For the past week, the scoreboard at Schoellkopf Field has read 14-4 during the men’s lacrosse team’s practice. It was a form of motivation after the Red’s 10-goal loss last Saturday at Georgetown.
“This week, I didn’t want to forget about [the loss],” said head coach Jeff Tambroni. “They only way we’re going to get better is to come out and go after each other everyday of the week. The reminder of that on the scoreboard, I’m hopeful that as a reminder of that at the back of everyone’s mind and we need to think back to what happened and basically not let it happen again on Schoellkopf.”
Tambroni hopes the team’s rebound will begin tomorrow, as the Red welcomes Stony Brook to Schoellkopf Field for its home opener. The last time the teams faced each other was on May 11, 2002, when Cornell beat the Seahawks, 12-3, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Then-freshman Sean Greenhalgh scored a game-high three goals in that game, while classmate Justin Redd had two assists. The two current juniors will look to reprise their roles in that game tomorrow.
“Our young guys like Sean Greenhalgh, Justin Redd, Kyle Georgialis are now our veterans, now our leaders,” Tambroni said. “I’m sure it’s the same for them. They have a couple of very athletic poles. They’ve got two proven offensive threats right now. They’ve got Jason Cappadoro, No. 1, they’ve got a kid named LaFlare, No. 12. Our philosophy about how we’re going to attack the net, and need to control transition. Offensively, we’re going to have to pay attention to detail.”
Stony Brook enters tomorrow’s game following a 10-3 home loss last Saturday to Massachusetts. Matthew Donovan, Adam Marksberry, and Larry Cerasi all scored for the Seahawks, while Cappadoro recorded two assists.
Meanwhile, Cornell will look to get past the sloppiness that plagued it at Georgetown.
“The way that it happened we were all disappointed, players and coaches alike,” Tambroni said. “It’s a reminder every day in practice. Part of the reason we didn’t play very well against Georgetown is we didn’t practice very well.”
As the game is the Red’s home opener, the team will be extra anxious to get the game underway.
“It’s comfortable, it’s familiar. Our guys came out extremely excited,” Tambroni said of the team’s return to Schoellkopf Field. “We’ve had two tough road games, and we’re very happy we had those early. We told our games that great teams are good on the road and great at home.”
Archived article by Owen Bochner