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Cornell gave top-ranked Virginia something to worry about, taking a 7-6 lead into the locker rooms on Sunday afternoon and allowing even the most pessimistic fans to hope. The good fortune did not last, however, and the Cavaliers surged back over the next two periods to hand the No. 4 Red its first loss of the season, 14-10.

With the loss, Cornell slips to 2-1 on the season. Virginia remains perfect, with a 7-0 record overall.

The No. 4 men’s lacrosse team is off to a quick 2-0 start to the 2009 season and will get the chance to make a loud statement on Sunday when it takes on No. 1 Virginia at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. A team as deep and talented as the Red would be favored in most games, but against the Cavaliers, who are off to a perfect 6-0 start this season, Cornell would have to be considered the underdog. Underdog or not, head coach Jeff Tambroni has a plan for his team.

“We’re going to stay away from the underdog/favorite [mindset] and just focus on the little things that we can do against Virginia,” Tambroni said. “They have weaknesses, like every other team, and we’re going to make sure we try to exploit those.”

Jam it home: Senior Max Siebald scored the game-winning goal against Army this past weekend at West Point, N.Y., with 1:00 left on the clock.

Palesky made 22 saves for the Black Knights (1-2) in an excellent performance, turning away charge after charge by the Red (2-0) offense.

“Their goalie played a great game, we had a ton of opportunities to score,” said freshman attack Rob Pannell.

Check Monday's edition of The Cornell Daily Sun for additional coverage

Men's Lacrosse: Cornell 9, Army 8

The men's lacrosse team walked away from its second game of the season with a tight win against Army. The game winner was a cooperative effort between All-Americans Michael Seibold and John Glynn who combined for the goal that put No. 4/6 Cornell over the top. Siebold scored on a low, hard shot on the army goal from 15 yards out, from an assist by Glynn. The team is now 2-0, continuing its step towards the top.

The sun came out of hiding yesterday, and in an uncharacteristic gesture of goodwill, embraced the men’s lacrosse team with its tepid —but very welcome — rays. While not technically its season opener owing to the team’s dominant, 18-6, win last week over Binghamton, the Red will not have much time to enjoy Ithaca’s spontaneous hot flash, as it will be traveling to West Point this Saturday for what is essentially the team’s first real challenge of the season. No. 4/6 Cornell (1-0) will be challenging the home team, Army (1-1), which is coming off a tough, 17-6, loss last week to No. 1/2 Syracuse. Stick ’em up: Senior captain Max Seibald (42) dodges a Brown opponent during last season’s matchup

The No. 7/6 men’s lacrosse team will open its 2009 season tomorrow at noon against Binghamton. The Red has taken on the Bearcats five times and holds a 5-0 edge against the team, but this will be the first game between the two held at Binghamton rather than Schoellkopf Field.

The Red finished last season 11-4 and returns four preseason all-Americans — John Glynn, Matt Moyer, Max Seibald and Ryan Hurley. Expectations for the team are set high this season — Inside Lacrosse picked the Red to finish fourth in the country and first in the Ivy League in its preseason media poll. Head coach Jeff Tambroni has a record of 84-30 in his eight seasons at Cornell.

The men’s lacrosse team will make its annual preseason trip to Baltimore to scrimmage perennial powerhouse Johns Hopkins tomorrow.

The past few years have seen the Red and the Blue Jays face off as a final tuneup before starting their seasons. Although the game will not count towards any record, the matchup will be between two top-5 teams. Cornell and Johns Hopkins rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the preseason Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook. In addition, the Blue Jays have six preseason All-Americans, while the Red boasts four.

Cornell and Johns Hop­kins have been linked since 2000 when then-Red head coach Dave Pietramala left Cornell to assume the top spot at his alma matter, Johns Hopkins.

Saturday marked the fourth annual 21 Dinner, an event intended to honor fallen Cornell men’s lacrosse player George Boiardi ’04. Boiardi, who died in an accident on the lacrosse field in March 2004, wore jersey No. 21 –– a distinction that serves as the namesake for the fundraiser.

The dinner, once again hosted at Bridgewaters in New York City, was established by Jesse Rothstein ’03 as a means of paying tribute to his good friend and lacrosse teammate.

“It was a fantastic event; we had over 300 attendees, and we just had an unbelievable time remembering the life and legacy of George Boiardi,” said Rothstein.

Yesterday, Ivy League Executive Director Jeff Orleans announced a change in the Ivy League lacrosse season that will create a four-team tournament. Set to be implemented for the first time in the spring 2010 season, that will determine the Ivy League’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championships. The winners of the Ivy League championships will continue, however, to be determined by the results of the league’s round-robin competitions.