Women's Lacrosse: Chance for 1st road win at Cornell

They’re certainly not letting their previous difficulties bother them.

“The teams we’ve faced on the road, [University of Virginia], Duke and [James Madison University], are all top-10 teams,” sophomore midfielder Charlotte Davis said of the team’s road struggles. “Going into Cornell, we have high hopes of changing this routine of losing and stepping into our own.”

With the initial hurdles of top-ranked opponents out of the way, the team is looking forward to success against upcoming squads, especially coming off of Sunday’s close win over No. 20 Georgetown, which the Tigers won 12-11.

“We are looking to build off of the things we did well against Georgetown and improve on the things we can do better,” junior defender Cathy Bachur said. “We have especially been emphasizing ground balls, draws and the small hustle plays across the field.”

“Our most recent game, Georgetown, was a turning point for us,” said Davis. “We really came together as a team that game and started to show to other people what we can really do out on the field.”

In addition to focusing on their fundamentals, the Tigers have been trying to improve their offensive potency, as they have been outshot by their opponents 185 to 169 during the season. That said, the Tigers have demonstrated a capacity to capitalize on their opportunities. Their striking power was demonstrated vividly in the second half against Georgetown, during which the team barraged the Hoyas with seven consecutive goals.

“Our attack has been working on being more active and threatening against the other team’s defense,” Bachur added. “When we do that well we are able to create good shot opportunities for ourselves.”

“As long as we outscore Cornell, that is our only concern,” said senior goalie Erin Tochihara.

Of concern for the Tigers will be Cornell’s (3-5, 1-2) trigger-happy offense, as the Big Red has cranked 224 shots during the season en route to 68 goals. Despite Cornell’s lower scoring averages, the Tigers are still wary of the threat its offense poses.

“Cornell is always a tough opponent,” Bachur said. “They have some big threats on attack, and it will be important for us to slow down their big goal scorers.”

“We’re expecting to see a well-organized offense,” Davis said. “Cornell’s players use each other well by using picks and cuts.”

The biggest threat that the Tigers will need to contain is attacker Jessi Steinberg, who has carried her offense with 21 goals from 57 shots this season. However, Cornell’s less balanced attack should be something that the Tigers are able to handle defensively.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

With Cornell’s major threat contained, the Tigers will be in a prime position to come away with another win and remain undefeated in Ivy League play, which is always a priority goal for the team. The game will be played at Cornell this Saturday at noon.