In a weekend of highs and lows, the No. 10 women's lacrosse team (11-3, 6-2 Ivy) clinched a share of its first Ivy League title in the program's history with a 17-8 win at Harvard (5-11, 3-4 Ivy) on Friday, before dropping a disappointing 5-4 decision to No. 19 Stanford (10-5) two days later.

"It was like night and day," said head coach Jenny Graap '86. "We came out energetic and with a purpose in the game on Friday, and then it was like we were just going through the motions against Stanford. We didn't take the field with any authority."

The possible loss of junior captain Margaux Viola for the rest of the season makes the loss even more heartbreaking for the Red. A candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the national player of the year award in collegiate lacrosse, Viola suffered a knee injury during the second half of the Harvard game and sat out the entire game against the Cardinal. An MRI today should reveal whether there is any chance for her return to the field this season.

"I know we missed her [against Stanford]," Graap said. "We played really sloppy and definitely missed her in the defensive transition game."

With the victory over the Crimson, Cornell finishes in a tie with No. 14 Princeton atop the Ivy standing, just one win clear of No. 12 Dartmouth.

"This is very significant for the program," Graap said. "We've spent a number of year working for this. To have the same record as Princeton is a great accomplishment."

However, via its 10-6 triumph over the Red a few weeks ago, the Tigers retain the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

All hope is not lost for Cornell, though, as the team still has a shot at one of the eight at-large seeds available for the 16-team field. Currently ranked ninth overall and sixth among teams vying for an at-large bid, there will be much riding on the Red's regular-season finale against Rutgers next weekend.

"We're going to have to hold on and hope for the at-large bid," Graap said. "We certainly dug ourselves a hole against Stanford. The game against Rutgers is a must-win. Nothing is guaranteed and if we lose to them, we're done."

Scoring just 26 seconds into the contest, Cornell built an early lead against Harvard and never looked back. Ahead 6-2 by halftime, the Red attack was keyed by a 4-0 run over a five-minute span early in the half in which each of the team's top four scorers - sophomores Courtney Farrell, Katherine Simmons, Noelle Dowd and Viola - each notched a goal apiece. Senior goaltender Maggie Fava finished the game with seven saves.

After another quick goal to start the second half to take a 7-2 lead, the Crimson would never get closer as the Cornell cruised to the win. In the end, Cornell received points from nine different players, and had multi-point performances from all but one.

Dowd and Simmons led the team with four points apiece, while Farrell and freshman Jessica Wiegand were not far behind with three points each. Meanwhile, junior Alison McKeown had two of the Red's impressive seven assists on the day. The 17-goal output is Cornell's largest of the season.

"We played exceptionally well," Graap said. "It was some of the best lacrosse I have seen out of this team all season."

The Red probably wished they could have saved some of that offense for two days later as its attack stalled against the Cardinal. Though striking first on a goal by Dowd less than 10 minutes into the contest, Cornell spent much of the game playing from behind.

"We had little possession time," Graap said. "They got the lead and controlled the tempo. We started taking shots that were rushed and just weren't playing with the same intensity from a few nights before."

Holding the Red scoreless for over a 25-minute period, Stanford used a 5-1 run from the first half to midway through the second to secure a 5-2 advantage. Cornell made a valiant comeback attempt, scoring twice - the second goal coming on a free-position shot by senior Allison Schindler with just two minutes left - to close the gap.

Nevertheless, the team came up just short, breaking its five-game winning streak.

"We did not play Cornell lacrosse. We were out of synch and disjointed," Graap said. "We're hoping that we can learn from it. We've got to get back to basics."

Fava had a strong day in net for the Red, turning aside 14 shots in the loss. Senior captain Lyndsay Robinson also had an impressive performance on the defensive end, collecting six ground balls and causing three turnovers.

As a whole, the Cornell defense remains tops in the country, holding opponents to a average of 6.86 goals per game.

Archived article by Scott Reich
Sun Staff Writer