By wpengine
Neither the men’s or women’s cross-country teams have lost yet this year. After demolishing Army, Marist and Binghamton at home on Sept. 7, they both then waltzed into Monmouth University last weekend and swept fields of 15 and 18 teams, respectively. With the cream puff competition now behind them, the teams will enter the national stage tomorrow when they compete at the Iona Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Also expected to attend are Villanova, Michigan, Boston College, Bowling Green, Boston University as well as Heptagonal members Yale, Brown, Harvard and Dartmouth in addition to several other local schools. Though coming early in the season, the meet has NCAA ramifications. “When the NCAAs start to look at picking teams for at-large bids, this weekend is where they start,” said Lou Duesing, head coach of the women. In a more regional perspective, however, the Iona meet will also provide the Red with it’s first look at Heps competition. “From a Heps standpoint, it’s going to be good to get a feel for how we stack up against them,” Duesing added. Having performed perfectly so far in the season, both teams should be riding tidal waves of confidence into Iona. “The quality of work they’ve done is outstanding,” Duesing said. “Most of the guys are feeling good,” added men’s coach Nathan Taylor. “They’re excited about the opportunity to compete.” All the guys want to challenge themselves.” Leading the men into action will be seniors Max King, Dan Meehan, Dan Dombroski and Andy Boone. King has already won both races he’s competed in. For the women, Carlan Gray, Lena Mathews and Jessica Parrott. As for the course, Taylor acknowledges that it won’t be one of the Red’s easiest. “Van Cortlandt is deceptively difficult,” he said. “The hills come at the most inopportune times.” The teams will next be in action October 13 at the Pre-National meet in Greenville, S.C. Archived article by Shiva Nagaraj
By wpengine
It’s right back to business for the men’s soccer team tomorrow as they travel to New Haven, Conn. Yale lies in the horizon for the Red, as this match will pit two of the upper echelon teams in the Ivy League. Cornell, Yale and Princeton figure to mix up all season long as they battle for the top spot in the league. This Cornell/Yale tilt will be the first Ancient Eight conference game of the season for both squads. It goes without saying how important it is to get off to the right start for any in-conference game. In the latest NCSAA/Adidas national polls, the Elis are perched up as the No. 24 team in the country. “[Yale] plays the same type of game [as us]… they keep the ball moving and play the game down at the feet,” said head coach Bryan Scales. What makes Yale dangerous is their talented personnel. They beat the No. 9 team in the country, Alabama-Birmingham, 2-1 in overtime earlier this year. “This will be a good game… we match up very well against them in terms of personnel… we have some good guys, they have some good guys,” said Scales. The lucky ones who make it to New Haven this Saturday should witness a spirited match. A well conditioned Cornell team will come in fired up after a let down this past Tuesday in a 3-0 loss to St. Bonaventure where Cornell came out flat. Being a midweek game, it was not an easy game to get up for. It was at an odd time, it was on a weekday and it was non-conference. Fortunately, this game is everything that the St. Bonaventure match was not. The game is on a Saturday under the lights, in the traditional motif of an Ivy League soccer contest. Scales said, “I’ve got full confidence in our guys… I trust my back four against anyone.” After a good week of practices and a new intense resolve, the Red will look to pull one out on the road.Archived article by Donald Lee