After being handed a good-old-fashioned beatdown at the hands of arch-rivals Ithaca College, the Cortland women’s lacrosse team took out their frustration on Hartwick College, exploding for twenty goals in a 20-9 victory Wednesday afternoon.
Cortland’s first game against a nationally ranked opponent ended in disaster as they posed no challenge for nationally 11th-ranked Ithaca, losing 14-3.
Ithaca jumped out to a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, a deficit Cortland wasn’t ever able to cut into, being down 12-1 going into the final quarter, with their lone goal being scored by Ashley Melilo. Cortland was able to add two more consolation goals scored by seniors Isabel Adams and Nicole Iapoce.
A blowout loss early in the season can often have a lingering negative effect on a team, and the result could have easily started a snowball effect for Cortland, but they brushed it off and kept looking ahead.
“My coach said not to dwell on it, and to look in the front window, not the rearview mirror,” said sophomore defender Lexi Caron.
Caron also thinks that the loss will help them in the long run against other tough opponents this season, including their next game against nationally 5th-ranked William and Smith.
“I think we’ll have more energy, more grit, and come out stronger this time,” Caron said.
Cortland responded to the loss with a convincing 20-9 thrashing of Hartwick College. Hartwick started the game well, leading Cortland 5-3 early in the second quarter, before Cortland flipped the switch, scoring 10 straight in a flurry, and never looking back.
Cortland’s scoring outbreak was headlined by graduate student Toni Cashman, who scored six in the game, and became just the sixth player in Cortland history to reach 200 career goals.
“For me to hit 200 goals is just a reminder of how grateful I am to still have the opportunity to play lacrosse here at Cortland”, Cashman said. “If you told freshman year me where I am now, I think she’d be pretty impressed”.
Last year’s third team IWLCA All-American has had a hot start to the year, with eight goals and five assists in the first three games.
Seven other players chipped in with goals besides Cashman, including four from junior attack Mia Mitchell, and a hattrick from sophomore attack Brooke Elizalde.
Cortland’s next game will be their biggest test so far this season, away at nationally fifth-ranked William and Smith. Senior attack, and third leading points scorer this season Nicole Iapoce is excited for the chance at redemption.
“We have done an extreme amount of preparation”, Iapoce said. “We’re excited for tomorrow.”
Cortland has faced off against the Herons in each of the last two seasons, losing both by an aggregate score of 27-10. A win would be a big feather in the cap for this Cortland team, who is desperately looking for their first win against a nationally ranked opponent this season.
Cortland will look to improve their record to 3-1 on the season, and give themselves a massive statement win, while William and Smith will try to avoid an upset and remain undefeated.
Cortland will have two more non-conference games against St. John Fisher and Salisbury University before kicking off their SUNYAC campaign away at SUNY Potsdam.