GAME #17: No. 8 Cornell vs. No. 3 Ohio State
FACEOFF: Saturday, May 18, at 12:30 p.m.
SITE: Byrd Stadium (College Park, Md.)
2013 Records: Cornell (13-3, 6-0 Ivy); Ohio State (13-3, 5-2 ECAC)
SERIES RECORD: Ohio State leads, 2-1
LAST MEETING: Ohio State won, 15-7 (5/10/08)

LIVE STATS: www.UMTerps.com
LIVE AUDIO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/ 
LIVE VIDEO: http://es.pn/mlax-CORNELLvsOSU
RADIO: WHCU 870 AM
TELEVISION: ESPN2

Game Notes (PDF)

THE MATCHUP – The eighth-ranked Cornell men's lacrosse team's season continues this weekend when it takes on third-seeded Ohio State at Maryland's Byrd Stadium on Saturday, May 18 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be the Big Red's third NCAA quarterfinal appearance in the past four seasons. In addition to being the third-seed, the Buckeyes are also ranked third in the current USILA Coaches' Poll and earned the ECAC's automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. The game can be viewed by a nation-wide audience on ESPN2.

SERIES HISTORY VS. OHIO STATE — The Big Red and Ohio State will face off for just the fourth time in the history of the two programs, and the first time since 2008. The Buckeyes hold the edge in the series, 2-1, after upsetting the eighth-seeded Big Red in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA tournament.  Cornell, under former head coach Dave Pietramala, took the 11-5 victory in the first meeting in 2000, while the Buckeyes defeated Jeff Tambroni's squad, 8-7, the following year in Columbus.

CORNELL VS. THE ECAC – The Big Red is 90-49-4 all-time vs. the current members of the ECAC, thanks mostly to an 83-47-4 record vs. Hobart. Cornell holds a winning record vs. Air Force (1-0), Denver (2-0), Fairfield (2-0), Loyola (1-0) and Hobart (83-47-4), but a losing mark against Ohio State (1-2). The Big Red has never faced Bellarmine or Michigan … Cornell currently has a nine-game winning streak against members of the ECAC Conference … head coach Ben DeLuca is 3-0 all-time vs. the conference.

A WIN OVER OHIO STATE WOULD –
• improve Cornell to 32-21 overall in NCAA tournament games.
• propel the Big Red into the NCAA national semifinals for the fourth time in seven seasons.
• be Cornell's 10th consecutive victory against an ECAC opponent.
• improve head coach Ben DeLuca's career record to 37-10 and 3-1 in NCAA tournament games.
• give the Big Red 14 victories in a season for the second time in three years under DeLuca.
• tie the series with the Buckeyes at 2-2 and make DeLuca 4-0 all-time vs. the ECAC.
• be the 714th win in program history.

TOP 10 ABSENCE – Of the 10 winningest programs in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse history, only two – Cornell, and Syracuse – are still participating in the 2013 NCAA tournament. Maryland, the only other team on the list to make the tournament this season, was knocked out in the first round by the Big Red.

THE HEAD COACH — After spending 10 years as first an assistant, then an associate head coach of the Big Red program, Ben DeLuca was named the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Lacrosse prior to the 2011 season. In his first campaign, he led Cornell to a 14-3 record, an undefeated Ivy League season, an Ivy League tournament title and the team's eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. The 10th head coach in program history, DeLuca played for, or coached under Cornell's last three coaches – Richie Moran, Dave Pietramala, and Jeff Tambroni. DeLuca earned four letters on defense for the Big Red, serving as captain his senior year, and went on to be named the team's outstanding senior athlete for his leadership and dedication on and off the field. Now in his third season with Cornell, he holds a 36-10 overall record.

COACHING CONNECTIONS – Ohio State head coach Nick Myers has a familial tie to Cornell, as his brother Pat served as an assistant coach, alongside current head coach Ben DeLuca, on the Big Red's 2004 and 2005 teams.

BUCKEYE VAN BOURGONDIEN – Cornell senior midfielder Max Van Bourgondien has a familial tie to Ohio State, as his father, Skip, was an All-American for the Buckeye men's lacrosse team. He led the squad in scoring for three consecutive seasons (1971, 1972, 1973) and ranks eighth in program history for career goals (101) and 16th overall in career points (132). 

HOW'D WE GET HERE – With its eighth-ranked RPI, the Big Red earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after finishing the regular season with a 12-3 record overall and mark of 6-0 in the Ivy League. Cornell advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 16-8 victory over Maryland in the first round last weekend. Ohio State earned a number three seed after winning the ECAC tournament to snag the conference's AQ. The Buckeyes dispatched CAA tournament champion Towson, 16-6, in the first round.

NOTING THE MARYLAND GAME –
• Cornell's 16 goals against Maryland was a season high against the Terps defense. Prior to the game, the Terrapins had allowed 10 or more goals just three times with a season high of 13.
• It was the most goals scored by a Big Red team in the NCAA tournament since posting 15 against Virginia during the 2009 NCAA semifinal.
• The eight-goal differential was Maryland's worst loss since 2008 (15-7 at Duke), its most lopsided home loss since 2006 (15-5 vs. Virginia) and its most lopsided postseason loss since its defeat in the 1997 NCAA final (19-7 vs. Princeton).
• Senior Steve Mock scored goals five seconds apart in the fourth quarter, breaking a Cornell record for fastest consecutive goals by the same player.
• Mock scored four goals, including his 50th of the season. He became the first Cornell player to score 50 or more goals in a year since Mike French tallied 65 in 1976.
• Mock's four goals gives him 136 for his career, tied with Cornell's Sean Greenhalgh for fourth all-time at Cornell and 12th in Ivy history.
• Senior Rob Pannell moved into second place on the school's career goal scoring list and into eighth on the Ivy League charts with 143. He surpassed Cornell's Ryan Hurley (139) and Harvard's Jeff Cohen (142).
• Cornell's 31 shots against Maryland was a season low. It put 84 percent on goal, by far a season high (64 percent vs. Dartmouth).
• The Big Red improved to 3-1 against the Terrapins in NCAA Tournament play in a series it trails 13-4-1.
• Junior Doug Tesoriero had 13 ground balls in the win, giving him 112 on the year. He became the eighth Big Red player to record at least 100 ground balls in a season and the first since John Glynn in 2009 (105).
• Tesoriero's 13 ground balls were the most by a Cornell player in an NCAA game since 1995 when Brian Rodgers had 14 against Brown.
• Cornell improved to 30-1 when leading heading into the fourth quarter under head coach Ben DeLuca.
• The Big Red is now 114-11 (.912) when reaching double figures dating back to the 2002 season.

RANKED OPPONENTS – Ohio State will be the 10th nationally ranked opponent that Cornell will play so far this season. The Big Red is 6-3 vs. those opponents with all three losses coming by a single goal (9-8 vs. Bucknell; 13-12 vs. Syracuse; 14-13 (OT) vs. Princeton).

NEUTRAL ZONE – Cornell is 3-4 in neutral site games under head coach Ben DeLuca with the team's most recent victory coming in a 17-11 triumph against Princeton on April 27, 2013 at MetLife Stadium (E. Rutherford, N.J.).

TOURNAMENT TIDBITS – Cornell's 31 NCAA tournament victories ranks fifth all-time, while its 25 appearances ranks seventh … Only six teams have more national titles than the Big Red … The 2013 season marks Cornell's ninth trip to the NCAA tournament in the past 10 years, making it to the quarterfinal round seven times, the semifinals three times and the national championship once during that span.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP LINEAGE – Two players on the 2013 roster have fathers that won a national championship with the Big Red – Cody Levine (Jon '76) and Matt Taylor (Joe '80). Jon Levine won a title in 1976, while Joe Taylor won with the 1977 squad … Additionally, Connor Entenmann's father, Ken '85, and Russell Scott's uncle, Sam Happel '82, were both on the national semifinalist team in 1982, while Mike O'Neil's uncle, Geoff Hall '88, played on the national runner up squads in 1987 and 1988.

TEWAARATON TROPHY FINALIST – For the second time in his career, Rob Pannell has been named a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy. A finalist in 2011 also, he is the second two-time Tewaaraton Trophy finalist in Cornell history, joining Max Seibald '09 (2007, 2009).

ELITE COMPANY – Over the span of the past five seasons (2009-13), Cornell has racked up the fourth-most wins (61) and the fourth best winning percentage (.753) of any Division I men's lacrosse program.

50-50 – With 52 goals and 47 assists, respectively, Steve Mock and Rob Pannell are looking to become the first pair of Cornell teammates to register 50 goals and 50 assists in the same season since Mike French scored 65 goals and Eamon McEneaney tallied 61 assists in 1976.

SEEKING IVY ASSIST RECORD – The all-time Cornell career assist leader, Rob Pannell ranks second in Ivy League history,  needing 10 more assists to pass Brown's Darren Lowe (205; 1989-92).

FACE-OFF FRENZY – With his 15 faceoff wins vs. Maryland, Doug Tesoriero has registered the most faceoff wins by a Cornell player (195) since that statistic started being kept during the 1977 season. The record was previously held by Clayton Weber with 192 wins in 1995.

GROUND BALL GUY – With his career-high 13 ground balls at Maryland, Doug Tesoriero became just the eighth player in Big Red history to collect at least 100 ground balls in a season, and the first since John Glynn picked up 105 in 2009. He needs 16 more to break the Cornell season record, currently held by Craig Jaeger, who picked up 127 in 1978.

GAINING ON GOALS LIST – Steve Mock currently sits in fourth place in Cornell history with 136 career goals and needs four more to match Ryan Hurley (2007-10) in third place with 140 … Rob Pannell is currently in second place with 143 career goals, trailing all-time leader Mike French by 48 tallies.

FOUR SURE — Cornell has had its share of Final Four appearances in NCAA team competition over the years. Of those Big Red teams, the men's lacrosse team has made the most appearances with 12 overall.
• Men's Lacrosse (12) - 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1988, 2007, 2009, 2010
• Men's Ice Hockey (8) - 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1980, 2003
• Women's Ice Hockey (3) – 2010, 2011, 2012
• Women's Lacrosse (1) - 2002
• Men's Soccer (1) – 1972

TITLE CONTENDERS – Cornell University has made 12 appearances in various NCAA national championship games … The Big Red has had five teams crowned as national champions.
• Men's Lacrosse (7) – 1971 (W), 1976 (W), 1977 (W), 1978, 1987, 1988, 2009
• Men's Ice Hockey (4) – 1967 (W), 1969, 1970 (W), 1972
• Women's Ice Hockey (1) – 2010

THREE-TIME IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Rob Pannell is the first men's lacrosse player in the history of the Ivy League to be named the conference Player of the Year three times. He joins Duke's Matt Danowski (2005, 2007, 2008), Colgate's Brandon Corp (2007, 2008, 2009), and Army's Tim Pearson (1999, 2001, 2002) as the only players in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse history to earn three conference Player of the Year honors during their career … Danowski and Pannell are the only two players to win a major conference award in each season they played, as both were named conference Rookie of the Year as well. Pearson was named Rookie of the Year and Co-Player of the year in 1999, but did not win a major conference award in 2000.

TICKLE THE (ALL) IVY – In addition to being named the Ivy League Player of the Year, Pannell was a first-team All-Ivy selection. He is joined on the first-team by linemate Steve Mock, midfielder Connor Buczek and defenseman Jason Noble. All four of Cornell's first-team selections were unanimous choices, with Pannell earning an unanimous selection for the third consecutive season. Additionally, seniors Max Van Bourgondien (midfield), Thomas Keith (long-stick midfield) and AJ Fiore (goalie) were named second-team All-Ivy.  The four first-team selections are the most since the 2009 team, while the seven overall honorees are the most since the 2007 squad placed nine on the various All-Ivy teams.

FOUR-TIME FIRST-TEAM ALL-IVY – Rob Pannell is just the third player in Ivy League history to be selected first-team All-Ivy all four seasons, joining former Big Red great Max Seibald '09 and Princeton standout Chad Wiedmaier '12.

IVY KINGS – Since Ivy League play began in 1956, Cornell has won a conference-high 27 titles, including 17 undefeated crowns. The Big Red also has the best Ivy League record of any team in the conference at 242-97-1 (.713).

ALL-TIME IVY LEADER – With his three points at Brown on April 20, Rob Pannell set the all-time Ivy League points record, passing Brown's Darren Lowe (316; 1989-92).

HITTING THEIR SPOTS – The Big Red has put at least 20 shots on goal in each of its last nine games, and 13-of-16 contests this season. Meanwhile, the Cornell defense has allowed opponents to put 20 shots on goal just five times.

CAUSING A COMMOTION – Senior Jason Noble has registered the third-most career caused turnovers among all active Division I defenders with 112.

JUST WIN, BABY – Senior AJ Fiore has the second most career wins (37) of any active Division I goalie, sitting two victories behind Bucknell's Kyle Feeney (39). He sits one victory ahead of John Kemp (Notre Dame) in third place.

THE 300 – With his five points vs. Siena on March 26, Rob Pannell became the eighth player in the history of NCAA Division I men's lacrosse, and second in the Ivy League, to register 300 career points. He currently ranks third all-time with 339 and needs four more points to match Joe Vasta (Air Force; 1983-86).

TOP 10 NATION – The Big Red opened the week ranked in the top 10 nationally in several statistical categories, including scoring offense (second – 14.5), man-down defense (fifth – .759), scoring margin (first – 5.69), assists (fifth – 7.56), points per game (second – 22.06), ground balls per game (fourth – 37.38), caused turnovers per game (second – 10.0) and shooting percentage (10th –.319).

MOCK FROM PANNELL – So far this season, Rob Pannell has been credited with the assist on 24 of Steve Mock's 52 goals (46 percent). Of the 122 goals Mock has scored while playing with Pannell (14 were scored during Pannell's injury in 2012), 48 have been assisted on by Pannell (39 percent).

NATIONAL CAREER ASSISTS LEADER – Rob Pannell is the national leader in career assists with 196. That is 79 more assists than Lehigh's David DiMara, who sits in second place with 117.

LEADING MAN – With his three points against Penn on March 23, Rob Pannell became the Big Red's all-time leading point scorer, surpassing Mike French (296; 1974-76). Earlier in the season, his four assists at Virginia on March 9, 2013 moved him into first place in Cornell history for career assists, overtaking Eamon McEneaney '77 (164).

THE CENTURY MARK – In the 2013 season opener against Hobart, senior attackman Steve Mock became the 39th player in Cornell history to reach 100 career points. On March 16 against Yale, he became just the seventh Cornell player all-time to accumulate 100 career goals.

CLOSE CALLS — Since the beginning of the 2003 season, Cornell is 30-13 in games that have been decided by a single goal, a mark that was lowered when the Big Red fell to No. 16 Princeton, 14-13 in overtime during the 2013 Ivy League tournament. Of the 13 losses, 11 have come against ranked opponents, including eight against squads ranked in the top-10, five of which were ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation.

FOURTH QUARTER CONTROL – When the Big Red has a lead heading into the final quarter of play, the team is nearly perfect, going 11-1 so far this season and 30-1 all-time under head coach Ben DeLuca. Cornell had won 27 games in a row when leading at the end of the third quarter before a 13-12 set-back to Syracuse on April 10, 2013.

BALANCED OFFENSE – So far this season, Cornell has gotten 195 points from its attack (55 percent) and 158 points from its midfield and defense. 

GOOD OFF THE GROUND – The Big Red entered the week ranked fourth in the nation with 37.38 ground balls per contest, thanks in large part to Doug Tesoriero (14th – 7.0 gbpg.) and Thomas Keith (39th – 4.81 gbpg.).

HUMAN VACUUM – Jason Noble has been the Big Red's most consistent ground ball guy, registering at least one ground ball in all but one game during his career. He currently has the longest streak on the team at 53 games.

SINGLE-DIGIT DEFENSE – Since his time as the defensive coordinator of the Big Red began during the 2002 season as an assistant coach, now-head coach Ben DeLuca has led a defensive unit that has held opponents to single-digits in 122-of-181 games (.674).

NINE IS FINE – Offensively, Cornell has scored at least nine goals in 43 of the 46 games (93 percent) under head coach Ben DeLuca, with 37 games in double figures. The Big Red has surrendered nine or fewer goals 28 times during that same span.

RULE FOLLOWERS – In the 79 games played since the start of the 2009 season, the Big Red has been flagged for more penalties than its opponents on just 25 occasions.

NEXT UP – With a victory over Ohio State, the Big Red would advance to the NCAA final four for the fourth time since the 2007 season and take on the winner of the Duke/Notre Dame matchup on Saturday, May 25 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The game would faceoff at either 2:30 p.m. or 5 p.m.