UAlbany women's lacrosse drops high-scoring matchup to Cornell

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Despite a nine-point effort from junior midfielder Katie Pascale, the University at Albany women's lacrosse team dropped a high-scoring affair against Cornell University in the Great Danes' 2023 home opener Saturday afternoon.

Key Stats

• Katie Pascale scored five goals and recorded four assists
• Shonly Wallace scored three goals
• Sarah Falk and Bryar Hogg each scored twice
• Haley Phalines won seven draws
• Aislinn Sweeney recorded nine saves

Head Coach Katie Thomson: "It was a tough battle today against a strong Cornell team.  We knew it was going to be a fight from start to finish and it was.  I thought we came out really strong in the opening quarter.  We took a lead, but it's a game of runs and we knew they were going to get some momentum at some point.  We just want to continue to limit those runs and it was a fight to the end.  We'll be ready to learn and move on to the next game."

How it Happened

• UAlbany hosted Cornell for its 2023 home opener, which was also the first game of the season for the Big Red.  Last year, in Ithaca, N.Y., the teams combined to score 35 goals with Cornell claiming a 20-15 victory.
• The Great Danes and Big Red picked up right where they left off a year ago, combining to score 13 goals in the first quarter alone.  Shonly Wallace scored three minutes into the game on a free-position attempt, and Cornell tied the game at one less than a minute later.
• UAlbany rolled off each of the next four goals to take a 5-1 lead.  The run lasted less than two minutes of game time.  Cornell regrouped to score the next three, over a period of two minutes and 12 seconds, to close within one with 6:05 remaining in the first half.
• UAlbany scored twice more in the first, going up 7-4 with 2:41 left in the period.  Cornell scored twice over the final 2:08 of the quarter to trail 7-6 heading into the second.
• Scoring tapered off after the first quarter.  UAlbany and Cornell alternated each of the next four scores before the Big Red notched two straight late in the first half.  Katie Pascale scored her third goal of the day with 54 seconds left before halftime to put UAlbany up 10-9 at the break.
• UAlbany had outshot Cornell 14-8 in the first quarter, and out-drawn the Big Red 6-1 in the second.  Between the second and third quarters, however, Cornell outshot UAlbany 20-8, and flipped the script on draws in the third, 6-1.
• Cornell's offense exploded for five goals in the third quarter, while their defense surrendered just one.  The Big Red scored the first three goals of the third to take their lead of the game before Pascale scored her fourth goal to keep the Great Danes in reach.  The Big Red scored each of the next three as well, leading by as many as four early in the fourth quarter.
• Pascale's fifth goal of the afternoon ended Cornell's run and brought UAlbany within 15-12 with 9:16 to go in the fourth.  She kicked off a three-goal run for the Great Danes that closed the game within 15-14 with just under six minutes remaining.
• Cornell scored with 4:57 to go to take another multi-goal lead.  Allie Maloney kept pace for UAlbany, keeping the Great Danes within one with her second goal of the day, but Cornell scored each of the last two in the final three minutes to secure an 18-15 victory.
• The Big Red ended the game with a narrow lead in shots taken, 32-28, and had also won 21 of 37 draws.  Pascale's nine points were one shy of her career-high 10, set last season against New Hampshire.  Pascale has now recorded nine or more points in a game four times.