With some of the greatest sporting events of the school year approaching, this weekend will be a busy one for Cornell athletics –– and men’s lacrosse is no exception. Already proving itself early in the season, the Red will prove a tough opponent tomorrow afternoon, when No.1 Virginia heads on the road to face No. 8 Cornell. Coming to Ithaca for the first time in 36 years, the Cavaliers are looking to avenge their 15-6 loss to the Red in last season’s NCAA tournament semifinal round.  

So far this season, Cornell (4-0) has demonstrated its capabilities, proving its dominance on all aspects of the field. Currently, Cornell is riding an eight-game winning streak at Schoellkopf Field –– a trend the team hopes to continue.  

Combining technique and communication, the young Red squad is coming off a huge 12-11 victory against Army this past weekend that prefaced its crushing of Binghamton, 19-4, on Tuesday.

Virginia (5-0) is also riding a win streak, after proving itself as a top contender by defeating No. 2 Syracuse, 11-10, last weekend. On Tuesday, the Cavaliers posted a dominant, 20-6, win over VMI, with 14 different players scoring. 

“Virginia is a good lacrosse team. They have the most athletic set of midfielders in the country, an aggressive defense and a young but slick attack unit. They are a confident group,” said sophomore midfielder Roy Lang.

Cornell continues to make improvements as the season progresses, and is focused on capitalizing on as many scoring opportunities as possible and becoming stronger in transitions. The team consistently works to develop at both ends of the field in order to collectively become more effective. 

“We’ve been working a lot on pressure situations, especially in our clearing game. They like to pressure the ball, so hopefully with the work we’re putting in, we can be ready for that. The main thing we have to do is play the full 60-plus minutes,” said freshman goalie A.J. Fiore.  He was 'Rob'bed: Sophomore attack Rob Pannell (3) had a six-point day with three goals and three assists in the Red’s last rendezvous with Virginia. - By: Emily Burke

Offensively, senior attack Ryan Hurley leads the Red in scoring with 13 goals this season and sophomore attack Rob Pannell has a team-high10 assists. Fiore continues to be unyielding in goal for the Red as a tough barrier to opposing squads’ attackers, with a .565 save percentage and a 7.46 goals-against average. However, this weekend’s game will truly test Cornell’s defensive skills, with the Cavaliers boasting a high-powered offense. 

“They are very dangerous shooters, with what seems to be a lot of depth –– rotating four or five attackers in their previous games this season and a very good first two lines of midfield,” Fiore said. 

Significantly factoring into UVa’s scoring line are Steele Stanwick, Chris Bocklet and Matt White. Stanwick leads with 21 points on 11 assists and 10 goals, while Bocklet is close behind with 20 points. In the net, Adam Ghitelman has seen the majority of playing time for the Cavaliers and posts an 8.0 goals-against average to go along with a .507 save percentage.

All throughout its season so far the Red has demonstrated its energy and ability to maintain momentum as the team continues to improve. Tomorrow’s game will be no exception with Cornell still at the beginning stages of its season. 

“We are a young team and we have played like it for the first few games. … Our motto is to get better every day, and we bring that attitude to practice every day. … We’ve gotten a lot better from Hobart and can’t wait for the opportunity to defend our home field against the Cavaliers.”