The men’s and women’s polo teams competed this weekend with mixed results. The men earned a tough come-from-behind 21-17 victory over Gardnertown while the women suffered their first lost of the season in a 14-12 non-league decision against Toronto.
The women have traditionally traded blows with the Toronto club team, losing to them in 2001 and winning in 2002. The stiff competition was part of head coach David Eldredge’s ’81 motivation to schedule the last minute match.
“They are a very tough group,” said Eldredge, “and they always give us a good game.”
Among the lady riders’ weak spots were positioning and foul shooting. Eldredge noted that Toronto forced his players to bunch up on several occasions.
The men also found themselves facing a tough squad climaxing with a three goal deficit at the half.
Juniors Senter Johnson and Jeff Markle, started along with senior Darren James. While the trio combined for five goals in the first chukker, Johnson and Markle encountered some issues. Cornell ended the half with just two additional goals.
“Senter and Jeff didn’t mesh well,” Eldredge said.
However, the addition of senior Jacob LeClair seemed to ignite things at the half. The Red kept pace with Gardnertown, pulling to a 13-14 score by the end of the third chukker.
The deficit didn’t matter, though, as Johnson scored a two-point shot just 20 seconds into the fourth. Cornell would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game, ending with a score of 21-17.
Eldredge was pleased with the Gardnertown challenge, especially with UVA canceling last weekend’s match.
“It was a tough scrappy team,” he said. “It made the boys work.
However, Eldredge was also proud that his players rose to the occasion.
“They kept their heads,” he said. “They did what they needed to do.”
Archived article by Matt Janiga