If you go to one polo game this year, this weekend is the time to go. Both the men and women riders will be hosting arch-rival University of Virginia over the weekend at Oxley Equestrian Center in a preview of a possible postseason matchup.
The Cornell women (13-1) have won all four games they’ve played since returning from the break and go into tonight’s game at full strength.
“They are definitely coming in at the top of their game at the right time,” said head coach David Eldredge ’81.
The Red faces off against the Cavaliers for the first time this year after defeating Virginia 27-6 last February and 24-11 in the National Championship game. Cornell starters, seniors Liz Antczak, Melissa Riggs, and junior Taylor McLean, will comprise the lineup for the second straight year. Sophomore Marisa Bianchi will be the alternate.
“We need to play our game like always,” commented McLean. “The game will be more like we play in practice in how fast it will move.”
“We should have a good, challenging match and find out where we stand,”
predicted Eldredge.
The Cornell men (8-4) face off against the Virginia men tomorrow night. The
riders will be handicapped by the absence of sophomore Senter Johnson, who
leads the team in scoring. Johnson injured his knee two weeks ago while
playing basketball and will miss the game. Senior Ian Calder-Piedmonte will replace him, joining sophomore Jeff Markle and senior Javier Alcover in the starting lineup. Due to a prior commitment, the Cavaliers will also play without two of their regulars.
“Because [Calder-Piedmonte] hasn’t been in much with [Markle and Alcover,]
there’s been some communication and logistical problems,” commented
Eldredge. “They’re working on that and they had a great practice on Tuesday.”
The weekend will be an important water mark for both teams’ progress at
this point in the spring season.
“We’re using it as a stepping stone to try to get back to where we were
before the break,” explained Eldredge.
The remainder of the schedule is far more challenging than what the riders
have been faced thus far. These tougher opponents build up to the
Eastern Regional Championships, which will be held in Oxley in mid-March.
Archived article by Owen Bochner