get frustrated after [fluky] goals. They recognized it for what it was, we're happy where we're at, and we just get out there and get ready for the next shift," remarked Davidson.

Freshman Flora Vineberg replaced Connelly in the second period, as Davidson planned to give each goaltender a period of work. Freshman Julie Chu put Harvard up 4-0 six minutes into the period as she deked in front of the net and put a backhand shot past Vineberg.

On a Crimson power play, Angela Ruggiero took two shots from the point that were saved by Vineberg, but Lauren McAuliffe collected the latter rebound and notched Harvard's fifth goal.

Senior Sanya Sandahl replaced Vineberg for the third period. The Red got on the board at 2:58, as sophomore Maryann Nowak stole the puck behind the Crimson net and scored on the wraparound for her third goal of the season.

Harvard's Jennifer Skinner, twin sister of Cornell freshman Andrea Skinner, scored her first goal of the season at 5:59 as she brought the puck all the way into the Cornell zone and collected a rebound off her initial shot and sent it top shelf. Corriero added her second goal of the game at 12:23 off a shot from the slot to finish out the scoring.


Connelly, Vineberg, and Sandahl had 19, 21, and 13 saves respectively, while Ali Boe stopped 11 for Harvard. The Red played the Crimson a lot harder than the score indicated, and the icers were able to limit Botterill -- the nation's leading scorer -- to two assists.

"We did a lot of good things. Liz made a big save at the end of the first, Sanya makes a big save. Jen Munhofen blocks a shot, she hasn't blocked a shot all year. They were doing things they normally haven't done, and that's exciting," said Davidson.

On Saturday, the Red faced a completely different style in the torpedo system employed by Brown. Sandahl got the start, and was immediately tested, as the Bears came out with an offensive punch.

Cassie Turner got Brown on the board a little more than two minutes into the game, and Marguerite McDonald added a second goal two minutes later off a rebound to Sandahl's right. Sandahl came up big later in the period, making a great pad save on a Brown breakaway.

In the closing minute of the first, the Bears would go up 3-0 as Courtney Johnson collected the puck in the low slot after it had ricocheted off of several players' skates and swept it into the net.

"I thought we lacked a bit [of intensity]. We put out a pretty intense effort [against Harvard], and we still don't have the depth to give us back-to-back plays," remarked Davidson.

Brown scored three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second to run away with the game. Connelly replaced Sandahl after Ashlee Drover scored a minute and a half into the second. Kim Insalaco and Keaton Zucker scored at 6:10 and 8:01 respectively, and Jessica Link added a shorthanded tally at 17:44.

Vineberg came in for the third period, and held Brown scoreless until the last five minutes of the game. After blasting a shot off the post in the second, Bestwick finally hit pay dirt on the power play at 3:37, as her shot from the left point went over Pam Dreyer's block. Senior Lindsay Murao and Munhofen tallied assists on the goal. Karen Thatcher and Link added Brown's eighth and ninth goals at 15:59 and 16:34.

"Brown comes at you hard and fast, they're getting ready for the playoffs and they don't have home-ice advantage. They were stepping their game up a notch, and they hadn't had good couple of games. They came ready to play today and we just didn't," commented Davidson.

Sandahl, Connelly, and Vineberg combined for 37 saves, while Dreyer had nine for Brown. The Red will be seeded No. 8 in the ECAC playoffs, and will face the Crimson again next weekend for a best-of-three series in Cambridge.