Game Notes (PDF)

GAME #1: Cornell vs. Hobart
FACE OFF: Sunday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m.
SITE: The Carrier Dome (Syracuse, N.Y.)
2013 Records: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League); Hobart (1-0, 0-0 ECAC)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 82-47-4
LAST MEETING: Cornell won 14-9, Feb. 26, 2011 in Ithaca, N.Y.

RADIO: WHCU 870 AM (Barry Leonard, play-by-play; Tom LaFalce, color commentary)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/cornell/mlax/scoreboard.aspx
LIVE AUDIO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/
TELEVISION: Time Warner Sports (Channel 51 in Ithaca)

THE MATCHUP — The No. 7 Cornell men's lacrosse team opens its 118th season this weekend as it takes on its oldest rival, Hobart, on Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. The Statesmen opened their season last weekend with an 18-15 victory over Siena. The game can be seen by a local audience on Time Warner Sports (channel 51 in Ithaca) or online through Cornell RedCast. Fans in the Ithaca area can hear the game on WHCU 870 AM with Barry Leonard and Tom LaFalce on the call.

SERIES HISTORY VS. HOBART — Cornell and Hobart will face off in college lacrosse's oldest rivalry, meeting for the 134th time. The Big Red holds an 82-47-4 advantage in the all-time series, which began in the 1896 season. After the Big Red dropped five consecutive meetings from 1996-2000, former Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni, a Hobart graduate, took over the Big Red and led Cornell to a 10-1 record against his alma mater … Head Coach Ben DeLuca is 1-0 against the Statesmen.

LOOKING AT THE STATESMEN — Hobart is coming off a 4-9 season, but four of those losses were by two goals or less, including an overtime setback to Ohio State. The Statesmen welcome back 27 lettermen, including seven starters, and were selected to finish sixth in the ECAC preseason coaches' poll. In its season opener, Hobart used an 8-1 run, spanning the third and fourth quarters, to take an 18-15 victory at Siena on Feb. 17. Junior Cam Stone matched his career-high with six points on four goals and two assists. Classmate Alex Love added four goals and an assist. First-year Frank Brown chipped in a hat trick in his debut and earned an assist while classmate Bud Graham registered a pair of goals. In goal, junior Peter Zonino made nine saves.

CORNELL VS. THE ECAC – The Big Red is 89-49-4 all-time vs. the current members of the ECAC, thanks mostly to an 82-47-4 record vs. Hobart. Cornell holds a winning record vs. Air Force (1-0), Denver (2-0), Fairfield (2-0), Loyola (1-0) and Hobart (81-47-4), but a losing mark against Ohio State (1-2). The Big Red has never faced Bellarmine or Michigan … Cornell currently has an eight-game winning streak against members of the ECAC Conference … Head Coach Ben DeLuca is 2-0 all-time vs. the conference.

A WIN OVER HOBART WOULD –
• improve head coach Ben DeLuca's career record to 24-7 and 2-0 against the Statesmen.
• make Cornell 83-47-4 all-time in the series.
• be the ninth consecutive win for the Big Red over Hobart.
• be the eighth straight victory for Cornell against an ECAC opponent.
• be the 701st win in program history.
• be Cornell's 10th consecutive victory in a season opener.

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.
RECAPPING 2012 – Despite losing Rob Pannell, the reigning USILA National Player of the Year, in just its second game of the season, the Big Red still managed to be highly competitive throughout 2012, ranking as high as third in the country before seeing its season come to an end in the opening round of the Ivy League Tournament. Cornell finished the year with a 9-4 record overall and a mark of 4-2 in the conference, good for a second-place finish in the league standings. Freshman Matt Donovan was named the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Senior Roy Lang and junior Jason Noble were named first-team All-Ivy, while Donovan was joined on the second team by senior Chris Langton and juniors Thomas Keith and Steve Mock were named honorable mention selections. Lang (third-team) and Noble (second-team) also added All-America honors to their list of postseason awards, while Langton was selected to participate in the USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game.

HI, MY NAME IS – Fred Rothman, a seven-year member of the Cornell sprint football staff, has joined the Big Red lacrosse staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2013 season. A 1971 graduate of Oceanside High School, he played both football and lacrosse before attending SUNY Oswego, where he was a member of the lacrosse team. The former the principal at nearby Whitney Point High School, Rothman will work specifically with the Big Red's goalie corps.

FRESH FACES – The Big Red added six newcomers to the 2013 roster, five of whom earned high school All-American honors. The group is comprised of three midfielders, one attackman, one defenseman and one goalkeeper. Additionally, the players represent three states and one Canadian province with two players hailing from both New York and Connecticut, and one each from California and Ontario.

FOR STARTERS - Cornell is 62-50-5 all-time in season openers and has won its last nine season openers dating back to a 13-6 loss to Georgetown in the first game of the 2003 season.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN – For the third straight season, Rob Pannell will serve as captain of the Big Red men's lacrosse team. He is joined by fellow seniors Steve Mock, Jason Noble and Tom Trasolini.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS – Cornell had five players named to the 2013 Face-Off Magazine Preseason All-American list. Rob Pannell and Jason Noble were named first-team selections, while Matt Donovan was a third-team pick. Both Doug Tesoriero and Mike Bronzino earned an honorable mention selection.

HARD HAT – Joe Paoletta was selected to carry the Hard Hat for the 2013 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.

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND – Cornell has traditionally been very successful against collegiate teams from New York state, posting an all-time record of 270-157-7 (.630). Head coach Ben DeLuca has posted a record of 9-1 (.900) vs. teams from the Empire State … The Big Red will face six teams from New York in 2013.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS — Cornell owns a 41-10 record in its last 51 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.

NEUTRAL ZONE – Cornell is 1-4 in neutral site games under head coach Ben DeLuca with the team's only victory coming in a 9-8 overtime triumph against Denver on March 20, 2012 in Hempstead, N.Y.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS … AND THE RUNNERS UP – Cornell had three players participate in the Federation of International Lacrosse U19 World Championships, held last summer in Turku, Finland. Connor Buczek and the United States took home the gold medal, while Dan Lintner and Brennan Donville both won silver with Team Canada.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR –Matt Donovan was named the unanimous 2012 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. He is the fifth Big Red player to earn the honor, joining Paul Schimoler (1986), Sean Greenhalgh (2002), Max Seibald (2006) and Rob Pannell (2009).

TICKLE THE (ALL) IVY – In addition to being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Matt Donovan was also named second-team All-Ivy. Roy Lang '12 and Jason Noble '13 were named first-team All-Ivy, while senior Chris Langton'12 joined Donovan on the second-team. Steve Mock '13 and Thomas Keith '13 earned honorable mention selections.

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).

NEXT TO 100? – Junior attackman Steve Mock is looking to become the 39th player to reach 100 career points in school history and enters the 2013 contest with 95 (84 goals, 11 assists). He also is 16 goals away from becoming the seventh Cornell player with 100 goals.

GAINING ON GOALS LIST – Steve Mock currently ranks 22nd overall in Cornell history with 82 career goals. He needs just three more to surpass Steve Meyer (1986-89) in 21st place and will make the jump into the top 10 with 10 more tallies. 

CONFERENCE WIN-STREAK SNAPPED – The Big Red's nine consecutive regular-season Ivy titles was snapped by Princeton on April 28, 2012. At the time, Cornell's nine titles was the longest current stretch by any men's lacrosse team in any conference.

BALANCED OFFENSE – During the 2012 season, the Big Red showed tremendous balance in its scoring with the attack accounting for 73 goals and 38 assists (111 points), while the midfielders and defensive players have combined for 81 goals and 35 assists (116 points).

WIN NO. 700 – Cornell's 12-6 victory over Syracuse on April 10, 2012 was the 700th win in program history. The Big Red is 700-443-27 all-time, and its 700 victories rank seventh among the winningest programs in collegiate lacrosse.

ELITE COMPANY – Over the span of the past five seasons (2008-12), Cornell has racked up the fifth most wins (59) of any Division I men's lacrosse program and has posted the fifth best winning percentage (73.8 percent) overall.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE — Since 2001, the Big Red has gone 71-15 at Schoellkopf Field, including perfect slates in 2011 (8-0), 2009 (6-0), 2007 (7-0) and 2005 (6-0).

HUMAN VACUUMS – Jason Noble and Mike Bronzino have been the Big Red's most consistent ground ball guys. Noble has registered at least one ground ball in all but one game during his career and currently has the longest streak on the team at 38 games. Bronzino has collected at least one ground ball in all but three games during his career.

SINGLE-DIGIT DEFENSE – Since his time as the defensive coordinator of the Big Red began during the 2002 season as an assistant coach, now head coach Ben DeLuca has led a defensive unit that has held opponents to single-digits in 113-of-165 games (.685).

GOOD OFF THE GROUND – The Big Red finished the 2012 season ranked seventh in the nation in ground balls per game (33.46).
RULE FOLLOWERS – In the 63 games played since the start of the 2009 season, the Big Red has been flagged for more penalties than its opponents on just 18 occasions.

SINGLE-DIGIT SUCCESS – Since 2000, Cornell has posted a 119-14 record (89.5 percent) when holding its opponent to fewer than 10 goals.

CLOSE CALLS — Since the beginning of the 2003 season, Cornell is 29-9 in games that have been decided by a single goal, a mark that was lowered when the Big Red fell to Brown, 10-9, on April 21, 2012, at Schoellkopf Field. Of the nine 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).

POWER 10 – Rob Pannell became the first Cornell player to score 10 points in a game with his six-goal, four-assist effort in the 2012 season-opening win over Binghamton since Chris Danler also posted 10 points in a win over Army during the 1995 campaign.

NINE IS FINE – Offensively, Cornell has scored at least nine goals in 27 of the 30 games under head coach Ben DeLuca, with 22 games in double figures. The Big Red has surrendered fewer than nine goals 16 times during that same span.

NATIONAL CAREER ASSISTS LEADER – Rob Pannell is the national leader in career assists with 149. That is nearly 70 more assists than Lehigh's David DiMara, who sits in second place with 82.

OVERTIME NOTES – With its overtime game vs. Virginia on March 10, 2012, Cornell has played at least one overtime game in each of the past six 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 6-3 record in overtime games.

IVY KINGS – Since Ivy League play began in 1956, Cornell has won a conference-high 26 titles (tied with Princeton), including 16 undefeated crowns. The Big Red also has the best Ivy League record of any team in the conference at 236-97-1 (.708).
 
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 Mike O'Neil's uncle, Geoff Hall, played on the Big Red's national runner up squads in 1987 and 1988.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON – The 42 players on the 2013 Big Red roster hail from 12 different states –California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 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.

NEXT UP – The Big Red plays its home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 26 when it welcomes Binghamton to Schoellkopf Field. Faceoff is set for 4 p.m.