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Despite an impressive fourth-quarter effort, No. 22 Harvard women’s lacrosse fell just short to Cornell in a cold and rainy game on Schoellkopf Field on Saturday.
In the last fifteen minutes of play, the Crimson (7-5, 2-3 Ivy) came roaring back from a three-goal deficit, but failed to secure the win in the final seconds of the game. The Big Red (9-4, 3-2 Ivy), celebrating its senior class of 16 student-athletes, was able to seal the victory with just 39 seconds remaining in regulation play.
Both teams had successful offenses in the first fifteen minutes. Junior Charlotte Hodgson, the Ivy League’s leading draw specialist, struck first for the Crimson, giving the visiting team the early lead.
Cornell’s Josie Vogel, daughter of Harvard men’s lacrosse alum Ralph Vogel ’91, quickly evened the score with a point of her own.
The Harvard team then went on a three-goal scoring run, as Grace Mullahy, Charley Meier, and Nicole Giannakopoulos all tallied quick goals. With the scoreboard displaying a 4-1 advantage for Crimson, it looked as though Harvard might use its momentum to coast to an easy win.
However, after a green card was called on Hodgson, Cornell secured possession of the ball in the circle. Ella Wilmot, a junior attacker for the Big Red, proceeded to end the Crimson’s scoring streak, narrowing the score to 4-2.
One of Harvard’s captains, Annabel Child, snagged the following draw control and pushed the ball upfield and into the trustworthy hands of her fellow captain, Caroline Mullahy. Mullahy currently holds the Ivy League record for most career assists. The Morrisville, N.C., native’s offensive prowess and selfless style of play have also earned her a spot on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
Mullahy sent the ball to sophomore Callie Batchelder, who tallied her first goal of the game and her 20th of the season.
Cornell, however, responded with two rapid goals of its own, feeding off the energy of its fans and its senior class during its final home game of the season.
At the end of the first quarter, Harvard maintained the lead with a score of 5-4. Notably, the Crimson had earned each of its five points from different players, showcasing its dynamic offensive capabilities. Harvard did an excellent job defending Cornell’s Caitlin Slaminko, who also made the Tewaaraton Award Watch List. This season, Slaminko has been a dominant offensive weapon for the Big Red. She has already tallied an impressive 38 goals this season. However, the Crimson’s aggressive defense effectively shut her down, keeping her to just one goal during the game.
Although the pace certainly did not slow down in the second quarter, it was clear that the defensive units on either side of the field warmed up, as scoring plays were less frequent.
Harvard’s freshman Tori Balser earned the first draw control and was able to swing the ball around the 12-meter.
The Crimson’s third captain, Meier, looked for her second goal of the game, but ripped the shot just wide of the net. Her effort was backed up by the crease attackers, who kept the ball in Harvard’s hands. Sophomore Chloe Bednar flung another shot on net, but it was saved by Cornell’s goalkeeper, Mackenzie Clark.
Despite Harvard’s aggressive ride, Cornell was able to complete a clean transition upfield and capitalized on a free-position shot, tying the score at 5-5.
Hodgson then earned yet another draw control and set up in Cornell’s defensive territory. Caroline Mullahy, looking for a feed, was pushed from behind by a Big Red defender. The referees penalized Cornell with a yellow card for the incident, giving Harvard a woman-up advantage. Mullahy, seemingly unfazed by the push, set up for a free position shot on the 8-meter. When the whistle blew, the senior fired the shot home, putting the Crimson ahead, 6-5.
After a media timeout, Harvard struck again. Balser was able to snatch up the draw and send the ball back to Mullahy behind the net. The captain looked for a feed and found Batchelder alone in front of the goal. She dished the pass to Batchelder, who deftly caught the ball and sent it home. The score read 7-5, in favor of the Crimson.
In the final minute of the half, there was a series of turnovers, fouls, and failed clear attempts from both teams, resulting in a chaotic back-and-forth rush in the midfield. Cornell was finally able to snag a ground ball and earn clean possession. The Big Red’s senior attacker Maggie Pons executed a stellar backdoor cut, secured the feed, and scored on the play.
Thanks to another excellent effort from Hodgson, Harvard won the following draw control. The team also drew a yellow card foul from a Cornell defender, earning another woman-up advantage.
It looked like the Crimson would score on the opportunity, as sophomore Stella Shea lined up for a free-position shot. However, the Big Red’s goalie came up with another huge save, squashing Harvard’s attempt.
Cornell, led again by Pons, capitalized on the following slow break, as the team completed the same play as before, and Pons scored on another backdoor cut. With less than a minute remaining in the half, the scoreboard remained locked in a 7-7 tie.
After the halftime break, Harvard’s head coach Devon Wills made the surprising decision to switch goalkeepers, swapping out senior Lizzie Francioli for freshman Emma Barkauskas. The game marked the rookie’s second collegiate appearance, the first being the Crimson’s 23-12 win over Bryant.
The two teams seemed to be stuck in a defensive standstill during the first half of the third quarter, as neither side was able to score. After seven and a half minutes of play, Cornell finally struck, which ignited a three-goal scoring streak.
After the Crimson’s Despina Giannakopoulos was called with a yellow card, Pons converted again on the woman-up chance.
Hodgson, seemingly unstoppable in the circle, won the next draw. The Wyndmoor, Pa., native raced upfield and ripped a shot, however, she was stopped by Clark, who made another critical save for Cornell.
The Big Red’s bench and sideline both exploded in cheers for Clark’s impressive save, and the home team ramped up its momentum. Back-to-back goals from Kylie Gelabert and Pons rounded out the quarter, putting their team ahead by three and blanking the Crimson during the quarter.
Harvard stormed into the fourth quarter with urgency, determined to overcome the deficit.
Caroline Mullahy, who was hounded all game by Cornell’s aggressive defense, earned a free position shot early and converted it to finally break the Crimson’s second-half scoring drought. Moments later, a Cornell green card gave Harvard another opportunity, and Hodgson buried a free-position goal to cut the deficit to one.
Hodgson excelled in the circle as she and Nicole Giannakopoulos secured possession for their team again. The Crimson capitalized on the opportunity. Batchelder, spotted open in front of the net by Grace Mullahy, was hit with a perfect feed and completed her hat trick to tie the score at 10–10.
Cornell, rattled by both the ease and the speed at which Harvard evened the score, called a timeout to eliminate its opponent’s momentum.
The Big Red earned possession of the ball but was then stopped by the Crimson’s defense, as Balser scooped up an overthrown pass and sprinted upfield, transitioning smoothly to offense. Grace Mullahy, following in the selfless footsteps of her older sister, made another stellar pass, this time to Shea, who sniped a quick stick goal to give Harvard an 11-10 lead.
Cornell answered immediately, tying the game at 11-11 after a strong defensive stand and another goal from Vogel.
This time, Caroline Mullahy responded, as she sent a sharp feed to her tri-captain Meier, who cut towards the net to make it 12-11 with less than six minutes remaining on the clock.
Cornell, still energized by its senior class, was somehow able to sneak another goal past the Harvard defenders.
With the score tied at 12-12, the Big Red won a crucial draw control. Cornell’s offense then expertly bled out the clock, waiting until just six seconds remained on the shot clock to convert, making the score 13-12.
Wills called a timeout. With 39 seconds left on the clock, the game was far from over.
After the break, the Crimson won the draw. Shea was set up for a shot and fired the ball toward Clark, looking to tie the game and force overtime. Unfortunately for Harvard, though, Clark made the high-stakes save, winning the game for Cornell in honor of her team’s 16 seniors.
The loss is devastating for the Crimson, which outscored the Big Red 5-3 in the final quarter of play. Harvard will now look to rebound against No. 8 Yale next weekend.
After its loss, the Crimson sits just outside of the top four Ivy League teams, meaning that if the regular season ended today, the team would not get a bid to the Ivy League Tournament. Therefore, Harvard, a team hungry for a postseason opportunity, will fight hard for a win against the top-ranked Bulldogs.
The rivalry game will take place in Cambridge, where Harvard is hosting two important lacrosse competitions. The No. 9 men’s team will play first, at noon, against No. 1 Cornell. Then, the women will take the field at 4:00 pm to battle against Yale. Head to Jordan Field on Saturday, April 19, to watch as Harvard women’s lacrosse looks to stay in contention for a spot in the Ivy League Tournament with an upset win over Yale, and as Harvard men’s lacrosse faces off against the best team in the country.
– Staff Writer Isabel C. Smail can be reached at isabel.smail@thecrimson.com.
