After a defensive battle at Schoellkopf Stadium this past Friday between the sprint football team and the U.S. Naval Academy, the Red comes up empty handed. The Red and the Midshipmen both played tremendous defense this past weekend making it a touchdown-less game, however Navy defeated Cornell, 11-3. Both teams were unable to swing offensive momentum in their favor due to the strong defensive resistance that they encountered.
The Red (3-2, 2-2 CSFL) was able to stop the Naval Academy’s offense on its long driving campaigns and hold the Midshipmen to just three field goals over four quarters. Both teams were held to limited offensive yardage over the course of the first half, however a Red safety in the second quarter on a step out of bounds on a punt did not help the Red’s momentum.
“Navy is a great team — I don’t think there was any turning point in the game,” said sophomore defensive lineman Evan Zittel. “Both defenses played extremely well and we could not capitalize on our opportunities with the ball.”
Even after three very difficult quarters, the Red still had an opportunity to tie the game up late in the fourth quarter but was unable to score the necessary touchdown in the drive after four incomplete passes. With the Red’s late game drive over, the Naval Academy had clinched victory and continued its undefeated season.
The season for the Red is not over yet. With a bye this coming week, Cornell looks to regain momentum in its game against Post University.
“Responding to this loss, we will continue to work as hard as possible in practice, take one day at a time and look to finish the year 5-2,” Zittel said.
The Red still has the ability to end this season in a solid position among the league, although both the Naval Academy and Army are still undefeated.
“We will not see Navy again this season,” Zittel said. “Although next year we will definitely miss our graduating seniors, we have some new additions to the team this year that have started to prove themselves and are looking for a chance to [continue to] prove themselves. But this season is not over and we still have two more games to win.”
Cornell looks to push forward and win in its late season games against Post University, and then Mansfield University the following week.
Original Author: John McGrorty