60 minutes, 24 goals and 14 cards received. The Red could not have asked for a more dramatic match in their April 11 face-off against Harvard.
Despite all the controversy, Cornell (8-5, 3-2 Ivy League) was able to come out on top against Harvard (5-7, 1-4 Ivy League) by a score of 13-11.
The first period started off on an unusual note. Harvard started with possession after a decision by the officials determined that freshman attacker Addy Smith’s stick had an illegal extra pocket.
Immediately after, the Crimson were awarded a free position, which it capitalized on, scoring the first goal of the day. The Red tried to respond swiftly as it received a free position shortly after, but sophomore midfielder Lexie Tully could not take advantage of the opportunity.
However, Cornell still kept up the pressure, as senior attacker Emily Iacobellis tied the match 1-1. Harvard responded less than three minutes later to resecure its lead.
Harvard did not stop there as it continued to increase its lead to 4-1. It appeared that the Red was not able to respond in the most effective manner.
Head coach Jenny Graap ’86 called a time out: an action that shifted the tides.
Cornell closed off the first quarter with a goal thanks to junior attacker and captain Ellie Bergin. A Crimson player also received a yellow card, giving the Red a one-woman advantage going into the second quarter.
For the next 15 minutes, Cornell looked like a completely different team. It had completely taken advantage of Harvard’s mistakes in defense while also closing off any Crimson shooting lanes.
Only 20 seconds into the second quarter, Iacobellis scored another goal, quickly followed by sophomore attacker Kathleen Michaud’s first goal of the night to even the score 4-4.
Harvard got one more free position and capitalized on it to give themselves another lead of the day, increasing the score to 5-4.
The Red did not let its foot off the gas. A flashy goal from the Argentine international and freshman midfielder Gretta White tied the game 5-5.
From then on, Cornell was unstoppable. The Red took its first lead of the game after a goal from Lexie Tully.
Cornell finished the first half with a 10-6 lead as a result of goals from six different players.
Iacobellis completed a first-half hat trick, while senior attacker Ella Wilmot and Bergin also got on the scoreboard to close out the first 30 minutes of the game.
Harvard, a team with its season on the line, came out of the locker room for the second half very determined.
Confusion arose on a goal scored by the Crimson as the referees could not determine whether the ball had fully crossed into the goal or not. A successful challenge from Harvard’s head coach Devon Wills gave the Crimson its first goal of the quarter.
Harvard fed off the energy of the reversed call, scoring three additional unanswered goals to tie the match up 10-10.
Cornell took the lead again after yet another goal from Bergin, but was cut short as Harvard scored again and finished the third quarter tied up at 11-11.
The Red was able to bring the score up 13-11 as Bergin and Lexie Tully scored their fourth and third goals respectively.
The match still had more drama left as junior midfielder Cameron Traveis received a yellow card with only 1:49 remaining in the game, giving Cornell the woman disadvantage for the rest of the match.
Senior goalkeeper and captain, Mackenzie Clark, came up big for the team as her presence in net allowed the Red to seal the win in the final minutes.
This momentum is essential for the Red as it heads into its final games of Ivy play, on the hunt for a spot in the postseason.
The Red will face off against the University of Pennsylvania (6-6, 4-1 Ivy League) at noon this Saturday at Schoellkopf Field.
