Oct. 11, 2002

ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell lost its Collegiate Sprint Football League opener to defending champion Navy on Friday night at Schoellkopf Field. The Midshipmen scored 45 unanswered points in earning the 45-7 victory. Cornell senior Charlie Tam (Dix Hills, N.Y.) threw a 9-yard pass to junior Henry Kim (Toeger, South Korea) with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter to get the Big Red on the board.

The extra time out on the field allowed for some big defensive performances for Cornell, although as a unit the defense was unsuccessful at stopping the power-packed offense of Navy. Senior Eric Eisenhart (Annandale, N.J.) once again led the defense with nine tackles, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal, while junior Tim LaFrance (Groton, N.Y.) also had nine tackles for the Big Red. Eisenhart currently has 44 tackles on the season, surpassing last season's team high in half as many games.

The Midshipmen collected over 400 yards of total offense, bringing their season average to nearly 325 yards per game for the year. 2001 CSFL MVP Chris Ashinhurst completed 15-of-23 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Fourteen different players rushed for the Midshipmen, gaining 172 yards on the ground for the night. The Midshipmen defense also forced six Cornell turnovers, all coming on interceptions.

Cornell will be looking to bounce back from their difficult loss next Friday night as it travels to Princeton to take on the Tigers for the second time this year. The Big Red will be looking to repeat the 22-12 victory over Princeton which they managed at home on September 27th. Cornell returns home on October 25th at 7:00 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field when the team meets Penn.