By Lindsay Carlton

What do you get when you lose 10 outstanding defensive players and add 10 fresh faces to any team roster? Well if you ask the women’s lacrosse team, the answer will most likely be four frustrating losses.

Once again the Pride couldn’t seem to shake off its streak of losses this past Sunday as it fell to No. 17 Cornell, 13-5. The now unranked Pride won both previous meetings against Cornell, including last year’s 14-7 decision.

So after the girl’s fourth consecutive loss, the bus ride home was bound to be a little icy. But the Pride is talking it out.

“Obviously when you lose, no one’s really happy, we’re all a little quiet and I mean we don’t ignore each other and we don’t get mad at each other,” freshman midfielder Lauren Whitcomb said. “We’re trying to fix it…I was talking to my teammates about what we need to do and what’s our problem.”

So what is the team’s problem this year after going 14-4 last season?

“We got a great start to the game and got a quick three goals,” head coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe said. “But Cornell took 24 shots and [goalie Masisie Osteen] is not expected to save everything…I think we need to do a better job of guarding the goal to help her out.”

Helping her out may be an understatement being that Cornell out shot the Pride, 31-12, in the contest.

Nonetheless, Pride fans started off optimistic about Sunday’s game, as the team came out strong with a 3-0 lead in the first three minutes. The Pride can thank its newfound freshman star, Whitcomb for the lead, plus the two other goals she tallied for the team during the game. Whitcomb had help from junior Kimberly Hillier and senior Jamie Rabuano, who found early shooting opportunities that also supported the team’s score.

However, the Pride couldn’t hold on for too long. The Big Red stepped up to the plate by the 18-minute mark and evened the score. The Pride’s shooting opportunities were shortly diminished before halftime, as Cornell held the Pride scoreless for 33:55. The Pride couldn’t get another shot in until the second half with only 22 minutes left in the game.

“I think we came out hard for starters, which was the real Hofstra team,” Hillier said. “And after that, I don’t know, we just weren’t playing like ourselves,”

Whitcomb was the only player to add to the Pride’s tally in the second half, including the game’s last goal at the 5:26 mark.

Despite falling short once again in the end, the team is still determined to win.

“We know what it’s like to lose, so we’re trying to get the win,” captain Jamie Irving said. “And I think once we get that, it will definitely help us gain confidence and make us believe we can win games and do all we can do on the field.”

Sophomore goalie Maise Osteen has started all four games and allowed 50 goals this season.