The No. 18 men’s lacrosse team (1-2) hosts in-state rival Canisius today at 4 p.m. on Scheollkopf Field. After a tough loss to Hofstra on the road this weekend, coaches and players agree that the team needs to get back on track and defend its home field.
“Hopefully tomorrow will be an opportunity for us to get back to our winning ways,” said head coach Jeff Tambroni.
Canisius, coming off a 12-9 loss to Vermont, is currently 0-2 on the season. The Griffs’ record doesn’t paint the full story, however, as the team returns 19 letterwinners from last year’s campaign.
Cornell will have to worry about Canisius’s top four scorers — Greg Campbell, Rick Neward, Chris Tocin and Justin Masley — the most. All four have returned following strong 2002 performances, and have already notched 21 goals in two games — three more than Cornell has on the entire season.
“They’ve got four extremely talented players,” said Tambroni. “I think if we’re going to be a successful team, we’ve got to make sure those guys are accounted for.”
Not to be outdone, the Red also has several offensive weapons it can use in today’s game. Freshman Joe Boulukos leads the Cornell scoring with four goals, while junior Andrew Collins is the assist king, with five on the season. Several others have also chipped, with six more attackmen and midfielders in the scorers column.
The Red defense has also put up solid numbers, with sophomore Kyle Georgalas, junior Tim DeBlois, and seniors Frank Sands and All-American Ryan McClay all posting double-digit groundball numbers. Junior Brandon Ross has provided the Red with stability in goal, compiling a .484 save percentage in the team’s first three games.
Still, with several laxers finding the back of the net and the defense providing a solid safety net, the biggest issue facing the team is chemistry.
“I don’t think there was any secret about the success last year,” said Tambroni. “We just haven’t found the right formula on game day.”
McClay, one of the team’s tri-captains, is confident about finding that formula tomorrow.
“We’re looking to clean the slate and get back to the basics of what Cornell lacrosse has represented in the past.”
Archived article by Matt Janiga