VILLANOVA, Pa. - On Saturday afternoon, Villanova (1-0) will travel to Ithaca, New York, for a matchup with Cornell (0-0). This will be the season opener for the Big Red, who went (8-8, 4-3 Ivy League) last season.
The Wildcats are looking to continue its fast start. In the first game of the season, Villanova defeated William & Mary 16-12, scoring its most goals in a season opener since 2014. In that matchup, three Wildcats had three goals or more, including senior attack Katie Comerford and junior attacks Julianne Puckette and Brittany Bruno.
Comerford, who had a team-high four goals, earned a place on the BIG EAST Honor Roll this week. Teammate Catherine Field was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
Scouting Cornell
The Wildcats and the Big Red have faced each other four times in school history, with Cornell holding the 3-1 advantage in those games.
Last season, Villanova earned its first victory over the Big Red at home with a narrow 13-12 win.
In that game, then-redshirt senior Devin Hassinger scored a team-high four goals and then-junior Ashley Lynch recorded a hat trick. Then-freshman goalkeeper Alexa Moro earned the win, recording six saves.
This season, Cornell returns all six of its athletes that were named to the All-Ivy team in 2019. The team is led by veteran coach Jenny Graap who is in her 23rd season at the helm of the program.
The Big Red's leading scorer last season was attack/midfielder Caroline Allen, who had 40 goals and 20 assists. She is one of the team's senior captains for 2020.
Record Breakers
Senior attack Katie Comerford is six points away from breaking Villanova's school record for Career Points. Comerford currently has 178 points on 99 goals and 78 assists, which puts her at No. 3 for Career Points. The school record, held by Shannon O'Neil, who played for the Wildcats from 1994-1997, is 183, off 99 goals and 84 assists.
Comerford needs three points to become No. 2 on the list and pass Meghan Doyle who played from 1996-1999 and had 180 career points.
Comerford, the 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of Year and 2018 All BIG EAST Second Team selection, also currently holds the career record for Points Per Game (minimum 15 games), averaging 3.49 points in her 51 games as a Wildcat.
Sophomore defender Sydney Frank, who was named to the All BIG EAST First Team last season, also currently holds the Villanova career record for caused turnovers per game (minimum 15 games), averaging 1.74 a contest.
Follow The Action:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Ithaca, N.Y. – Schoellkopf Field
Live Stats: https://cornellbigred.com/sidearmstats/wlax/summary
Broadcast: ESPN+
