By wpengine April 18, 2003
Old rivals will meet again tomorrow at noon when the No. 9 men’s lacrosse team (7-3, 4-0 Ivy) welcomes No. 2 Princeton (7-2, 3-0) to Schoellkopf Field for a showdown that will likely determine this year’s Ivy League champion. In what is quickly becoming an annual ritual, the league’s two remaining unbeaten teams will meet for the 63rd time as the Red attempts to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Tigers. With a win tomorrow, Cornell would clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title, as well as the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, something it has not accomplished since 1987. But, as the Red is well aware, this task will be anything but easy. “There’s no doubt that we’re going to have to have a full team effort to be able to compete with Princeton this weekend,” said Cornell assistant coach Bill Wilson. “We can’t rely on one or two players on the offensive end or one or two players on the defensive end. It’s going to take a balanced effort on both ends of the field.” Last season, the Red got a taste of just how dangerous Princeton can be, as the Tigers opened the third quarter with a 5-0 run to put away an otherwise close game. All-American Ryan Boyle scored one goal with three assists in the game. The junior will pose an equally great threat this year, despite the fact that tomorrow will be just his second game back from a hamstring injury. “We thought that maybe coming off of his injury, maybe that would slow him down a little bit, but he came right out and had six assists against Harvard,” Wilson said. “If he’s not the best attackman in the game right now, he’s at least in the top two with the guy from Syracuse, [Michael] Powell.” The Tigers have also enjoyed tremendous production from Sean Hartofilis, who is averaging an NCAA-leading 3.3 goals per game. He is currently on pace to break the Princeton record of 53 goals in a single season. Defensively, Princeton has been among the top in the nation this season, allowing only 7.22 goals per game. Goalie Julian Gould ranks seventh in the country with a 7.29 GAA, which is an improvement of nearly a full point over last year’s mark. In addition, 2002 All-Ivy first teamer Damian Davis has allowed his mark to score only one goal in the last five games. The Red enters the game following a convincing 13-5 win last Saturday at Dartmouth. Nine different players scored for Cornell, a trend that the Red must continue to enjoy similar success tomorrow. “There’s no doubt that we’re going to have to have a full team effort to be able to compete with Princeton this weekend,” Wilson commented. Cornell will need to be in top form in every aspect of its game. Often times this season, either the offense or defense has stepped up and carried the team while the other unit struggled. However, against a team of Princeton’s caliber, such a lackluster effort can be disastrous. “We can’t rely on one or two players on the offensive end or one or two players on the defensive end, its going to take a balanced effort on both ends of the field,” said Wilson. “Not just the offense clicking and wait for the defense or vice versa.” Historically, the winner of the Cornell-Princeton game has been crucial in determining the Ivy League champion. Winners of 37 out of 47 Ivy titles all time, these two teams are prepared for what is likely a repeat of that scenario this year. “It’s certainly our next step towards an Ivy League championship,” said Wilson. Archived article by Owen Bochner
By wpengine April 18, 2003
The softball team will look to build upon its recent success as it heads into its most important league weekend of the season. Riding an eight-game winning streak, Cornell (22-4, 5-1 Ivy) will take on first-place Princeton (15-11, 5-0) today and cellar dwelling Penn (6-19, 0-4) tomorrow. The Red has won 14 of its last 15, while outscoring its opponents 47-13 throughout the eight-game stretch. It has used a unique blend of power at the plate and consistency on the mound to firmly place itself in the hunt for an Ivy League championship. Sophomore Lauren May and junior Kate Varde have led the way for the Red lineup, sharing the season lead for home runs with seven each. May is currently hitting .413, with a .889 slugging percentage and 26 RBI and nine doubles. Varde, last week’s Ivy League Player of the Week, is improving upon her Ivy League first team performance a year ago, by batting .506, with an incredible .924 slugging percentage and .574 on-base percentage from the third hole of the lineup. Other contributions have been reaped from unlikely sources, such as sophomore Erin Kizer who is batting .327, while tallying 16 runs. The contributions of Kizer and others, coupled with the maintained dominance of May and Varde, has allowed Cornell to claim the league lead in many offensive categories. These include team batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, RBI, home runs and total bases. The Red’s offensive potency has been complemented by the mound work of junior Sarah Sterman and freshmen Kristen Landis and Whitney Smith. Sterman, who has twice been named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week this season, currently boasts a 1.47 ERA, a 14-3 record, and a .227 opponent batting average. Landis has recently received several chances to toe the rubber from head coach Dick Blood, and the rookie has not disappointed. In four appearances, Landis is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and sports a .229 opposing batting average. Smith, likewise, has shown early signs of pitching prowess, going 5-1 in nine starts, with a 1.84 ERA, and 33 strikeouts in 49 innings of work. Princeton, currently standing atop the Ivies, started its season 3-9, but has won 12 of its last 15, to reclaim what was once a dismal campaign. The Tigers have most recently split a series with Patriot League rival Lehigh on Wednesday. After winning 8-0 in the opener, the Tigers dropped a 5-4 contest at home in the nightcap. Princeton is led on offense by Melissa Finley, who is near the top of the league in many statistical categories, including batting average (.425), total bases (45), and slugging percentage (.750). The Tigers’ ace is Erin Snyder, who has pitched more innings than anyone in Ivy League play this year. She sports a 2.42 ERA, is 8-5 and holds opponents to an impressive .185 batting average. Wendy Bingham is Princeton’s No. 2 starter, and has allowed just 42 hits in 47 innings, while holding opposing batters to a .233 average. Penn, unlike Princeton, has fallen into a slump out of which it nearly climbed on Wednesday. However, more bad luck for the Quakers resulted in a 2-1 extra innings loss to LaSalle. With the loss, Penn extended its losing streak to 11. The Quakers have not won two straight games all season long and should provide a test of the Red’s focus a day after Cornell plays for the league’s top spot. Penn only has one player currently batting above .300 (Crista Farrell .397) and has hit only one home run all year. Pitching may be considered the Quakers’ strong point, as the Penn staff has posted a 2.57 ERA this season in Ivy League play. Still, Blood’s team will need to stay mentally focused throughout these all-important next two days in order to make a run for a championship and a birth in the NCAA tournament. Both twinbills begin at 12 p.m. on Neimand-Robison Field. Archived article by Scott Jones