M. Lax Looks to Keep Rolling Against Canisius

Last Saturday, men’s lacrosse splashed across Schoellkopf Field, battling and eventually holding off hard-charging Army for a 9-8 victory. The Red will be looking to ride this early momentum as it stares down a short week at its next opponent — Canisius, who it will play at home tomorrow afternoon.

“The win [against Army] is definitely something we want to build on,” said junior defender Matt Moyer.

Moyer said that Cornell (2-1, 0-0) has been working hard during its practice, in the lead-up to tomorrow’s game.

“We just need to come out in practice and keep up the intensity,” Moyer said. “We know Canisius (0-2, 0-0) is a pretty good team.”

Because the Canisius match is on a Wednesday, the team has fewer days than usual to prepare for the competition, both physically and mentally.

“It’s a short week of preparation,” said junior midfielder Max Seibald. “We’ve been focusing on making ourselves better.”

The team has been practicing plays, and watching film on its newest opponent.

One of the specific aspects of play Seibald said they had paid particular attention to in practice was maintaining control of the game, and the ball, during the end of the game when the other team is desperately trying to mount a last-second comeback. This is a time when it’s important that everyone on the field works together. [1]Back off: Junior midfielder Max Seibald (42) takes on two Penn defenders in the Red’s 20-5 victory over the Quakers on March 31, 2007. Seibald has four goals in three games on the young season.

Cornell started off strong against Army, scoring five goals in the second quarter. Seven different Red players scored in the contest, with only two players scoring more than one goal.

There are lessons to be learned from the team’s performance against Army.

“Army was the first time we thought we played more cohesively as a team,” Seibald said. “We had a lot more commitment on the field. We really caught a glimpse of the sort of team identity that we’re trying to achieve.”

Seibald elaborated on this concept of team unity, which, he said, is an essential element of a winning team.

“In order for us to be successful, we have to work as a team,” Seibald said. “We compete together. If we go out there and are not working as a team, then any team in the country has a chance to beat us. On defense, [Canisius] definitely has some guys who like to attack. They are very physical.”

A win tomorrow would benefit the Red for several reasons, besides the obvious one of another ‘W’ in the left-hand column. Cornell hopes to win tomorrow, and then carry that momentum over into the team’s two Spring Break matches, against Denver and Yale.

“The win is definitely something we’re trying to build on,” Moyer said. “Obviously, the way the game played out against Army, it took a lot of teamwork to win. That was definitely the most important part of the weekend. If we come out and work hard together, we’ll come away with the win. Then we can take that momentum and build on it.”

Moyer echoed the sentiments of his teammate.

“We want to win on Wednesday,” he said. “Any opportunity to create some momentum going into Spring Break. [The break] is a chance for us all to grow as a team, to learn our strengths and weaknesses.”