GAME INFORMATION
GAME #10: Cornell at Harvard
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
SITE: Ohiri Field - Cambridge, Mass.
2010 RECORDS: Cornell - 3-3-3 (0-1 Ivy League); Harvard - 3-3-3 (1-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Harvard leads, 31-15-12
LAST MEETING: Tied, 1-1, on Oct. 10, 2009, in Ithaca, N.Y.
LIVE STATS: http://gocrimson.com/links/czaw7w

The Cornell men's soccer team returns to action on Saturday, facing Harvard in a 1:30 p.m. contest at Ohiri Field in Cambridge, Mass., the second game of a doubleheader following a contest between the Cornell and Harvard women's teams. The Big Red will be trying for its first Ivy League victory of the season after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in its conference opener last weekend against Penn.

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 9-9-8 record since taking over the program prior to the 2009 season. He earned his first career victory on Sept. 7, 2009, against Hartwick. 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 deserved a better fate than the one it received in its last time out on Saturday, falling to Penn, 1-0, on a goal with 1:04 to play in regulation. Cornell played evenly with the Quakers throughout the match, only to fall in the closing seconds after a missed clearance by the Big Red defense. Sophomore goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer made one save in the loss for the Big Red. On the year, Cornell has featured a balanced offensive attack, with eight different players scoring at least one goal and 10 players recording at least one point on the year. Chase Aaronson and Jimmy Lannon lead the team with five points apiece, with Aaronson tied with Franck Onambele with a pair of goals apiece and Lannon leading the squad with three assists. Pflasterer has played every minute in goal, posting a 0.93 goals-against average and a .775 save percentage.

ABOUT HARVARD
The Crimson opened the year with some strong results, including a win over 13th ranked Stanford and a tie with 10th ranked Connecticut, but have dropped off of late, entering the week with a 3-3-3 record and a game at Holy Cross on Wednesday before Saturday's matchup with the Big Red. Brian Rogers leads the Crimson offense with seven points on a team-best three goals with one assist. Six different players have scored at least one goal, while 10 players have recorded one point. In goal, Austin Harms has played all but one contest, recording a 1.18 goals-against average and a .706 save percentage.

THE SERIES WITH HARVARD
Harvard leads the all-time series, 31-15-12, though the two teams played to a spirited 1-1 draw last season in Ithaca. Cornell's last win over the Crimson came on Oct. 8, 2005, in Ithaca, a 3-2 victory, while the last win in Cambridge came on Oct. 7, 2000, a 2-1 Cornell win.

IN THE RANKINGS
Sophomore goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer appears in the top 75 of the national rankings in both of the main goalkeeping categories, ranking 53rd in the nation in goals-against average and 86th 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, is clearly shown by the Big Red's statistics this season. Cornell is out-shooting its opponents, 126-96, and has forced 51 corner kicks while conceeding just 32. The Big Red is averaging nearly six 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
The Big Red will play a pair of games next week, traveling to Colgate on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest against the Raiders, before returning home to take on Yale in a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, Oct. 16, at Berman Field.