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ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's lacrosse team will play host to Hofstra in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament when the two teams meet on Saturday, May 9, at 5 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. The Big Red is seeded No. 5 in the tournament and would play it next contest in Hempstead, N.Y., if it can knock off the Pride in the first round.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to be one of the last 16 teams playing college lacrosse,” said head coach Jeff Tambroni. “Especially having another opportunity to host a playoff game, like we have the last couple of years, is special for these seniors. Walking off the field last Saturday was nice with the fact that we won the game, but it certainly didn't feel like we played anywhere close to what we're capable of, So it's another chance for our team to get one last shot on Schoellkopf Field and make the most of that opportunity against an quality team like Hofstra.”

The winner of the contest will head to Hempstead, N.Y. for the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday, May 16 to meet the winner of No. 4 Princeton and UMass.

The game against the Pride marks the seventh time overall and sixth straight campaign in Tambroni's nine-year career with the Big Red that he will take Cornell to the NCAA tournament. It will also be the 22nd NCAA tournament appearance in school history, with the Big Red posting a 24-18 record with 10 Final Four appearances. Cornell advanced to the national semifinals during the 2007 season before falling to top-seeded Duke 12-11.

Cornell closed its 2009 regular season with an 10-3 mark (5-1 Ivy), earning the Ivy League's automatic bid to the tournament after capturing a share of the conference crown with Princeton. The Big Red earned the bid on the head-to-head tiebreaker after a 10-7 win over the Tigers on April 18 in Ithaca. Cornell is 5-0 on Schoellkopf Field's turf this season and is 50-10 all-time at home under Tambroni.

The game will be the seventh meeting between the two programs, with the Big Red holding the 5-1 advantage in the series. In the teams' last meeting, Cornell took the 14-12 victory at Hofstra in 2004.

The Pride, which earned an at-large bid, will be making their 15th trip to the NCAA tournament. Hofstra owns an 11-3 record including victories over tournament-bound teams, Princeton, Massachusetts, Villanova and Brown. The Pride is led by Jay Card's 33 goals and Michael Colleluori's 21 assists. Between the pipes, Andrew Gvozden has seen action in 12 games, posting an 8.16 goals-against average and a .555 save percentage.

Ticket and tailgate information will be made available Monday morning on www.CornellBigRed.com.