Several strong defensive stands were not enough for the women's lacrosse team, who posted a 14-7 loss to Cornell in Ithaca Saturday. Despite controlling the draws throughout the match, Bruno (5-7, 1-4 Ivy) could not muster enough firepower to outshoot the Big Red (4-7, 2-4). The loss is the latest in a five-game skid for the Bears, who now share possession of sixth place in the Ivy League standings. Tri-captain Paris Waterman '11 led the side in scoring, netting a hat-trick in the defeat.
Despite the losing streak, Head Coach Keely McDonald '00 is keeping a positive attitude as Bruno heads into its final stretch of the season.
"I think we did a lot of things well, but there are some things we need to fine-tune as we head into our final three home games," she said.
The Big Red came out of the gate firing, netting two goals in the opening five minutes. The second of the two strikes came from attacker Jessi Steinberg, who scored four on the day. The Bears tried to claw back into the game, led by Tara Rooke '13, who scored her first two goals of the season around another Cornell goal to make the score 3-2 about midway through the half. Though Waterman added an unassisted goal seven minutes later, three more goals from Cornell widened the gap, giving the Big Red a comfortable 7-3 advantage when the halftime whistle blew.
The Big Red opened the second half the way they closed the first, scoring three times once again to push the lead to 10-3. Two of the strikes came on free-position shots. Cornell took advantage of Bruno's defensive fouls in the crease by scoring five goals off the fouls.
"The free-position shots are tough, and they got a few early," McDonald said. "Those are momentum shifters, and we know that, but we just need to respond."
Bruno responded the best it could, courtesy of a Julia Keller '12 goal and two more from Waterman. But the Big Red held its lead, as four more goals in the last 10 minutes drowned out a final score from Kaela McGilloway '12 and led to a final 14-7 score.
Cornell held the advantage in almost every section of the box score, tallying more shots and winning more ground balls than the Bears. Brown's 19 turnovers made it difficult to apply consistent offensive pressure throughout the game.
Bruno looks to stay optimistic as the season nears its end. Tuesday's home game against St. Mary's College of California is another chance for the Bears to return to winning ways. McDonald said the same consistent effort and team unity should be enough to end the season on a high note.
"Playing our best as a unit and everyone bringing their best coming game time is what we'll continue focusing on," McDonald said. "We're really making an effort to finish the season strong."
