Goalie goal: On NovÂember 26, with 8.6 seconds remaining in a game against Niagara, freshman goalie Mitch Gillam took advantage of an empty net to fire a shot the length of the ice and score. It had never been done before by a Big Red goaltender and was only the eighth such score in NCAA history. Cornell won the game 4-2.
Sports Shorts
NOT SO HOT In the fourth installment of the biannual post-Thanksgiving Red Hot Hockey game with Boston University at Madison Square Garden, the Big Red men came up short, losing 3-2 despite outshooting the Terriers 39-11 and dominating possession throughout the contest. The sellout crowd was, as usual, overwhelmingly in favor of Cornell, but a few opportunistic plays tipped the game to BU, which now has a 3-0-1 record in the series. Wait till 2015 . . .
BIG FINISH The Jeff Mathews ’14 era in Big Red football ended in grand style, with the four-year starter leading the team to a 42-41 win over Penn. The senior QB threw for 467 yards and four touchdowns in the game, but it was linebacker Tre’ Minor ’14 who made the biggest play, blocking a Penn PAT kick with just over a minute left to seal the win. Mathews completed his Cornell career with 11,284 yards and 72 touchdowns through the air, just two of the 47 school and 18 Ivy League records he now owns. He was a second-team All-Ivy selection for the second straight season, and the Big Red placed two on the first team: receiver Grant Gellatly ’14, who led the league with 91 catches for 1,224 yards, and punter Chris Fraser ’17, who had a league-best average of 42.9 yards per kick and was named Ivy Rookie of the Year.
STEPPING UP Thrust into a starting role with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings after an injury to goalie Jonathan Quick, former Big Red netminder Ben Scrivens ’10 posted a shutout in his first start and followed with another, starting a 191-minute scoreless streak that earned him an NHL First Star of the Week in November. When the month ended, Scrivens led the league with a save percentage of .944 and three shutouts, and he was second in goals-against average at 1.52.
Rachel Sorna. Photo: Greg Carracio/The Ivy League
LONG RUN Led by Rachel Sorna ’14, who finished 14th, the Cornell women’s cross country team placed 23rd in the NCAA Division I Championships. Sorna covered the six-kilometer course in 20:26.5 despite windy and muddy conditions. It was the best Cornell individual finish at the nationals since Pam Hunt ’94 was 12th in 1992.
Patrick Slogic. Photo: Dave Burbank
DYNAMIC DUO For the second straight season, a Cornell player has taken one of the Ivy League’s top honors in men’s soccer. Last year, it was Daniel Haber ’14, who was named Offensive Player of the Year before leaving school early to play professionally in Israel. This year, Patrick Slogic ’14 was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Slogic anchored a Big Red defense that allowed just 11 goals in 17 games and also led the team in scoring with three goals. He was a unanimous pick to the All-Ivy first team and is Cornell’s first three-time All-Ivy player since Peter Pakeman ’84.
HOCKEY HONORS Field hockey standout Hannah Balleza ’14 extended her collegiate career when she was selected to play in the post-season Front Rush/NFHCA Division I Senior Game. Balleza was just the fourth Cornell player to earn All-Ivy honors for four straight seasons after being named to the second team this fall. Goaltender Carolyn Horner ’14 earned first-team honors for the second season and leaves Cornell second on the career shutouts list with eight.
BIG SPLASH Paced by a pair of freestyle sprint wins by Jenna Immormino ’16, the women’s swimming team recorded its first win in 32 tries against Princeton while also beating Penn for the first time in 13 years. Immormino won both the 50 and 100 freestyle in the double-dual meet and also helped the 200-yard medley relay squad secure a victory. .
Fall Teams
Final Records
| Field Hockey | 10-7; 4-3 Ivy (T-3rd) |
| Football | 3-7; 2-5 Ivy (7th) |
| Sprint Football | 2-5 CSFL (6th) |
| Men’s Soccer | 8-5-4; 2-4-1 Ivy (6th) |
| Women’s Soccer | 7-8-1; 1-6-0 Ivy (8th) |
| Volleyball | 8-16; 4-10 Ivy (T-6th) |