SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Cornell men's polo team's season came to an end with a 14-9 loss to SMU on Thursday evening at the USPA Intercollegiate semifinals at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. The Big Red ended its season as Northeast Regional champions with a 15-4 overall mark.

Seniors Ryan Saul and Dan Shaw with Lorenzo Macias earned the start and pulled the Big Red into a 3-3 tie at the end of one chukker. The teams traded goals before SMU pulled ahead 5-4. It was that way right up to the last few seconds of the half when a clearing shot by Cornell rebounded off a horse and scored for the Mustangs, giving them a 6-4 edge at the break. The Mustangs began to pull away in the third, outscoring the top seed 6-2 to take a 12-6 lead into the fourth. The Big Red tried to climb back in the fourth, but could only gain one goal.