Strong Fall Season Sends Red Into Break

The men’s polo team will challenge Yale on Friday at home in what will be the team’s last match of the semester.
“Coming off of last week’s tournament, it is a nice opportunity for us to hone in on some of the mistakes that the starters made — me, Max and Bobby — and work out a few of the kinks and just have a great game working with some of the other players,” said senior starter Richard Weidel.
Cornell (7-2) has faced Yale before this season, winning decisively both times, 24-10 and then 23-10. Because Yale has a relatively young and inexperienced team, the Red hopes to use this match as a chance for new players on the roster to play with the starters and gain more experience.
With the end of the semester, the team is focusing on preparing for the spring season. Cornell’s only two loses of the season were to the University of Virginia, so the Red’s primary objective is to beat the Cavaliers in the spring.
“[UVA is] a really strong team, they’ve got good players on their team, but we think we can give them a run for their money as we get ready for nationals in April this year,” Weidel said. “So that’s been our main focus right now — to beat UVA when it really counts.”
The winter break will be a good opportunity for the team to regroup and prepare for next semester’s matches. “We all have the physical skills to get the job done,” Weidel said. “It’s a matter of being there and trying our best, making smart plays, not getting any fouls and playing with each other.”