April 21, 2009
View Box Score | 2009 Season Statistics
ITHACA, N.Y. — The 10th-ranked Commodore women’s lacrosse team lost Tuesday at 20th-ranked Cornell, 11-4, on the artificial surface at Schoellkopf Field.
Junior Sarah Downing scored three of the Commodores’ four goals on the day.
Vanderbilt opened with a goal in the first minute by senior Cara Giordano, assisted by freshman Ally Carey. The Big Red would tie the game and it appeared the first half could be a back-and-forth affair.
A pair of goals from Downing, with assists from juniors Carter Foote and Allie Frank, gave Vanderbilt a 3-1 lead in the 13th minute of the game. It would be nearly 35 minutes before the Dores would score again, as Cornell controlled the ball and tallied eight consecutive goals.
Cornell’s leading scorer, Libby Johnson, had all five of her goals during the Big Red’s run, which left Vanderbilt trailing 9-3 with 14 minutes to play. Downing, the reigning American Lacrosse Conference Offensive Player of the Week, scored on a free position to cut the lead to five, but two insurance goals over the final eight minutes gave Cornell the final 11-4 margin.
The Commodores were outshot by a margin of 21-12 on the day. Freshman goalkeeper Natalie Wills made seven saves for the Commodores.
After returning to Nashville for a week, the Commodores will travel to University Park, Pa., for the 2009 ALC Tournament, hosted by Penn State. Tournament seeding will depend upon results from games later this week.
