Recent Contributions from Allie Perez

The Sun Sports Staff Selects the Year's Top 15 Sophomore Athletes

Allie Perez — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Each year, the Sun chooses the top athletes from each class. Below are the 15 best sophomores as selected by the members of the Sun's sports department. On Friday, the Sun will reveal its choice for Athlete of the Year.

Louis Dale - Men's Basketball

AP Honorable Mention All-American Dale did many things for the Ivy League champion men’s basketball team this year. The Birmingham, Ala., native was dangerous at the charity stripe, breaking the school record by making 52 consecutive shots from the line and finishing the season ranked seventh in the nation in free-throw shooting (89.7 percent).

Red Ends Season Last in Ivy League

Allie Perez — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Despite a thrilling ninth-inning comeback, which gave the baseball team a 6-5 win in the opening game of the weekend, the Red dropped the rest of its games with Ivy foe Princeton.

“What will carry over to next year [from this weekend] is the sting of losing three out of four,” said sophomore Nate David. “Dropping these last two games, I hope the guys remember what it feels like and it motivates people in the offseason.”

Red Will Try to Play Spoiler Against Tigers

Allie Perez — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Beating a heated rival in the final game of the season is like the cherry on top of a great season, giving a team the momentum that pushes it into postseason success. Though the baseball team doesn’t have a shot at this season’s title, the Cornell-Princeton matchup — which traditionally closes out the Ivy League season — usually has some drama to it, and this weekend’s home-and-home series is no different.

“We consider them our rivals,” said senior Brian Kaufman. “They’re our travel partners. We’ve always played them the last weekend. We’ve [even] had the opportunity to play them for the championship.”

Cornell Looking For Wins in Season Finale

Allie Perez — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In the first game of the 2008 season, the baseball team snatched a one-run victory, 1-0, from Siena in Charlottesville, Va. This afternoon, in a doubleheader at Hoy Field, Cornell will face this familiar foe in its final non-league contest. Going into the last weekend of Ivy competition, today’s doubleheader offers a chance for the Red (11-22, 5-11 Ivy) to go full circle against the Saints (14-23, 7-8 MAAC).

After losing 3-of-4 against Columbia this past weekend and seeing its chances in the Ancient Eight plummet, the Red will also be looking for some redemption this afternoon.

An Homage to the Home Stadium

Allie Perez — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Do you feel lucky? Maybe you will once classes have ended and you’re living the life on Slope Day, but when it comes to baseball, I’m getting chills from how much bad luck has made headlines recently.

Ranging from simple bad luck to tragedy — bad omens seem to keep popping up in some of the most legendary baseball stadi-

ums in America.

The series of unfortunate events began two weeks ago with (I’m not making this up) a freakish hawk attack at Fenway Park.

Cornell Seeks Redemption

Allie Perez — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With morale at an all-time high after a three-win outing at Penn over the weekend, the baseball team will get a chance today to exorcise some demons from earlier in the season. In a rematch of Cornell’s 11-5 overtime loss to Le Moyne two weeks ago, the Red (10-17, 4-8 Ivy) will play an afternoon doubleheader with Le Moyne (14-16) in Syracuse, N.Y.

“We’re coming off a pretty good weekend,” said freshman Mickey Brodsky. “We have a different confidence about us. We just want to keep the winning streak alive. … Plus we haven’t beaten them in awhile. It’s about time we got some payback against them.”

Baseball Takes Three of Four From Quakers

Allie Perez — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

After a 5-2 loss to Penn in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday, the baseball team clawed back to an eighth inning, 6-6 tie in Game 2 before the contest was suspended due to darkness. After the sun rose over Philadelphia yesterday morning, however, the Red was working on all cylinders in completing three wins over the Quakers by increasing margins, 10-8, 8-1 and 16-5.

Can Political Activism Go Too Far?

Allie Perez — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I don’t know about you all, but I was kind of glad on Monday when Kansas put an end to an NCAA tournament that has wreaked havoc with my bracket like no other in recent memory.

Like much of America, I tend to get caught up in March Madness, obsessed even; it’s a fact. But during such a high-stress period of life, and just in general, I think we tend to forget that there are more “serious” things going on around us — it takes sports to make us sit up and take notice.

Baseball Splits Midweek Ivy Homestand

Allie Perez — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Baseball, at times, can be a game of inches. Yesterday afternoon, both the Cornell and Harvard squads inched their way to conference success, as the two teams split a doubleheader at Hoy Field. Both the Red (7-16, 1-7 Ivy) and the Crimson (2-22, 1-7 Ivy) gained their first Ivy win. In both games, only one run separated the winner from the loser.

Cornell got its first win in six games with a 6-5 victory in Game 1. The 2-1 loss, however, for the home team in Game 2 was the Red’s fourth one-run loss in its last six games, going back to the weekend.

“We try not to let the first game affect the second game [in doubleheaders],” said senior second baseman Jimmy Heinz, “but we played flat in the first game. So maybe the excitement of the first game kind of deflated us a little bit.”

Baseball Looks to Rebound From Tough Loss

Allie Perez — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

When the baseball team faces Brown and Yale on the road this weekend all three teams will have something to prove.

Though Brown and Yale are lingering in the middle of the Rolfe Division standings, the Red (6-11, 0-2 Ivy and last place in the Gehrig Division) has dropped its last three games, two league contests last weekend with Dartmouth and an 11-5 heartbreaker to LeMoyne (10-14) yesterday afternoon at Hoy field.

Red Forward Nets Another Award

Allie Perez — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The women’s basketball team has had a couple weeks to reflect on its first round NCAA tournament loss to the No.1-seeded University of Connecticut, but the Red is also still receiving recognition for its achievements.

The Associated Press honorable mention All-America team was announced Tuesday, the same day that UConn defeated Rutgers to advance to the Final Four, and a Cornell women’s basketball player was an honoree for the first time in program history.

Rising star: All-American Jeomi Maduka (45) takes the ball down the court in the Red’s Ivy title-netting win over Dartmouth March 16.

After Rainouts, Team Ready To Take on Le Moyne College

Allie Perez — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Unpredictable Ithaca weather this week has been dictating more than just the average student’s fashion choices on the East Hill. This week, even the members of the baseball team have been reconsidering their daily ensembles: normal clothes or uniform and cleats? After hours of debate and several schedule changes over the past few days, the Red will be dressed in full uniform to host in-state rival Le Moyne College at Hoy Field tomorrow at 4 p.m.

The team only found out yesterday afternoon that the Le Moyne game — originally set for today — was back on. When the weekend storms forced a postponement of the Red’s Saturday doubleheader against Harvard, schedules had to be tweaked.

‘Tuch’ Brings Family Tradition to Cornell

Allie Perez — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Sophomore pitcher Tony Bertucci’s given name is actually Don Antony, but the biggest thing the Cornell hurler has in common with a Mafia mastermind is the Family emphasis — and, in Bertucci’s case, baseball is a prominent part of the family legacy.

“[I started playing baseball] in the backyard with my dad and my grandpa, just learning the game,” he said. “It goes back pretty deep in my family, so [there’s] a lot of pride as far as baseball’s concerned.”

Baseball is in the Bertucci blood. The Cornell pitcher’s older brother played one year at Notre Dame, while his younger brother is a sophomore on his high school team. All three brothers have answered to the same nickname in their baseball careers based on the family name, “Tuch.”

Experienced Di Ricco Excels in Leadoff Role

Allie Perez — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On the baseball team, junior returning starter Dom Di Ricco is known as “Little Guy,” not for his physical size but for his home run-lacking style at the plate.

“This fall, when we would take batting practice, we would have silent competitions between [sophomore] Nate David and I,” Di Ricco said. “[David] refers to himself as Baby Bash … and I’m just Little Guy. … I tried to add a little power [in the offseason], but that didn’t work too well. I’m just a scrappy leadoff hitter. I love it. I get dirty every game, trying to slide everywhere.”

Red Baseball Team Goes .500 in Florida

Allie Perez — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

From Major League Baseball Spring Training to little league talent and everything in between, Florida is a magnet for competitive baseball. The Red experienced this firsthand last week, as the baseball team went 4-4 over the break against tough competition — including now-No. 3 Miami — in the sunshine state. Dropping four in a row after starting with two wins, the Red (6-8) is now on a two-game winning streak going into its Ivy opener this weekend.

M. Icers Travel for Quarterfinals

Allie Perez — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The men’s hockey team is not used to playing in the first round of the playoffs — not used to being the underdog in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals — but that’s exactly what it is going into this weekend’s playoff series against Union.

“We know that Union’s a very tough team,” said sophomore co-alternate captain Colin Greening. “They’re a team that does anything to win.”

W. Polo Opens Regionals Against Crimson

Allie Perez — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With the Eastern Regional Championships beginning today at Oxley Equestrian Center, the women’s polo team (10-5) is approaching that time of year that defines the year’s success or failure — Nationals. Before the Red can get ahead of itself, however, the team will face off against Harvard today at 12:30 p.m. at Oxley Equestrian Center.

Harvard is the lowest seed in the tournament at No. 7. Though the team doesn’t have any previous experience with the Crimson to draw from, Cornell is not particularly worried.

Men’s Hockey Pushes Past Solid Green Goalie

Allie Perez — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0400

The Red’s power play seemed to falter at first Friday night at Lynah Rink. But with the game tied at 2-2 and mere minutes left in regulation. It finally pulled through on senior co-captain Raymond Sawada’s third period game-winner. The goal gave the men’s hockey team a 3-2 win over Dartmouth in the opening game of its first-round best-of-three playoff series.

“The game was very similar to last year’s playoff game [against Quinnipiac],” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “Last year, we didn’t get that power play goal, and this year we did. That’s kind of the difference in years. … I talked to our guys [and said that] it’s a 120-minute series. We’re just through the first 60.”

Baseball Splits Doubleheader in Philadelphia

Allie Perez — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

The baseball team was originally scheduled to play four games in Pennsylvania over the weekend. The rain had other plans, however, and Cornell crammed a weekend’s worth of action into Friday night’s doubleheader with La Salle.

Behind solid pitching in both ends of the doubleheader — the Red (2-4) dropped Game 1, 1-0, but rebounded with a 4-0 win in what would be the team’s last outing on a Philadelphia field.

“It’s not like we were asleep the first game,” said junior outfielder Domenic Di Ricco, “but we could really feel a change in the dugout [for the second game]. Guys were picking each other up and high-fiving each other. There was a real change in attitude. It felt like we were really playing baseball again, despite the horrible weather.”

Gallagher Leads Power Play Effort as Consistent Playmaker

Allie Perez — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Hailing from the municipality of Dartmouth (N.S., not N.H.), sophomore forward Blake Gallagher already has a preexisting tie to the men’s hockey team’s opponent this weekend. After playing in Lynah Rink just a week ago, the Green return to Ithaca from Hanover, N.H., to face the Red in a first-round playoff series this weekend.

There is, however, an even deeper connection to Dartmouth for one of the Red’s resident playmakers. Since Gallagher’s father played college hockey for in-state conference rival St. Lawrence, ECAC Hockey is in the Red forward’s blood.

Expect the Unexpected When Sports Is Involved

Allie Perez — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

When I came to Cornell almost two years ago, I expected that all the brilliant people here would trample over some of my previously-held beliefs with their superior arguments. Well, I don’t know if the arguments were superior, but at least a few academics have made me question ideas that I once held as truth.

One of these times came when ILR Statistics Prof. Paul Velleman lectured about a particular concept from a 1985 study by another Cornell professor.

Bringing Elegance to the Ice

Allie Perez — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Even though the Cornell Figure Skating Club Team had just returned from a weekend competition at the University of Delaware, several girls showed up for the team’s usual Tuesday practice time at Lynah Rink. Chatting with each other as they laced up their skates, something else was bothering the skaters more than the “massive bruises” they had gotten from either the competition or Monday’s practice.

After ending up in a three-way tie for second place at Delaware on Sunday, the Red was still waiting to hear if it would have a berth at Nationals. Only the top-3 teams in the Eastern Conference will be allowed to compete April 5 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

At Tuesday’s practice, the skaters were optimistic. For them, the journey is more important than the destination.

Baseball Slumps in UVA Tourney

Allie Perez — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It was good news and bad news for the baseball team this past weekend. Though the Red won its season opener over the weekend — a 1-0 win over Siena on Friday — the Red dropped its next three games in Charlottesville, Va., falling to No. 16 host Virginia twice and to Siena on the final day of the tournament.

“Overall, [the weekend] wasn’t as good as we hoped for,” said freshman pitcher Corey Pappel, “but I think we showed ourselves that we can play with top competition. We just have to play all game every game, not just in segments like we did. …

Weekend Brings Highs and Lows for M. Hockey

Allie Perez — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Though the men’s hockey team endured a heartbreaking loss to Harvard the next day during an emotional Senior Night, the hallowed halls of Lynah gained some new legends Friday night in the Red’s 6-0 shutout against Dartmouth.

After Friday’s game, the Faithful wasn’t able to focus its cheers on one game hero. Senior co-captain Topher Scott became the 44th Cornellian to hit 100 career points, and sophomore co-alternate captain Colin Greening recorded the first Cornell hat trick since Matt Moulson’s ’06 on Feb. 19, 2005.

SLIDESHOW: Click to view a slideshow of the Harvard game!

Softball Attempts Undefeated Start for Second Year in Row

Allie Perez — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Though the softball team is heading south this afternoon, the task at hand is not sunning on a beach, but opening the team’s 2008 season. As the reigning champions of the George Mason Classic in Fairfax, Va., the Red hopes to repeat its four-game sweep in last year’s Patriot Classic.

With two games each on Saturday and Sunday, Cornell (0-0) will take on Quinnipiac (2-2), host George Mason (0-5) and Niagara (0-4). Cornell will open and close the tournament facing Quinnipiac.

“It’s pretty cold [in Ithaca], so I can’t imagine it being much warmer [in Virginia],” said 2007 Co-MVP senior outfielder Jenna Campagnolo. “I know it was very cold [last year], but we won all our games last year. So hopefully we can do it again.”

Small M. Hockey Senior Class Makes Big Impact

Allie Perez — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

“It’s to the point where we’re pretty much brothers,” said senior men’s hockey co-captain Raymond Sawada. “We know exactly what buttons to push to get each other going … to get each other going positively and at the same time give each other a hard time but with that brother kind of relationship that we forget about it five minutes later.”

With Senior Night falling on Saturday’s faceoff with perennial rival Harvard — and playoff momentum and a first-week bye on the line — the four seniors on the team will have an opportunity to show off their chemistry and leadership.

M. Hockey Battles for First-Round Bye

Allie Perez — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

As Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik will successfully recover from the freak accident last weekend in which he was slashed by a teammate’s skate, the men’s hockey team also hopes to rebound from last weekend’s bizarre, winless road trip as the team hosts Union tonight and RPI tomorrow night at Lynah Rink.

Dwelling on the past isn’t an option for the Red. This weekend’s matchup has the added of significance of featuring the two teams fighting it out for fourth place in the ECAC — the last spot which guarantees a first-round bye for playoffs. Unanimously picked to finish last in the league this year, Union is now in fifth place.

M. Hockey Falls to Underdog Saints on Road

Allie Perez — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

With a 4-2 loss to conference foe St. Lawrence and no points on the weekend, the men’s hockey team suffered a fall from No. 2 to No. 4 in the ECAC. Even in victory, however, the Saints suffered as well — they watched one of their star players carried off the ice on a stretcher just minutes into the second period Saturday night.

The Red (11-9-3, 9-6-1 ECAC Hockey) had come to Canton, N.Y., anxious to protect its place in the standings. From the opening faceoff, however, the Saints (10-14-4, 5-9-2) were passing well and pushing into the offensive zone in an attempt to salvage a disappointing season. Capitalizing on an early power play opportunity, junior Saints defenseman Jared Ross scored from the left point only 1:23 into the contest.

Red Loses Battle of Top-2 ECAC Teams

Allie Perez — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The saying goes that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Going into its matchup with Clarkson on Friday, the men’s hockey team was aware of its recent history of defeat against the No. 1 team in the conference. Cornell successfully avoided the biggest mistakes of its last meeting, but was still doomed to repeat the final result in a 4-1 road loss to the No. 13-ranked team in the nation.

Perez Spreads the Valentine’s Day Love to Sports

Allie Perez — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Happy times are most definitely here again, SpyGate and steroids notwithstanding. The Giants beat the Patriots on Sunday, and the coming week ushers in the first wave of spring training. As Yankees pitchers and catchers report to Legends Field this coming Thursday, Feb. 14 is a fateful day for another reason as well: Valentine’s Day.

To commemorate the hallowed All Hallmarks Eve, I would like to suggest a few sports movies that anyone can enjoy individually, with a significant other or a good friend on the occasion of our nation’s annual obsession with love.

M. Icers’ Michael Kennedy Enjoys Breakout Year

Allie Perez — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the men’s hockey team’s 4-1 victory over Brown last Friday, junior forward Michael Kennedy’s 15th career goal extended the Cornell lead to 2-0 in the first period. That score is just one in a long line of recent success for the third-year forward out of Dorchester, Ont.

“Mike’s done a tremendous job,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “I’m not a big statistics guys, [but] I know he continues to score.”

Statistically, this has been Kennedy’s breakout year.

Greening's Two Goals Propel Cornell

Allie Perez — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the men’s hockey team’s home contest with Yale Saturday night, two scoreless periods sandwiched one explosive period when all four goals of the game were scored. Sophomore co-alternate captain Colin Greening notched two goals on the night to spark a Cornell comeback, though overtime wasn’t enough to break the 2-2 tie.

Cornell (9-7-3, 7-4-1 ECAC Hockey) is now tied with Quinnipiac for the No. 3 spot in the conference after getting two points on Friday and one from the tie with Yale (9-7-4, 5-4-4). Despite the rowdy crowd, this was the third consecutive 2-2 tie when Yale has visited Lynah.

The Ugly Truth Behind Popularity in the Sports World

Allie Perez — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Did anyone hear about the kid in Mexico who glued his hand to his bed so that he wouldn’t have to go back to school? It’s not a long-term solution, of course, but I’m still thinking that kid deserves some sort of medal for, for lack of a better term, the cojones to pull off a stunt like that.

Unfortunately, those involved in sports continued to do equally stupid things over Winter Break — without the excuse of being 10 years old. Case in point: around page 44 of the Mitchell Report, I got so depressed that I felt like someone had dropped the 300-and-some-page monster on my head.

Scrivens’ 27 Saves Pace Red in Victory

Allie Perez — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In its return to Lynah Rink, the men’s hockey team outplayed St. Lawrence for a 3-1 win over the Red’s conference foe. Cornell (8-6-2, 6-3-0 ECAC Hockey) avenged last season’s two-game sweep by the Saints (9-10-3, 4-5-2).

Freshman Riley Nash netted two goals for the home team, while classmate Jacob Johnston echoed the success of his sister, freshman women’s hockey forward Rebecca Johnston. The defenseman scored his first collegiate goal in his first appearance on the ice for the Red.

B.U. Doubles Up Cornell at MSG

Allie Perez — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

NEW YORK — From the opening seconds Saturday night at storied Madison Square Garden, the men’s hockey team’s matchup with long-time rival Boston University was steeped in college hockey tradition and program pride. In the teams’ first meeting since Cornell won two games at Lynah Rink in 2002, the rivalry was renewed this weekend, as legendary former head coaches Ned Harkness, escorted by former Red captain John Hughes, and BU’s Jack Kelly presided over the ceremonial puck drop,

Cornell tops Dartmouth for ﬁrst time since 2004

Allie Perez — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

HANOVER, N.H. — With a vocal Red crowd in hostile Green territory, the men’s hockey team’s 4-1 road win against Dartmouth Saturday night was an even, uneventful game in person and on paper — with no spectacular, game-defining play and a one-shot advantage going to Dartmouth, 23-22.

Christmas came early for Cornell this weekend, however, as the Red left town with a 4-1 victory behind the solid performance of sophomore netminder Ben Scrivens and a two-goal outburst from freshman Dan Nicholls.

Red Hits Road for Finale

Allie Perez — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Berman Field has been good to the men’s soccer team of late, but the Red will hope to take some of that magic on the road this weekend for the season finale against Penn.

After winning its last two homestands, Cornell (7-8-1, 1-4-1 Ivy) will face the Quakers (5-9-2, 2-4) in Philadelphia tomorrow night with a .500 record for the Red on the line.

What Do Preseason Rankings Mean? Anything?

Allie Perez — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Just a week ago, Gardner-Webb’s men’s basketball team slaughtered Kentucky in Rupp Arena. Rivals.com’s preseason rankings had Kentucky at No. 27 to the No. 300 Bulldogs. Now I’m as far away from a math person as you could possibly get, but even I can tell that there’s a big difference there (or at least there’s supposed to be).

In the shock and surprise after the upset, however, I think people have been ignoring an important question. Think a second. What do those numbers actually mean?

Men's Soccer Recap

Allie Perez — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

What a way to go out. Though Columbia (3-12-1, 0-6 Ivy) forced the men’s soccer team (7-8-1, 1-4-1) to overtime at Berman Field on Saturday, the home team rallied around the departing seniors on Senior Night. Senior forward Brian Kuritzky had the gamewinner in the final seconds of the match to give the Red its first Ivy win.

“A lot of emotion went into [the game],” Kuritzky said. “It’s our last game for five of us. We’ve been through a lot. From where this program’s come from to where it is now, it’s just a testament to the guys on the team. It’s just so nice to [win the final home game] for everybody.”

Greening Scores Two Goals in Red Victory

Allie Perez — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Young talent and experienced leadership combined Saturday night to give the men’s hockey team a 4-1 victory over Brown and a clean weekend sweep on the road. Recovering from a slow start, the Red (3-2, 3-1 ECAC Hockey) has gotten key contributions from the freshmen.

“They’re just starting to get their confidence,” said junior defenseman Jared Seminoff. “After playing a few games, you get all the jitters out and all the nervousness out, that and [the underclassmen are] just really gelling well with our team.”

Men’s Hockey Travels To Battle Yale, Brown

Allie Perez — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The men’s hockey team will delve into conference competition this weekend without the safety of Lynah Rink, as the Red will travel to face Yale (1-1-2, 0-0-2 ECAC Hockey) tonight and Brown (0-1-2, 0-0-2) tomorrow night. Last weekend, Yale tied with Rensselaer on Friday night, 1-1, and Union on Saturday, 3-3, while Brown skated to a 2-2 standstill against Union on Friday and Rensselaer on Saturday. All four games went to overtime.

Cornell, however, is not interested in a tie or even a split. After losing to Princeton last Friday, 3-2, before topping Quinnipiac, 5-3, in an electric vengeance match on Saturday, the Red is looking for a sweep.

M. Soccer Welcomes Local Rival Hartwick to Ithaca

Allie Perez — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Like the Yankees-Red Sox or the Packers-Bears, rivalries are mostly created when two teams play each other so often that each matchup carries a special meaning. Berman Field will be the scene of one of these challenges tonight, as the men’s soccer team (5-8-1, 0-4-1 Ivy) takes on in-state rival Hartwick (5-4-6, 2-1-2 MAC) at 7 p.m.

The competitive history of this rivalry favors Hartwick. The Hawks lead the all-time series, 29-11-4.

M. Soccer Give Up Early Goal En Route to Loss

Allie Perez — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

When the men’s soccer team traveled to Hanover, N.H., to face No. 23 Dartmouth Saturday night, the Red hoped to see some sort of spark to ignite the team to its first Ivy win. Instead, Dartmouth (10-3-2, 4-0-1 Ivy) got the good fortune, as the Red (4-8-1, 0-4-1) surrendered a goal just 47 seconds into the game on the way to a 3-1 loss on the road.

“It sounds like the same story, different day,” said senior Brian Kuritzky. “We just came out slow. We can’t give up soft goals in the first five minutes of the half. That’s not on one person. It’s on the whole team.”

Late Tally Lifts Tigers Over Red

Allie Perez — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The men’s hockey team’s loss to Ivy rival Princeton Friday night, 3-2, was an exercise in frustration for the home team. The last time the Tigers won at Lynah Rink was the 1994-95 season, and the Red had swept Princeton last year. The question was who wanted it more.

“We knew [the Tigers] were going to come out hard,” said senior co-captain Topher Scott. “From when I was a freshman to now they’ve improved unbelievably. We didn’t play our game. We had a lot of mental lapses, and we let them take momentum when we should have.”

Clarkson Leads ECAC Hockey League Field

Allie Perez — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:18:38 -0400

If last season was any indication — when fewer than 18 points separated regular season champion St. Lawrence and last place Union — the ECAC Hockey League will be full of dramatically close calls in 2007-08. Though St. Lawrence is motivated to prove last year’s success wasn’t a fluke, Clarkson is looking like the team of destiny this year. A championship rematch between Clarkson and Quinnipiac could definitely be in the ECAC Hockey League’s future. On the other hand, Cornell has something to prove going into competition for that long-coveted ECAC Hockey League crown.

Colgate Raiders

2006-07: 15-21-4, 7-12-3 ECAC Hockey League

Scrivens, Davenport Vie for Starting Position

Allie Perez — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:14:38 -0400

After gaining valuable experience last year, junior Troy Davenport and sophomore Ben Scrivens enter the 2007-08 season ready improve upon last year’s performance.

“You want to play every game,” Davenport said. “On the other hand, if you’re both capable of doing the job and winning games, you can’t really complain. I had a situation back in juniors. We had two good goalies, and [we] basically just rotated every other game. … It can work. When your name gets called, you’ve just got to go out and perform.”

Davenport had a 11-7-2 record last year. His 461 saves in 24 games last season were good for a 2.41 goals against average and .899 save percentage.

Red Athletes: Teammates and Roomies

Allie Perez — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Of all the scary things about beginning life at college, the roommate mystery may be one of the scariest. For student athletes, however, the mystery is usually resolved with a favorable result — the freshmen are often matched up with a teammate.

When first-year women’s soccer head coach Danielle LaRoche arrived in Ithaca, she found out that four of her rookies would be living in the same townhouse.

“I didn’t learn that they were going to be together until I was hired,” LaRoche said. “But I understand that that’s how it’s always been done here at Cornell. The freshmen usually live together.”

After Two Years, M. Soccer’s Junior Class Comes of Age

Allie Perez — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400

After the men’s soccer team’s most difficult season to date in 2004, an influx of freshmen learned quickly that they couldn’t act like most freshman classes in Division-I.

“It was made clear to us pretty quickly that we would have more responsibility than other freshman classes,” said junior Dan McKallagat, part of the 2005 freshman unit. “As a class, we viewed it more as an opportunity to have an instant impact on the team.”

That youth movement has now come of age. The team’s ten juniors — the largest class — cover every position but share a common bond.

Breaking Down NBA Teams’ Halloween Superlatives

Allie Perez — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Tonight, beginning at 7 p.m., Magic will be in the air. Wizards will even walk the Earth. I’m not a wicken, and I’m not crazy. I’m not talking about trick or treating or Halloween mysticism. It’s finally NBA time!

For all you bums out there who still haven’t pulled together a costume for the continuing Halloween festivities, here are a few suggestions for a low-cost and low-effort, yet infinitely educational outfit.

The Scariest:

M. Soccer Prepares for Physical Princeton

Allie Perez — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

It’s going to be a family affair tomorrow when the men’s soccer team faces Princeton on the road today. Not only for the Red as a whole, which will return to Ivy League play after a midweek game against Penn St. on Tuesday, but also on the individual level.

Freshman midfielder Will Wolfson will match up against his older brother, senior midfielder Ted Wolfson, when the Red (5-6-1, 0-2-1 Ivy) take on the Tigers (3-8-2, 1-2-0). The matchup between brothers, as well as between the teams, promises to be tense. Princeton was called for 19 fouls to Cornell’s nine in the Red’s win last year at Berman Field, 2-0, and the Wolfson brothers represent that tradition well.