A blue moon is technically two full moons in the same month.
Consider this weekend a blue moon for Cornell athletics.
If the softball team can sweep Penn and Princeton this weekend, it will win at least a share of the Ivy crown for the second time in three years.
And should the men’s lacrosse team takedown the Tigers tomorrow, it will have at least a share of the Ivy title as well.
The possibility of the Red winning two Ivy titles in the same weekend comes around about as often as a blue moon. And if Cornell takes advantage of these opportunities it would be even more rare.
But have faith my dear reader. If there was ever a weekend, this is the one.
The softball team is on a tear, lead by a solid pitching staff, senior leadership and a long-ball queen named Kate Varde.
Neither Penn nor Princeton should pose much of a threat to the squad. The Tigers are 12-11 on the season and just 3-5 in Ivy play. The Quakers sport a 12-22 record and are 2-6 in the league.
While I don’t want to jinx the team by making a prediction, I think the odds are with the softball squad this weekend.
The men’s lacrosse team has the tougher road to the league title this weekend. Consider the dynasty from New Jersey: Six straight Ivy titles (eight in the last nine years), two national championships in this time, the top defense in the country (5.22 goals-allowed per game), 35 straight Ivy victories, and the number-one ranking in the national polls.
But it is not all doom and gloom for the laxers yet. The Red sports a solid defense of its own, and it played a solid game against Syracuse earlier this year. And don’t forget the last time a number-one ranked team came to Schoellkopf — the Red handed then top-seeded and eventual national champion Syracuse its lone loss of the season, 13-12.
Sure, it is a tough road for the men’s lacrosse team, but don’t count it out before the final whistle.
This weekend is supposed to be nice and warm, so go see if the Red can pull off this rare feat.
After all, an opportunity like this may not come around for another blue moon.
Archived article by J.V. Anderton