On a chilly Saturday, the Big Green (10-7, 3-4 Ivy) fell 4-2 to the Big Red (11-5, 5-2 Ivy). Cornell started quickly, scoring a minute into the game on its first shot a give-and-go between two Big Red seniors off of a penalty corner. Head coach Amy Fowler said she felt that the early deficit shaped the tone of the game.
"We started slowly and couldn't get back on track," Fowler said. "We had to play catch up and couldn't get ourselves out of the hole."
With the loss, the team finished the season tied for fourth in the Ivy League, while Cornell moved into a tie for second.
After putting themselves in an early hole, the Big Green came back and tied the score up on a shot from the top of the circle by Allison Weinstock '10 later in the first half. It was her second goal on the season, and Lisa Masini '13 assisted the goal.
The score remained tied going into the half, although Cornell was in control of the game throughout. Early in the second half, Cornell took a commanding 3-1 lead. Co-captain Virginia Peisch '11 was able to pull the Big Green within one point on a tip-in goal off a broken penalty corner play in the 48th minute. Cornell, however, put the game away with another goal in the 62nd minute.
The Big Red was able to limit Dartmouth's high-powered offense ranked third in the nation in goals to only two goals, about half of the team's season average. According to Fowler, the Big Green did not produce enough scoring opportunities.
"I feel like we beat ourselves," Fowler said. "We had some problems with our midfield and our backfield players getting the ball out of our end."
The Big Green was outshot 11-6 in the first half and 12-3 in the second half.
Co-captain Claire Byrne '11 felt the performance was not indicative of the level of talent of the team.
"I don't think we adhered to our game plan as much as we wanted to," Byrne said. "We had a couple of defensive breakdowns and didn't focus on the simple game we excel at."
One of the bright spots of the game was goalkeeper Meagan Vakiener '12, who recorded a season-high 13 saves. Fowler said she was impressed with Vakiener's play over the last several weeks and is hopeful that it will carry over into next year.
Despite the loss, Fowler said the team should still be satisfied with its performance this year given the difficult circumstances it experienced. At one point late in the season against Columbia University, the team was without four starters. During its game against Yale University, both Kelly Hood '12, the team's leading scorer, and Peisch left with injuries. Vakiener also missed time due to illness.
"I felt like we had a freak-out moment and muddled through a couple of games," Fowler said. "The team took a hit in confidence, but I'm proud of the way we were able to come back and beat Harvard [University] and [the University of Vermont] last weekend."
The team posted a 10-win season, a game better than last season, making it the second winning season in a row after several losing seasons.
Fowler believes the graduating seniors this year were the group that led the turnaround for the Big Green over the last few seasons. The team's seniors Byrne, Kerry Bracco '11, Peisch, Weinstock and Kelly McHenry '11 received significant playing time during their early years on the team and became instrumental to the team's success. This year's record matched the team's best since 2002.
"It feels great to be part of something that's changing the program for the better," Byrne said. "We can definitely attribute that to everyone being committed to the same goal. It's been exciting, and this year solidified ourselves as a strong program."
Additionally, the seniors also served as good examples for the younger players.
"Their leadership as a class is excellent, and I can't thank them enough," Fowler said.
Although the team will miss the senior players and she said next year may be a "rebuilding year," Fowler still thinks the team has the talent to compete for an Ivy League championship if it works hard enough during the off-season. There is also the chance Bracco and Weinstock may return if their appeals for an extra year of eligibility are approved.
Until then, the team can savor its successful 2010 campaign and look to build upon it.
