With only three days to recover from a 3-0 loss to cross-town rival Syracuse, the Red opens its Ivy League schedule tomorrow in New York City, taking on Columbia. Cornell will also finish off its non-conference schedule, taking on Hartford tomorrow as well.

When the Red (2-8) made the trip to Syracuse (10-4) Wednesday night, nobody was hoping for a repeat of last year’s 3-0 win by the Orange. But that’s exactly what they got, falling in straight sets, 25-20, 25-15, 25-12.

“We started off really strong, but we just weren’t able to close,” said head coach Sarah Bernson. “Our discipline broke down. We haven’t gotten to that point yet of pushing through and finishing a set. When [our opponent] challenges us at those key moments –– that’s what we need to work on.”

After having a rough time at the Cornell Invitational, which concluded in a 0-3 loss to Buffalo, the volleyball team is heading further upstate in hopes of acquiring a win. The Red will play Syracuse tonight at 7 p.m. at the Manley Field House in Syracuse, N.Y., hoping to improve its 2-7 record.

The Orange (9-4) came to Newman Arena last September for the 2008 home opener, trouncing the Red 3-0 in the teams’ only matchup of the season.

“They have a few key hitters that are very quick and are very dynamic offensively, so we’ll have to keep track of them,” said head coach Sarah Bernson. “A good test for us will be that those hitters are on the outside, middle and right, so we’re not able to key in on just one position.”

Men’s soccer head coach Jaro Zawislan’s return to his old stomping ground of Syracuse may not have unfolded exactly as planned, but there was a silver lining to the long weekend, as the Red (1-1) picked up its first win of the season against Hartwick (1-1-1), and the first of Zawislan’s tenure as coach. A late-game penalty kick gave Syracuse (1-2) the advantage in Saturday night’s matchup, but Cornell would rebound in commanding fashion on Monday night –– shutting out Hartwick by a score of 1-0. In doing so, the Red equaled its win total from last season and snapped an 11-game losing streak dating back to Sept. 21, 2008.

In what men’s soccer head coach Jaro Zawislan deemed “an irony of fate,” the Red will open its 2009 season tomorrow night against his former team and local Cornell rival –– Syracuse.

“It wasn’t planned,” Zawislan said with a laugh. “It was prearranged many years ago that this game was going to be [the] opening game for Cornell men’s soccer, and for Syracuse, the home opener.”

Zawislan spent the past seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Orange before taking over as Bryan Scales’ replacement in April. Since then, he has been working to change the culture of the team and learn as much about the players as possible, while simultaneously organizing intense training sessions in order to maintain a competitive environment.

Senior goalie Jake Myers and Red defenders look on in horror as Syracuse's Cody Jamieson finds the back of the net for the game-winning goal to hand the Orange the national championship and end the Red's 2009 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.

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Cornell had the lead from beginning to end until Syracuse senior attackman Kenny Nims scored at the end of a circus play with four seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 9. The Red was attempting a clear but the Syracuse ride forced the turnover and several looping passes later, Nims fired a low shot past Cornell senior goalie Jake Myers from point-blank range to force overtime.

Cornell won the face-off in overtime but a quick turnover led to a goal by Syracuse's Cody Jamieson, who was academically ineligible for most of the season but made a huge impact in his few games with the team. Jamieson's goal handed Syracuse the 10-9 overtime win.

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.