School Spirit Is Now Acceptable; See You in the Stands

For the past two weeks, the pages of the Cornell Daily Sun have been saturated with columnists eagerly offering unsolicited advice to bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshmen: Explore Ithaca. Don’t stress. Don’t drink. Don’t think about the future. Think about the future. Smile more. Succeed at sex without really trying.
It’s all fascinating advice, and it’s all based on the absurd notion that the smiling mug shots in this publication know better than you, the reader, how to live your life.
So I’m going to add one more nugget of unqualified advice to the clamor:
Go to a Cornell sporting event and cheer on your team.

M. Basketball Schedule Features Matchups at Kansas, Syracuse

The two-time defending Ivy League champions will have their work cut out for them in 2009-10 — men’s basketball head coach Steve Donahue announced the team’s schedule on Friday, and it appears to be possibly the toughest non-conference schedule in Cornell history. Donahue has a history of challenging his players before the Ivy season begins — the Red has played Syracuse in four of the last five seasons, and took on powerhouses like Duke in 2007-08 and Indiana and Minnesota in 2008-09. With all five starters returning, Cornell (21-10 overall in 2008-09, 11-3 Ivy League) might just be up to the challenge.

Victory on Senior Night Vaults Red to Tourney

While celebrating Senior Night, the last regular season game of the year, with a 5-2 win over Union, the men’s hockey team also ensured that it will return to Lynah Rink once more this season for a quarterfinal matchup in the ECAC Hockey tournament. With the victory, Cornell is guaranteed a first-round bye in the tournament and no lower than the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.
On a night to recognize the eight graduating seniors on the Cornell roster, it was rising junior center Riley Nash who put on an offensive show. He racked up two goals and two assists and seemed to be at the center of most of the Red’s chances on offense.

M. Lacrosse Suffers Heartbreaking Loss in NCAA Finals

When rising sophomore midfielder Roy Lang scored to put the men’s lacrosse team up 9-6 with 5:37 left in the NCAA finals, it seemed like things were going too smoothly against defending national champion Orange. It had been a close, hard-fought game, but the Red was getting all the breaks — Syracuse attackman Stephen Keogh’s goal in the fourth quarter was waved off because of a nearly imperceptible crease violation, Cornell was drawing penalties to keep possessions going and the team’s goalie Jake Myers ‘09 was at the top of his game, holding Orange attackmen Kenny Nims and Keogh to just one score in four shots on goal.

Men’s Lacrosse Upsets Top-Ranked Princeton

It took more than a year for the men’s lacrosse team to “get over the hump” of beating a top-5 team, but head coach Jeff Tambroni said his squad seemed to channel the spirit and intensity of the 2007 season in its 10-7 win over top-ranked Princeton on Saturday April 18 at Schoellkopf Field. With the win, Cornell secured a share of the 2009 Ivy League championship, its seventh consecutive league title.
Senior midfielder John Glynn continued his warrior effort at the face-off X, and the team made every possession count by slowing down the pace of the game and taking the “best available shot,” which is a mantra of Tambroni’s offense.

Syracuse's Comeback for the Ages in National Championship Game Ends Cornell's Season

When freshman midfielder Roy Lang scored to put the men’s lacrosse team up 9-6 with 5:37 left in the NCAA finals, it seemed like things were going too smoothly against defending national champion Orange. It had been a close, hard-fought game, but the Red was getting all the breaks — Syracuse attackman Stephen Keogh’s goal in the fourth quarter was waved off because of a nearly imperceptible crease violation, Cornell was drawing penalties to keep possessions going and the team’s senior goalie Jake Myers was at the top of his game, holding Orange attackmen Kenny Nims and Keogh to just one score in four shots on goal.

With Championship on the Line, M. Lax Hopes for Revenge Against Syracuse

The men’s lacrosse team’s 2009 season came full circle when it upset top seed Virginia for a chance to play in the national championship game against No. 2 seed Syracuse. The Red shocked the Cavaliers, 15-6, by playing intelligent team defense and, above all, controlling possession and showing discipline on offense. Those talents, however, weren’t always in the 2009 team’s repertoire — they appeared out of necessity after the Red’s 15-10 loss to the same Orange squad that will take the field on Monday looking for its second consecutive (11th overall) national title.

Sports Update: M. Lacrosse to Host Hofstra in NCAA Tournament

Men’s lacrosse: 8, Hobart: 7
Men’s lacrosse holds on to defeat Hobart despite not scoring in the second half; team will play Hofstra in NCAA tournament

The Statesman defense and junior goalie Max Silberlicht shut down the No. 2 offense in the country for an entire half on Saturday, but Cornell’s eight first-half goals were enough of a cushion for the Red to get the 8-7 win in its last regular-season game of 2009. The 15 seniors on the Red’s roster were treated to a win in their regular-season finale at Schoellkopf Field, pushing Cornell’s record to 10-3, the fifth straight season with 10 wins. Hobart fell to 7-7.

Brown Topples Men’s Lacrosse

It was a back-and-forth battle throughout, but the No. 13 Bears spoiled the No. 2/4 men’s lacrosse team’s bid for an undefeated Ivy League season and sole possession of the Ivy title. Brown’s senior goalie Jordan Burke made 18 saves and the Bears rode the momentum from a fired-up home crowd to an 11-9 win over the Red on Saturday.
The loss drops Cornell to 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the Ivy League and ensures that the winner of the Brown-Princeton game next Saturday will receive a share of the Ivy League title. Next weekend’s game will also determine which team gets the Ancient Eight’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. If Brown (12-2, 4-1 Ivy) beats Princeton, the Bears will go to the tournament, and if Princeton wins, Cornell will receive the automatic berth.