Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #1: #RV/RV Binghamton at #3/7 Cornell
FACE OFF: Tuesday, February 28, at 4:00 p.m.
SITE: Schoellkopf Field, Ithaca, N.Y.
2012 Records: Binghamton (1-0, 0-0 America East); Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 8-0
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 14-9, Feb. 26, 2011 in Ithaca, N.Y.

RADIO: WHCU 870 AM (Bob Michaels, play-by-play; Tom LaFalce, color commentary)
LIVE STATS: check back at game time
LIVE AUDIO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/
TELEVISION: None
 
 THE MATCHUP — After opening having its scheduled 2012 season opener at Hobart snowed out on Saturday, the Cornell men's lacrosse team will play its first contest of the season against Central New York rival Binghamton on Tuesday,  Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red will be looking to continue its dominance against an ever-improving Bearcat program, having won each of the first eight meetings between the teams, including a 13-4 decision last season on the road.  

SERIES HISTORY VS. BINGHAMTON — Cornell holds an 8-0 lead in the all-time series with Binghamton, including a 13-4 victory last year at the Bearcat Sports Complex. Cornell is 6-0 against Binghamton at Schoellkopf Field.

LOOKING AT THE BEARCATS — The Bearcats bring a 1-0 mark into the contest after knocking off Lafayette 10-8 on Friday in the middle of a snowstorm in Vestal, N.Y. Michael Antinozzi scored three goals to lead the way for BU. Binghamton returns 25 letter winners and six starters from last season's 7-8 squad that finished second in the America East and reached the semifinals of the America East tournament. First-year head coach Scott Nelson has 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List member and senior captain Ben Waldron leading the charge. Waldron was a first-team all-conference pick a season ago after causing 30 turnovers and winning 49 caused turnovers. Picked fifth in the preseason media poll, the Bearcats have three America East All-Rookie picks back from a year ago and junior midfielder Tyler Perrell, who led the team with 16 assists and ranked second with 27 points. Junior goalie Kraig Heston and senior Jordan Marra combined to start all 15 games a season ago in net.

CORNELL VS. THE AMERICA EAST –  The Big Red is 18-6 all-time vs. the current members of the America East. Cornell is 8-0 all-time vs. Binghamton, 5-0 vs. Stony Brook, and 1-0 vs. both Albany and Hartford. The Big Red has a losing record vs. UMBC (5-6) and has never faced Vermont ... Cornell has won its last 15 games vs. America East opponents.

A WIN OVER BINGHAMTON WOULD –
• improve head coach Ben DeLuca's career record to 15-3 and make him 2-0 against Binghamton.
• be the ninth consecutive win for the Big Red over the Bearcats to open the season.
• be Cornell's ninth consecutive victory in a season opener.
• be the Big Red's 14th straight in a home opener (last loss to UMBC in 1998).

LAST TIME VS. THE BEARCATS –
• The Big Red scored early and often, jumping out to a 13-0 lead at half time en route to a 13-4 victory over Binghamton at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, N.Y.
• Rob Pannell registered three goals and five assists and 13 different players registered at least one point as every healthy Big Red player saw field time in the victory.
• For Pannell, the eight points match a career-high, which he originally set in 2010 against Harvard.
• All three Cornell goalies saw action with AJ Fiore making three saves and allowing no goals in 34:16, before Andrew West tallied five saves and allowed two goals in 21:11. Brian O'Donnell closed out the game, playing the final 4:33 and allowing two goals.
• Cornell dominated the face-off circle, winning 13-of-19, including 12-of-15 in the first half of play to build its commanding lead. Mitch McMichael finished the day a perfect 8-for-8, while Doug Tesoriero went 3-for-6.
• The Big Red also played well in man-up and man-down situations, converted 2-of-3 man-up chances while holding Binghamton scoreless on its one opportunity.
• An intense sun caused some trouble in the clearing game and both teams finished the night going 11-for-14.

RECAPPING 2011 – In his first season at the helm of the program, head coach Ben DeLuca led the Big Red to a 14-3 record and a trip to the NCAA quarterfinals. Cornell ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation as it won its ninth consecutive Ivy League title with a perfect 6-0 conference mark, the longest stretch since Cornell won 10-straight championships between 1974 and 1983. The Big Red's nine consecutive regular-season Ivy titles is the longest current stretch by any men's lacrosse team in any conference. Cornell then went on to win its first-ever Ivy League tournament title. DeLuca became only the second coach in the history of the Ivy League to post an undefeated Ivy record in his first season, joining Ned Harkness (Cornell; 1966) and is the first coach in Cornell men's lacrosse history to lead the Big Red to the NCAA tournament in his first season. Following the season Rob Pannell '12 was selected as a first-team All-American and was named the USILA Player of the Year, the USILA Attackman of the Year, the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist and a nominee for an ESPY in the category of Best Collegiate Male Athlete. Pannell was joined on the All-American list by Max Feely '11, Roy Lang '12 and Jason Noble '13. The quartet was also named All-Ivy, along with Mike Bronzino '13 and David Lau '11.

THE HEAD COACH — After spending 10 years as first an assistant, then an associate head coach of the Big Red program, Ben DeLuca was named the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Lacrosse prior to the 2011 season. In his first campaign, he led Cornell to a 14-3 record, an undefeated Ivy League season, an Ivy League tournament title and the team's eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. The 10th head coach in program history, DeLuca played for, or coached under Cornell's last three coaches – Richie Moran, Dave Pietramala, and Jeff Tambroni. DeLuca earned four letters on defense for the Big Red, serving as captain his senior year and went on to be named the team's outstanding senior athlete for his leadership and dedication on and off the field.

FOR STARTERS - Cornell is 61-50-5 all-time in season openers … the Big Red has played Binghamton three times to start a season (all since 2006), winning each game and outscoring the Bearcats 53-13 in the process.

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND – Cornell has traditionally been very successful against collegiate teams from New York state, posting an all-time record of 266-157-7 (.627). Head coach Ben DeLuca has posted a record of 5-1 (.833) vs. teams from the Empire State … The Big Red faced six teams from New York state (5-1) in 2011.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS – Cornell had four players named to the 2012 Face-Off Magazine Preseason All-American list. Rob Pannell, Roy Lang and Jason Noble were all named a first-team selections, while Mike Bronzino picked up an honorable mention selection.

FRESH FACES – The Big Red added 12 newcomers to the 2012 roster, six of which earned high school All-American honors. The group is comprised of six attackmen, three defensemen, two midfielders and one goalkeeper. Additionally, the players represent seven states and one Canadian province with three players hailing from New Jersey and New York, two from Maryland, and one each from California, Ohio, Tennessee and Alberta.

U-19 TEAM – This past summer, Cornell rookie Connor Buczek was selected to represent the United States on its U-19 team, which will participate in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Under-19 World Lacrosse Championship in Turku, Finland, in July 2012.  

MUSTACHE MADNESS – This past November, the members of the Big Red men's lacrosse team participated in Lacrosse Mustache Madness to benefit the HEADStrong Foundation. As a team, Cornell raised $11,363.85, the second most of any Division I men's lacrosse team in the nation, trailing only Syracuse, which raised $13,513.42.

EIGHT STRAIGHT NCAAS – The Big Red went to the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight season after earning the Ivy League's automatic berth with a 15-6 victory over Harvard in the conference tournament title game on May 8, 2011. Cornell advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating America East tournament champion Hartford, 12-5, but fell to eventual national champion Virginia.

PANNELL IS USILA TOP WINNER – Rob Pannell was named the USILA's 2011 Lt. Raymond Enners Award winner as the Division I national player of the year and repeated as the Jack Turnbull Award winner as the Division I national attackman of the year. Pannell became just the 11th repeat winner in the 65-year history of the Turnbull Award and is the first-ever Cornellian to win the award twice in his career.

ESPY NOMINATION – Rob Pannell was nominated for a 2011 ESPY in the category of Best Male College Athlete. The ESPYs, an award show hosted by ESPN, is a celebration of the best sports moments and athletes of the year. The 2011 ESPYs was hosted by Seth Meyers and took place on Wednesday, July 13 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, Calif.

TEWAARATON FINALIST – Cornell lacrosse player Rob Pannell was named one of five finalists for the 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy, joining Jeremy Boltus (Army), John Galloway (Syracuse), Steele Stanwick (Virginia) and Joel White (Syracuse). He became the Big Red's first Tewaaraton Trophy finalist since Max Seibald '09 was a two-time finalist in 2007 and 2009.

TEWAARATON WATCH LIST, 2012 – Cornell senior men's lacrosse players Roy Lang and Rob Pannell have been named to the 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch list. The duo are among 72 total players in all divisions and highlight the early contenders for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award.

PANNELL'S GOT SENIOR CLASS – Cornell senior attackman Rob Pannell has been named one of 20 finalists for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award, given to a senior Division I student-athlete, must have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR PANNELL – For the second straight year, Cornell's Rob Pannell was selected as the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year and a first-team All-Ivy selection. Pannell is the 16th Big Red player in men's lacrosse program history to earn Player of the Year honors and is just the second Cornellian to win the award twice in his career, joining Eamon McEneaney (1975, '77).  Cornell has won the Ivy League Player of the Year award in six of the past 11 seasons.

TICKLE THE (ALL) IVY – Cornell placed six players on the various All-Ivy teams, joining Yale as the most of any team in the conference. Attackman Rob Pannell (unanimous), midfielder Roy Lang (unanimous) and defender Max Feely were all first-team selections, while attackman David Lau was named to the second team.  The defensive duo of Jason Noble and Mike Bronzino were both honorable mention All-Ivy selections.

IVY KINGS – Since Ivy League play began in 1956, Cornell has won a conference-high 26 titles, including the most undefeated crowns (16) of any team. The Big Red also has the best Ivy League record of any team in the conference at 232-95-1 (.709).

G-A-P LEADER – In 2011, Rob Pannell became the first Cornell player to lead the team in goals, assists and points in the same season since David Key in 2001.

40-40 MEN – Rob Pannell and Steve Mock led Cornell last season with 42 and 40 goals, respectively. The pair became the first Big Red duo to register 40 goals each since Tom Marino (46) and Eamon McEneaney (41) accomplished that feat in 1977.

IT'S A CLINCH — With its 18-5 victory over Brown on April 23, the Big Red claimed the outright Ivy League title, winning at least a share of the crown for the ninth straight season, the longest stretch since winning 10 straight championships between 1974-83. Cornell's nine consecutive regular season Ivy League titles is the longest current stretch by any men's lacrosse team in any conference in the nation.

OFFENSIVE ASSAULT – Cornell finished the 2011 season ranked second in the nation in scoring offense (12.71) and scored in double-digits in 13-of-17 outings.

SINGLE SEASON MARKS FOR PANNELL – Rob Pannell finished the 2011 season with 47 assists, good for fifth place in Cornell history for assists in a single season. Pannell also owns the fourth (51 in 2010) and eighth (42 in 2009) spots on the list … His 89 points last season was good for seventh in program history for points in a single season.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE — Since 2001, the Big Red has gone 65-14 at Schoellkopf Field, including perfect slates in 2011 (8-0), 2009 (6-0), 2007 (7-0) and 2005 (6-0).

11-WIN CAMPAIGN – The Big Red has posted at least 11 wins in each of the last seven seasons. Virginia is the only other team in the nation to accomplish that feat. 

ELITE COMPANY – Over the span of the past five seasons (2007-11), Cornell has racked up the third most wins (65) of any Division I men's lacrosse program, and has posted the fourth best winning percentage (78.3 percent) overall.

TOP DOG —Rob Pannell finished the 2011 season ranked in the top 10 in the nation in all three offensive categories. He finished in first place overall in points per game (5.24), second overall in assists per game (2.76) and ninth overall in goals per game (2.50).

200TH POINT – With his assist on Steve Mock's goal at the 9:30 mark of the fourth quarter against Dartmouth on April 2, junior Rob Pannell registered his 200th career point. He is just the third Cornell player to reach that milestone, joining Mike French (296; 1974-76) and Eamon McEneaney (256; 1975-77).

NATIONAL CAREER ASSISTS LEADER – Rob Pannell enters the 2012 season as the national leader in career assists. He currently has 140, 40 more than Virginia's Steele Stanwick, who sits in second place with 100.

GOOD OFF THE GROUND – The Big Red finished the 2011 season ranked sixth in the nation in ground balls per game, thanks in large part to defender Jason Noble, who ranked 4ist in the country with 4.18 ground balls per game.

DEFENSIVE DUO –Jason Noble and Mike Bronzino finished the season ranked 21st and 34th in the nation, respectively, in caused turnovers. Noble averaged 1.76 and Bronzino averaged 1.53 caused turnovers per game.

GOING STREAKING – Senior Rob Pannell has the longest point-scoring streak in the nation, having registered a point in every game of his collegiate career (52 games). His mark of 52 games surpassed 2009 grad Ryan Hurley's school record (50).

HEADING FOR WIN NO. 700 – Cornell's 15-6 victory over Harvard on May 8, 2011 was the 690th win in program history. The Big Red is 691-443-27 all-time, and its 691 victories rank seventh among the winningest programs in collegiate lacrosse.

MOVING ON UP – With his three assists vs. Syracuse on April 12, 2011, Rob Pannell moved into second place in Cornell history for career assists. He currently needs 25 more assists to pass Eamon McEneaney and become the Big Red's all-time leader … With his eight points vs. Stony Brook on March 22, 2011, Pannell moved into third place in Cornell history, surpassing Ryan Hurley (179; 2007-10) for career points. He needs 21 more points to surpass Eamon McEneaney (256; 1975-77).

CHAMPIONSHIP LINEAGE – Two players on the 2012 Cornell roster have fathers that have won a national championship with the Big Red – Cody Levine (Jon '76) and Matt Taylor (Joe '80). Jon Levine was on the 1976 team, while Joe Taylor was on the 1977 squad … Additionally, Connor Entenmann's father Ken was on Cornell's national semifinalist team in 1982, while Cole McCormack and Mike O'Neil each have uncles (Brian McCormack and Geoff Hall, respectively) that played together on the Big Red's national runner up squads in 1987 and 1988.

NEUTRAL ZONE – Since the start of the 2006 season, the Big Red is 10-6 in neutral site games, with two victories over Notre Dame (Chicago, 2006 and Long Island, 2007), and a single victory over Albany (Princeton, 2007), Navy (Long Island, 2008), Denver (Dallas, 2008), Harvard (Foxboro, 2009), Princeton (Hempstead, 2009), Virginia (Foxboro, 2009), Hobart (Syracuse, 2010) and Army (Stony Brook, 2010). The five losses came at the hands of Duke in the 2007 national semifinal (Baltimore, Md.), Syracuse in the 2009 national championship (Foxboro, Mass.), Dartmouth during the 2010 season (Foxboro, Mass.), Notre Dame in the 2010 national semifinal (Baltimore, Md.) and Virginia twice during the 2011 season (Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic in Baltimore, Md. and the national quarterfinals in Hempstead, N.Y).

TESORIERO'S TAKES – Through the first seven games of the 2011 season, Doug Tesoriero went 12-of-26 in the face-off circle for a .462 winning percentage. In the 10 final games of the season, he took the most face-offs on the team, winning .579 of his chances (77-of-133).

CLOSE CALLS — Since the beginning of the 2003 season, Cornell is 27-7 in games that have been decided by a single goal, a mark that was raised as the Big Red defeated Harvard, 13-12, on April 9, 2011, at Harvard Stadium. Of the seven losses, three have come against Syracuse (12-11 on April 11, 2006; 10-9 (OT) in the 2009 national championship game; 8-7 on April 13, 2010).

RULE FOLLOWERS – In the 52 games played since the start of the 2009 season, the Big Red has been flagged for more penalties than its opponents on just 14 occasions.

BALANCED OFFENSE – Cornell's scoring was fairly balanced last season with the attack accounting for 58 percent of its goals (124-of-216), while the midfield has registered 40 percent (87-of-216). The defense makes up the final two percent (5-of-216).

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE — With its 9-7 victory over Princeton, Cornell capped the 16th undefeated Ivy League season in program history, its first since the 2007 campaign. That accomplishment made head coach Ben DeLuca only the second coach in the history of the Ivy League to post an undefeated Ivy record in his first season, joining Ned Harkness (Cornell; 1966).

SINGLE-DIGIT SUCCESS – Since 2000, Cornell has posted a 113-13 record (89.7 percent) when holding its opponent to less than 10 goals … The Big Red is currently riding a 14-game winning streak in games in which it holds opponents to less than 10 goals.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS — Cornell owns a 36-9 record in its last 45 regular-season non-conference games, dating back to the Big Red's 16-14 victory over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on April 12, 2005.

ENDING A SINGLE DIGIT STREAK – Cornell had lost seven-straight games in which it had scored less than 10 goals prior to defeating Princeton, 9-7, on April 30, 2011.

OVERTIME NOTES – With its overtime game vs. Penn on March 26, 2011, Cornell has played at least one overtime game in each of the past five seasons, dating back to a 12-11 overtime triumph over Albany in the 2007 NCAA quarterfinals. During that span, the Big Red has posted a 5-2 record in overtime games.

NOBLE IN THE MIDDLE – Defender Jason Noble finished the 2011 season with 19 face-off wins (19-of-42), the most by a Cornell defenseman since Brett Wilderman won 25-of-55 in 1999.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN – For the second straight season, senior Rob Pannell will serve as captain of the Big Red men's lacrosse team.

HARD HAT – Jason Noble was selected to carry the Hard Hat for the 2012 season. The tradition of the Hard Hat began in the fall of 1999. Midway through the fall season, a player is selected to carry the Hard Hat for the year. The recipient is someone that the coaches feel demonstrates a blue-collar approach to the game of lacrosse; he is driven and selfless, not the most talented player on the field, but consistently the hardest worker. He puts the team first, and embodies how the coaches want Cornell players to act and respond on or off the field.

SISTER ACT – Senior Roy Lang and sophomore Mike O'Neil each have a sister on the Big Red women's lacrosse team. Lang's sister Kelly is a junior, while O'Neil's sister Ali is a senior.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON – The 47 players on the 2012 Big Red roster hail from 13 different states –California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and three Canadian provinces – Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON, PART TWO – Since 1950, the Big Red has had players from 33 different states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

NEW TO THE STAFF – Mark Wittink '00, a Big Red teammate of Ben DeLuca, has joined the Cornell coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach. On the field Mark assists with the goalies, midfielders and face-off wings. He also assists in scout team preparation in practice. On game day Mark assists with the face-offs and substitution box. Off the field, Wittink has played an instrumental role in the Big Red's social media efforts, including coordinating the team's Twitter and Facebook pages.

NEXT UP – Cornell continues its three-game homestand when it plays host to Army on Saturday, March 3 at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field, then meets Canisius on Tuesday, March 6 at 4 p.m.