One season ago, the No. 10 men’s lacrosse team opened it season with a game against No. 11 Georgetown at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. It was not the most auspicious of beginnings for Cornell, as the Red lost, 13-6, beginning the season in a bit of a hole. Things did eventually improve for the Red in 2003, as the team completed the season with 9-4 record overall, tying for first place in the Ivy League.
Tomorrow’s game between Cornell (1-0) and Georgetown (0-1) will be different for several reasons. For one thing, this will be the first time in the series that the game is not played at a neutral site — each of the first three meetings was. Secondly, this year, the Red enters the game in Washington, D.C. as the favorite. So, Cornell will hope to add another reason to that list — Georgetown has won each of the three previous meetings between the teams.
Ending that trend will be complicated by the Hoyas’ Andy Corno and Walid Hajj, both of whom were named to the Inside Lacrosse magazine preseason All-America first team. In addition, Brodie Merrill was a third-team selection, while Neal Goldman and Andy Braziel were awarded honorable mention. In last weekend’s loss to Maryland, five different players recorded goals.
Cornell enters the game tomorrow after last Saturday’s 14-12 come-from-behind victory at Hofstra. Sophomore Joe Boulukos scored five goals, three of which came in the pivotal third quarter. Coming back from an 8-6 halftime deficit, the Red outscored the Pride, 7-3, in the third quarter to build a two-goal lead. It would be all Cornell would lead in picking up the season-opening victory. Freshman goalie Mike McMongale had 12 saves in his collegiate debut, including saving the final three shots on him.
Senior co-captain Andrew Collins scored five points on the afternoon, including four assists. He connected with junior Sean Greenhalgh for the game’s first goal, reprising one of the most lethal scoring combinations of last season.
Despite being outshot by the Pride, 43-38, Cornell dominated in the faceoff X, winning 20 out of 28 faceoffs on the game. Senior Scott Raasch was 17-for-23 on the game.
Archived article by Owen Bochner