GAME INFORMATION
GAME #12: Cornell vs. Yale
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Berman Field - Ithaca, N.Y.
2010 RECORDS: Cornell - 4-3-4 (0-1-1 Ivy League); Yale - 1-9-1 (0-2 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Yale leads, 30-19-12
LAST MEETING: Yale won, 4-3, on Oct. 17, 2009, in New Haven, Conn.
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmsports.com/cornell/msoc

The Cornell men's soccer team returns home for the first time in two weeks when it plays host to Yale in a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday at Berman Field. Saturday's match is being billed as a Break The Berman Record night, with fans invited to come and help set a new attendance mark at the Big Red's home field. Cornell is also seeking its first Ivy League victory of the season after tying Harvard on the road last weekend.

HEAD COACH JARO ZAWISLAN
In his second season on the bench directing the Big Red, Jaro Zawislan has implemented his high-pressure, high-tempo offense with the results to back him up. Zawislan has led the Big Red to a 10-9-9 record since taking over the program prior to the 2009 season. He earned his first career victory on Sept. 7, 2009, against Hartwick, with his 10th career victory coming on Oct. 12 at Colgate. His coaching career also includes stops at Stanford and Creighton following a decorated playing career at Clemson, where he graduated in 1993. Zawislan played professionally in the United States and his native Poland before turning to coaching. He is assisted by Joe Schneck, in his fifth year with the Big Red, and Keith Comfort and T.J. Love, both in their first seasons with the Cornell program.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
The Big Red has gotten positive results over the past month, going 3-1-3 since mid-September. Cornell is coming off a 2-0 victory against in-state rival Colgate, a team that was a week removed from being in the national top 25. The Big Red got goals from Franck Onambele and Will Ogden, while Rick Pflasterer posted his third shutout of the year, making four saves for the victory. Chase Aaronson leads the Big Red offense with eight points on three goals and two assists, while Onambele is tied with Aaronson for the team lead in goals with three for six points. Jimmy Lannon also has six points on the season, his coming by way of one goal and a team-best four assists. In all, eight different players have scored a goal for the Big Red this year, and 10 different players have contributed at least one point. Pflasterer has played every minute in goal, recording a 0.84 goals-against average and a .796 save percentage with three shutouts.

ABOUT YALE
Yale has struggled offensively this season, scoring just six goals in 11 games a big reason for the Bulldogs' 1-9-1 overall record. Andy Hackbarth and Andy Shorten both have a pair of goals apiece for the Bulldogs, while Peter Jacobson and Sebastian Serra have both contributed a goal. In goal, Bobby Thalman has been in net for every minute of every game, posting a 1.56 goals-against average and a .719 save percentage. Yale's lone victory this season came in a 2-1 overtime victory against Sacred Heart on Sept. 18.

THE SERIES WITH YALE
Yale holds the edge in the all-time series, 30-19-12, with the Bulldogs claiming both of the last two meetings. Cornell's last win against Yale came on Oct. 13, 2006, in Ithaca, N.Y., a 2-1 victory. Cornell hasn't claimed back-to-back victories against the Bulldogs since winning four straight meetings from 1970-73.

HOME COOKING
Cornell will try to improve upon its already strong home-field advantage on Saturday against Yale, as the Big Red heads into the contest with the Bulldogs with a 3-1 home mark this season. Cornell's only blemish on that record is a last-second loss to Penn on Oct. 2 in the Big Red's Ivy League opener.

LAST MINUTE HERO
Cornell has shown a flair for the dramatic in the season and a half that Jaro Zawislan has been in charge of the Big Red men's soccer program. The Big Red this season has two games with a late comeback for either a tie or a victory, scoring three times in 3:40 against Hartwick earlier this season to rally from a 2-0 deficit in addition to Chase Aaronson's goal with 1:46 left in regulation to force a tie with Harvard. Last year, Cornell pulled off the same trick twice, getting a draw with an 81st minute goal against Canisius and scored a pair of late goals to beat St. Bonaventure.

IN THE RANKINGS
Sophomore goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer appears in the top 75 of the national rankings in both of the main goalkeeping categories in last week's rankings, coming in 55th in the nation in goals-against average and 75th in the country in save percentage. He also ranks third in the Ivy League in goals-against average and fourth in save percentage.

TURN UP THE PRESSURE
Cornell's high-pressure style of play, while not yet translating into an outburst of goals (13 goals through 11 games), is clearly shown by the Big Red's statistics this season. Cornell is out-shooting its opponents, 141-129, and has forced 61 corner kicks while conceeding just 38. The Big Red is averaging nearly five and a half corner kicks per game.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...
A trio of Cornellians were honored for their play at the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Nike Classic on Sept. 10-12 with a spot on the all-tournament team. Junior midfielder Jimmy Lannon, sophomore goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer and freshman midfielder Ben Williams each was recognized for their play in helping the Big Red to a tie with New Hampshire and a loss to tournament champion Vermont.

DON'T BLINK
A span of 3:40 was the difference between a win and a loss for the Big Red on Sept. 6 against Hartwick, as Cornell scored three goals in dramatic fashion to claim the lead and eventually, the victory. First it was Franck Onambele scoring off a header from a Jimmy Lannon throw-in, and just 1:19 later, a Craig Dimbleby cross found the head of Daniel Haber on the back post, and his header equalized the score at two. Then, 2:21 later, it was Haber slotting a pass through traffic to Will Ogden, who slotted a shot past the oncoming goalkeeper.

SAVING THE DAY
Rick Pflasterer had a quiet day in the win against Hartwick, making just one save in the contest, stopping a second-half penalty kick. Unfortunately for Pflasterer, the rebound came directly back to the shooter, who finished into the empty net for the 1-0 Hartwick lead. Fortunately, though, the Big Red rallied for three goals in the span of 3:40 to claim the victory.

START ME UP
Despite falling to Long Island in the season opener on Sept. 5, the Big Red still holds a 33-24-8 record all-time in season openers dating back to the 1946 season.

UP NEXT
Cornell returns to the road for a pair of games next week, traveling out of conference for a 7 p.m. contest at Lafayette on Tuesday to close-out the non-league slate, and a trip to nationally ranked Brown on Saturday at 7 p.m.