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Cornell University Athletics

Jimmy Lannon
Darl Zehr/Cornell Athletics

Men's Soccer Battles Dartmouth On Senior Day Saturday

11/4/2010 4:09:54 PM

GAME INFORMATION
GAME #16: Cornell vs. Dartmouth
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Ithaca, N.Y. - Berman Field
2010 RECORDS: Cornell - 4-7-4 (0-4-1 Ivy League); Dartmouth - 8-6-1 (2-3-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Dartmouth leads, 32-25-4
LAST MEETING: Dartmouth won, 2-0, on Nov. 7, 2009, in Hanover, N.H.
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/msoc

The Cornell men's soccer team will try to snap a four-game lising streak on Saturday night when the Big Red plays host to Dartmouth in a 7 p.m. contest at Berman Field. Saturday's game will also be the final home game in the careers of 11 Cornell men's soccer seniors.

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 10-13-9 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
Cornell enters this weekend's action on a four-game losing streak, most recently falling to nationally ranked Princeton, 1-0, on Oct. 30 at Berman Field. Two of Cornell's four losses over that span have come at the hands of nationally ranked opponents, including a 2-0 loss to Brown on Oct. 23 in Providence, R.I. The Big Red's last victory game on Oct. 12 at Colgate, a 2-0 win. For the season, Chase Aaronson leads the Big Red offense with eight points on three goals and two assists, while Franck 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. Rick Pflasterer has played all but one game in goal, recording a 0.94 goals-against average and a .767 save percentage with three shutouts.

ABOUT DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth enters the weekend at 8-6-1 overall and 2-3 in Ivy League action, standing fourth in the league race but beyond the ability to catch league-leading Penn and Princeton. The Big Green offense is paced by Lucky Mkosana, who has four goals and three assists for 11 points on the year. Daniel Keat also has four goals to go along with one assist for nine points. In goal, Sean Donovan has played most of the time this season, recording a 1.25 goals-against average and a .683 save percentage.

THE SERIES WITH DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth leads the all-time series, 32-25-4, and has claimed the victory in each of the three previous meetings, including a 2-0 win last year in Hanover, N.H. Cornell's last win was a 1-0 victory on Nov. 4, 2006, in Ithaca in double overtime.

SMART GUY
Cornell senior Brett Sumpio was named as a repeat selection to the ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-District I first team for his work on the soccer field and in the classroom. Sumpio has a 4.12 grade point average in applied economics and management while also appearing in 13 games this season for the Big Red.

11th AVENUE
Cornell says farewell on Saturday night to 11 seniors as they play their final game at Berman Field. The 11 seniors who will be part of pre-game Senior Day festivities are Scott Brody, Scott Caldwell, Craig Dimbleby, Devin Grant-Keane, Adam Hardie, Shane Merriman, Dimitar Nentchev, Matt Stengel, Brett Sumpio, Will Wolfson and Jeff Zimering.

BREAK THE BERMAN RECORD
Cornell's fans came out in a big way on Oct. 16 against Yale to help shatter the Berman Field attendance mark. A total of 961 fans showed up during the Big Red's alumni weekend, only to see the Big Red come up short in a 1-0 loss to Yale. The total attendance mark easily surpassed the previous all-time high of 876, set in 2001 against Brown.

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.

QUIET NIGHTS
Rick Pflasterer ranks fifth in the Ivy League in total saves on the season, due in large part to facing a low number of shots this season. Pflasterer has 46 saves in 14 games, though he has had one game with zero saves and three with just one. Pflasterer has made two or fewer saves in six games this season, with a high of seven stops coming on Sept. 12 at Vermont.

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 regular season concludes on Nov. 13 with a 7 p.m. contest at Columbia.
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