March 17, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Senior Margie Curran tallied her seventh hat-trick of the season to lead the 10th-ranked Commodore women’s lacrosse team to a 15-6 victory over Cornell on Monday at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex.
Vanderbilt (6-3) broke a three-game losing streak, and simultaneously ended the Big Red’s four-game winning streak. Nine players scored for Vanderbilt, led by Curran, a preseason All-American. Senior Ashley Paschall, junior Cara Giordano, sophomore Sarah Downing and freshman Emily Franke each scored two goals in the contest.
The Big Red scored the first two goals of the afternoon, opening a 2-0 lead early in the third minute when Katherine Simmons scored the first of her three goals. Vanderbilt would rattle off five consecutive goals, with five different players tallying over the next 12 minutes. The Commodores took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
Vanderbilt refused to let up after the break, scoring the first two goals of the second half. After tallies by Franke and Giordano, Cornell would get no closer than five goals. VU senior goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry made nine saves on the afternoon, while Renee Hughes and Kristen Reese combined to make 12 stops for Cornell.
The Commodores’ current four-game homestand comes to an end this weekend, when Vanderbilt opens American Lacrosse Conference play against Penn State on Sunday, March 23, at 12 Noon CT.
