The Cornell men’s lacrosse team will look to continue its four game winning streak when the team travels to Cambridge, Mass. this weekend to take on Harvard. The conference game will be broadcasted nationwide by CBS College Sports on Saturday beginning at 2:10 p.m. Cornell (7-2) remains in the thick of the Ivy League race and is ranked sixth nationally going into its game this weekend. Coming off a convincing win against Dartmouth last Saturday, the Red is motivated to earn yet another Ivy win. “This year, our schedule has been filled with some strong, nationally ranked opponents. I think we just need to focus on making the plays we are capable of making as a unit and hope it is enough to earn wins,” said senior attackman David Lau. Motivation is high, as the team seems to have found good energy and focus, according to the Red. “I think it starts in practice and we just try to get better each and every day so that we are prepared to play our own roles come Saturday,” Lau explained. Adding to the team’s enthusiasm was the remarkable 200-point career milestone earned by junior attackman Rob Pannell against the Green; Cornell now believes it is in a strong position to take on the Crimson (6-3) this Saturday. When asked how the team is preparing for its upcoming game, captain and senior midfielder Jack Dudley said, “[We’re trying] to keep the energy strong and consistent throughout games, and be effective in incorporating drills from practice. Our goal is to extend our aggressive attack from the first half of our game throughout the sixty minutes.”Though the Crimson maintains an undefeated 5-0 record at home, the Red’s strong offensive unit figures to put up a good showing on Cumnock Turf. Pannell brings 25 goals and 28 assists on the season and is leading the nation in points per game (5.9) and assists per game (3.1). Historically, the Crimson trails the all-time series against the Red, 60-23. Cornell has won the last 12 games between the conference rivals. The Red is currently in first place in the League, while Harvard and Dartmouth are tied for third — although the Crimson has been up and down so far this season, with a 1-1 standing in the Ivies.“Harvard has a lot of talent on its team. They’re a team that can beat anyone on any given day. We know they’re a very good team and are excited for the opportunity to see how we do this weekend,” Dudley said.After the impressive 19-8 win against Dartmouth, the Red sees its upcoming game against the Crimson as another opportunity to challenge itself within the League in pursuit of its goal of winning the Ivy League Championship. “Harvard has some explosive players and has had some good wins under its belt. We just want to get better and earn a win on Saturday,” Lau said. According to Cornell, the team learned some valuable lessons in its game against the Green last weekend. “I think we’ve been successful in learning from our mistakes in past games. We like to take it one game at a time, and we treat every game like it’s the most important — this week that’s Harvard,” Lau said.
Original Author: Ellen Free