The Cornell polo teams hit the road to take on the University of Kentucky this weekend. The women’s team will play first, competing tomorrow night at 8 p.m., while the men’s team faces the Wildcats Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Both teams have a 4-0 series record all-time against Kentucky –– an undefeated streak the Red hopes to maintain on both sides.
Tomorrow night, the No. 1 women’s team hopes that the same agility it showcased last Friday comes through again against the Wildcats, as it attempts to keep up its undefeated season record of 12-0. Two of these 12 wins have come during games against the Wildcats, and both of these matchups proved to be some of the toughest for the Red. The first was played in Kentucky on Nov. 21, and Cornell claimed a 15-11 victory in the Bill Field Individual. The next time the Red saw the Wildcats it was in Ithaca on Jan. 30, and the women just managed to escape by a margin of 15-13.
While their female counterparts are yet to taste defeat, the men’s team (10-3) is coming off a loss last weekend. Unlike Virginia’s women’s squad, the men’s team actually managed to make its way to Ithaca, defeating the Red on Saturday by a score of 22-15. Junior captain Max Constant had what he described as an uncharacteristically-off night in terms of penalty shooting, as Cornell’s offense was unable to keep up with the defending national champion.
Sunday will mark the men’s second meeting with Kentucky this season, and the first away from the Oxley Equestrian Center. During the previous matchup on Jan. 29, the Red came away with a 22-14 win as Constant notched 15 goals to single-handedly outscore Kentucky’s entire team. Sunday’s contest will also be the men’s team’s last opportunity to face the Wildcats in regular season play.
“They are a solid team. Part of the reason we are going down there is not only to play them again, but to play in a different arena and play on different horses,” Constant said. “When Nationals come around we could end up playing on their horses, so it’s good to be able to see what they might bring or what they have.”
Original Author: Reena Gilani