The men’s lacrosse team brought a disciplined, hard-nosed approach in the first 30 minutes of its semifinal matchup against the Cavaliers, and rode rookie attackman Rob Pannell to an 8-2 lead at halftime. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year has two goals and two assists in the first half. Junior attackman Ryan Hurley, who had shooting problems his past few games, has two goals and an assist and looks sharp around the cage.
Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman, the hottest goalie in the tournament to date, had trouble stopping shots and Virginia’s defenders have been caught “ball-watching,” allowing Cornell’s cutting offensive players to take advantage of poor off-ball coverage.
Pannell finished with three goals and three assists to lead the team, as Virginia couldn’t get much more going in the second half. Cornell dominated possession, especially in the fourth quarter, and finished the game with a 37-27 edge in shots. The Red utilized quick, shifting team defense to shut down Virginia’s numerous offensive weapons and hold the Cavaliers to just six goals, well below their season average of 13.09 goals per game.
Photo slideshow of the Red’s win
Check back for a full recap, as well as a preview of the Red’s national championship game against Syracuse
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[img_assist|nid=37432|title=Locked on Target|desc=Senior Captain Max Seibald (42) fires a shot at University of Virginia goaltender Adam Ghitelman (8) during Cornell’s 15-6 win in the NCAA men’s lacrosse semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]