GAME INFORMATION
GAME #9: Cornell vs. Penn
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Ithaca, N.Y. - Berman Field
2010 RECORDS: Cornell - 3-2-3 (0-0 Ivy League); Penn - 6-2 (0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Penn leads, 33-24-7
LAST MEETING: Tied, 2-2, on Oct. 3, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pa.
LIVE STATS: http://sidearmstats.com/cornell/msoc/

The Cornell men's soccer team begins Ivy League play on Saturday when the Big Red plays host to Penn in a 7 p.m. contest at Berman Field. The Big Red will be seeking its first win over the Quakers since the 2005 season, and its first win at home against Penn since 2000.

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 9-8-8 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
Cornell has gone unbeaten in its last four games, posting a 2-0-2 mark over that span, and has draws in both of its last two contests. Cornell most recently played to a scoreless tie against Binghamton on Sunday after playing Syracuse to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 22. Cornell has benefitted from a balanced offensive attack that has seen eight different players score at least one goal this season, and only two players scoring more than once. Junior forward Chase Aaronson and junior midfielder Jimmy Lannon share the team scoring lead with five points apiece, with Aaronson potting two goals and adding an assist and Lannon tallying one goal with three assists. Sophomore Rick Pflasterer has played every minute in goal for the Big Red, recording a 0.92 goals-against average and a .789 save percentage with a pair of shutouts.

ABOUT PENN
The Quakers were ranked in the top 25 in last week's NSCAA poll, but a 1-0 loss to Adelphi knocked Penn from the top 25, in spite of a 2-1 win against Richmond to closeout the week. Penn had opened the season with four straight wins before dropping a 1-0 contest to Villanova on Sept. 17. Stephen Baker leads the Penn offense with 16 points on seven goals and two assists, with no other player recording more than seven points on the year. Ben Berg has played every minute in goal for the Quakers, posting a 0.74 goals-against average and a .850 save percentage with two shutouts.

THE SERIES WITH PENN
The Quakers lead the all-time series against Cornell, 33-24-7, with a 17-14-3 lead in games played in Ithaca. Last season, the two teams played to a spirited 2-2 draw in Philadelphia, snapping a string of three straight wins for the Quakers. Cornell's last win over Penn came in 2005, a 2-1 victory in Philadelphia, and the last win in Ithaca came during the 2000 season, a 4-2 Big Red victory.

IN THE RANKINGS
Sophomore goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer appears in the top 75 of the national rankings in both of the main goalkeeping categories, ranking 51st in the nation in goals-against average and 66th in the country in save percentage.

FIVE ALIVE
Cornell will be seeking to stretch its current unbeaten streak to five games on Saturday against Penn, marking the longest such streak for the Big Red since the 2006-2007 seasons. Cornell closed out the 2006 campaign with back-to-back wins before opening up the 2007 slate with three straight victories. Cornell's last five-game unbeaten streak within the same season came in 2003, going 4-0-1 from Sept. 27 through Oct. 18. Last year, the Big Red had a four-game unbeaten streak from Sept. 27 through Sept. 13, going 2-0-2 over that span.

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 to take on Havard on Sat., Oct. 9, in a 1:30 p.m. contest in Cambridge, Mass.