GAME INFORMATION

GAME #4: #9 Cornell at #16 Ohio State
FACE-OFF: Sunday, March 1, at 12 p.m.
SITE: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
2020 Records: #9 Cornell (3-0, 0-0 Ivy League); #16 Ohio State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied, 2-2
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 16-6 (5/18/2013 in College Park, Md.)
GAME LINKS: Live Video (ESPNU) | Live Stats | Live Audio | Twitter Updates | Tickets
RADIO: 97.7 FM / 870 AM (Ithaca, N.Y.)
TELEVISION: ESPNU

FOLLOW THE BIG RED

Cornell Athletics Facebook I Cornell Athletics Twitter I Cornell Athletics Instagram I YouTube
Lacrosse Facebook I Lacrosse Twitter | Lacrosse Instagram 

FULL CORNELL GAME NOTES

THE MATCHUP:

After a successful business trip to Baltimore that saw the No. 9 Cornell men's lacrosse team post convincing wins over Towson (17-10) on Feb. 21 and High Point (21-11) on Feb. 23, the Big Red will face its first ranked opponent of the season when it takes on No. 16 Ohio State on Sunday, March 1 at noon. The game, which will be held at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, will be broadcasted on ESPNU. Individuals with the proper cable subscription will also be able to view the game on the WatchESPN app or online at: www.espn.com/watch. Live stats for the game will be available and the game can be heard locally on WHCU 97.7 FM / 870 AM or worldwide at www.whcuradio.com with Barry Leonard and Howie Borkan '81 on the call.

SETTING THE SCENE:

Cornell enters Sunday's contest having opened the season 3-0, posting victories over UAlbany (19-10), Towson (17-10), and High Point (21-11) to start the 2020 campaign. The Big Red will be looking to improve its record to 4-0 for the first time since the 2014 season when the squad recorded nine straight wins to open the year.

Ohio State opened its 2020 campaign with wins against Detroit Mercy (23-9) and Boston University (11-4) before falling to UMass (9-7). The Buckeyes bounced back in its last outing against then- No. 20 Bucknell, defeating the Bison, 15-11, on Saturday, Feb. 22 to move to 3-1 on the season.

THE SERIES VS. OHIO STATE:

• Cornell and Ohio State have met four times with both teams winning twice to even the series, 2-2.
• The two teams first met during the 2000 season in what was an 11-5 victory for the Big Red on Schoellkopf Field.
• Ohio State then won the next two contests, beating Cornell 8-7 in Columbus, Ohio in 2001 and 15-7 in Ithaca, N.Y. in 2008 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• The two teams last met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and Cornell emerged victorious, beating the Buckeyes, 16-8, in College Park, Md.
• The Big Red advanced all the way to the NCAA semifinal that season in what is the program's most recent NCAA semifinal appearance.

A WIN OVER OHIO STATE WOULD:

• Give Cornell a 4-0 start to the season for the first time since 2014.
• Be Cornell's second-straight victory over the Buckeyes.
• Give Cornell the 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with Ohio State.
• Be the first over a ranked opponent this season.
• Make the Big Red 22-7 all-time when ranked No. 9 in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Be Cornell's seventh-straight win over an opponent when ranked No. 9 in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Improve Cornell to 102-51 all-time vs. teams ranked No. 11-20 in the USILA Coaches' Poll
• Be the 772nd win in program history.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE:

• Ohio State will be looking to pick up its second-straight victory over a ranked opponent when it takes on the Big Red, most recently beating then- No. 20 Bucknell, 15-11, on Saturday, Feb. 22.
• Ohio State has cleared the ball efficiently so far this season while making it difficult for its opponents to do the same, as the Buckeyes rank fourth in the nation in clearing percentage (0.918) and fifth in opponent clear percentage (0.744).
• The Buckeyes also rank fifth in all of Division I in shot percentage (0.373) and sixth in assists per game (10.00), having effectively distributed the ball so far this season.
• Ryan Terefenko and Justin Inacio are two of the Buckeyes' key players, both being named Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans. A first-team choice at short stick defensive midfield, Terefenko was a USILA Second-Team All-American in 2019 and currently leads the team in ground balls (15). Inacio earned Big Ten co-Specialist of the Year honors last season after leading the conference in face-off win percentage (.637).
• Terefenko, in addition to Tre Leclaire were recently placed on the Tewaaraton Watch List.
• Jack Myers (10-12-22) currently leads the team in assists and points and is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. His 3.00 assists per game ranks seventh in the nation.
• Leclaire (13-4-17) is the current team leader in goals with 13 so far this season.
• Goalie Josh Kirson, who was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Week on Feb. 11, ranks sixth in all of Division I in save percentage (0.633) and 11th in goals-against average (8.11).

CORNELL VS. THE BIG TEN:

• The Big Red is 42-55-2 against the current members of the Big Ten conference.
• Cornell has a winning record vs. Rutgers (8-1) and Michigan (1-0).
• The Big Red's series with Ohio State is tied (2-2).
• Cornell has a losing record vs. Penn State (21-22), Johns Hopkins (6-16-1), and Maryland (4-14-1).

LAST TIME OUT:

• John Piatelli and Michael Long fueled the Big Red to a 17-10 victory over Towson on Feb. 21, scoring four goals apiece. Long scored his first collegiate goal and then went on to notch a natural hat trick in a span of 3:01 in the second quarter. Piatelli scored three goals in a third quarter that saw Cornell out-score the Tigers, 5-2.
• The pair was just as impressive in the Big Red's 21-11 win over High Point on Feb. 23. Long scored four goals and notched three assists for a career-high seven points. Piatelli was firing on all cylinders, scoring a game- and career-high six goals.
• Jeff Teat was a key facilitator of the Big Red offense against High Point as well, tallying three goals and five assists for a game-high eight points.
• Led by Paul Rasimowicz and Angelo Petrakis, the Cornell face-off unit has set the Big Red up for success, winning 45-of-66 (0.682) face-offs in Cornell's last two games, including a first-half against High Point that saw the Big Red go 17-of-20 (0.850).
• The Big Red dominated the ground ball battle against both the Tigers and Panthers, picking up 40 ground balls as compared to Towson's 28 and collecting 46 ground balls compared to High Point's 21.

MILESTONES FOR PIATELLI AND TEAT:

• With his six goals against High Point, John Piatelli surpassed the 100-points plateau for his Big Red career.
• With his eight points against High Point, Jeff Teat has amassed over 250 points in a Cornell uniform, becoming only the fourth player in Cornell history to accomplish this feat (Mike French '76, Eamon McEneaney '77, and Rob Pannell '13).

HISTORY IN THE MAKING:

• With his 256 career points, Jeff Teat is now tied with Eamon McEneaney '17 for third all-time in Cornell history in career points. He needs just one point to move into sole possession of third place in the Big Red record books.
• Teat has also moved into the top-10 all-time in Big Red history in career goals. With his three goals against High Point, Teat is now 10th all-time in career goals (107), surpassing assistant coach Connor Buczek '15. He needs just five more goals to move into ninth all-time.
• Teat's 147 assists currently ranks third all-time at Cornell. He needs just 17 more to move into second all-time.

CLIMBING THE IVY:

• Jeff Teat ranks sixth in conference history in career points (256) and needs 40 more to move into fifth place.
• Jeff Teat currently ranks eighth in Ivy League history for career assists (147) and needs just five more to move into seventh place.
• Jeff Teat ranks 41st in conference history in career goals (107) and needs just two more to move into 39th place.

MOVIN' ON UP THE CORNELL RECORD BOOKS:

• Paul Rasimowicz ranks fifth in career face-offs won (388). He needs four more to move into fourth place.
• Brandon Salvatore ranks second in career caused turnovers (69). He needs 46 more to break the Cornell record.
• Dom Doria ranks ninth in career caused turnovers (42). He needs one more to move into eighth place.

LONG NAMED IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF WEEK:

For the first time of his young collegiate career, Cornell men's lacrosse freshman Michael Long has been named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, the conference announced on Feb. 24.

Playing in just his second and third games in a Cornell uniform over the weekend, Long found his offensive rhythm, propelling the Big Red to two convincing victories against Towson (17-10) and High Point (21-11). Long averaged 4.0 goals, 2.0 assists, 6.0 points and 2.0 ground balls per game over the two contests, as he was one of the most vital members of the Cornell offense.

UP THE RANKS:

After a 2-0 weekend, Cornell has moved up three spots in the USILA Coaches' Poll to No. 9 this week. The Big Red also moved up one place in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll to No. 10.

ELITE COMPANY:

With its 3-0 record, Cornell is one of only nine-remaining unbeaten teams in Division I men's lacrosse: No. 1 Yale (2-0), No. 3 Syracuse (3-0), No. 4 North Carolina (4-0), No. 5 Notre Dame (2-0), No. 10 Princeton (3-0), No. 14 Georgetown (4-0), Dartmouth (2-0), and Hobart (3-0).

A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN:

After a statement weekend for Ivy League men's lacrosse, the conference now has four teams ranked in the top-10 nationally in the USILA Coaches Poll.
• Yale topped then- No. 1 Penn State, being unanimously voted the new No. 1 team in the country.
• Then- No. 7 Penn defeated then- No. 10 Duke to move up to No. 6 in the rankings this week.
• Cornell defeated Towson and High Point to open the season 3-0 and improve to No. 9 in the nation.
• Un-ranked Princeton downed defending national champion No. 3 Virginia to shoot all the way up to No. 10 in the country.
• Harvard upended then- No. 19 UMass in its first game of the 2020 campaign.

CAMPUS CONNECTIONS:

• Ohio State head coach Nick Myers' brother, Pat Myers, was an assistant coach for the Cornell men's lacrosse team during the 2005 season. That season, Myers' helped the Big Red to an 11-3 record, including a perfect 6-0 in Ivy League play. The team won the Ivy League title, qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
• Jeff Teat and Ohio State's Jeff Henrick both played high school lacrosse at The Hill Academy. Cornell sophomores Billy Coyle and Henry Follows played at The Hill Academy as well.
• Cooper Telesco and Ohio State's James Hogan both played high school lacrosse at Ridgewood HS in New Jersey.
• Jack Parker and Ohio State's Jackson Reid both played high school lacrosse at Culver Academies in Indiana.

HAPPY HOMECOMING:

• The Big Red has one student-athlete on its roster that hails from Ohio – Griffin Buczek. The senior short stick defensive midfielder is from Amelia, Ohio and went to St. Xavier High School.

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS:

Cornell is among the best of the best nationally in a number of statistical categories, ranking in the top-10 of all of Division I as a team in the following:
• 1st in shot percentage (0.404) (also leads the Ivy League)
• 2nd in scoring offense (19.00 goals per game) (also leads the Ivy League)
• 3rd in ground balls per game (45.00)
• 4th in points per game (29.00)
• 5th in scoring margin (8.67)
• 6th in assists per game (10.0)
• 7th in face-off winning percentage (0.673)

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

The following Big Red student-athletes rank in the top-30 nationally in their respective statistical categories:
• Jeff Teat – 6th in assists per game (3.33), 21st in points per game (5.00), 28th in individual man-up goals (2)
• John Piatelli – 7th in goals per game (4.33)
• Michael Long – 12th in shot percentage (0.571)
• Paul Rasimowicz – 14th in face-off winning percentage (0.627)
• Chayse Ierlan – 25th in goals-against average (10.11)
• Jonathan Donville – 30th in points per game (4.67)

IVY LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

The following Big Red student-athletes rank in the top-10 of the Ivy League in their respective statistical categories:
• Jeff Teat – 2nd in assists per game (3.33), 4th in points per game (5.00)
• John Piatelli – 2nd in goals per game (4.33), 5th in shots per game (9.67), 8th in points per game (4.33)
• Chayse Ierlan – 4th in goals against average (10.11), 6th in saves per game (8.67), 6th in save percentage (0.481)
• Paul Rasimowicz – 4th in ground balls per game (6.00), fifth in face-off percentage (0.627)
• Jonathan Donville – 6th in assists per game (2.00), 6th in points per game (4.67)
• Joseph Bartolotto III – 6th in caused turnovers per game (1.67)
• Sam Duggan – 7th in ground balls per game (4.33)
• Brandon Salvatore – 7th in ground balls per game (4.33), 6th in caused turnovers per game (1.67)
• Michael Long – 9th in goals per game (2.67), 9th in points per game (4.00)
• Angelo Petrakis – 9th in ground balls per game (4.00)

SCORING MACHINES:

With the Big Red ranking second in the country in scoring offense (19.00 goals per game) and 10th in assists per game, it comes as no surprise that Cornell has four student-athletes ranked in the top-10 of the Ivy League in points per game: Jeff Teat (4th  –5.00), Jonathan Donville (6th – 4.67), John Piatelli (8th – 4.33), and Michael Long (9th – 4.00). This is a testament to just how well-balanced the Big Red is on offense.

FROM THE GROUND UP:

Cornell has been dominant in the ground ball battle over its first three contests, currently ranking third in the country as a team in ground balls per game (45.00) and having four players ranked among the top-10 in the Ivy League in this statistical category: Paul Rasimowicz (4th – 6.00), Sam Duggan (7th – 4.33), Brandon Salvatore (7th – 4.33), and Angelo Petrakis (9th – 4.00).  

TRICKY, TRICKY, TRICKY:

Cornell has posted a natural hat trick in each of its first three games this season, with Cooper Telesco accomplishing the feat against UAlbany, Michael Long doing so against Towson, and John Piatelli securing one against High Point. This marks the first time since 2014 that the Big Red has had multiple natural hat tricks in the same season.

THE RICHARD M. MORAN HEAD COACH:

• Peter Milliman (26-10, .722) is in his third season as the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse.
• Milliman was promoted to head coach in May 2018 after spending one season as the interim head coach.
• He spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach and then as the program's Mario St. George Boiardi '04 Associate Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse.
• The 2020 season is his seventh as a head coach (63-36), having coached at Division II Pfeiffer from 2009-12.

FAMILIAR FACES:

Cornell boasts a pair of recent graduates as assistant coaches – Jordan Stevens '15 and Connor Buczek '15. No other Division I staff has two full-time assistant coaches as young as or younger than the Big Red duo.

INSIDE LACROSSE PRESEASON MEDIA ALL-AMERICANS:

• The Big Red trio of senior attackman Jeff Teat (third-team), senior midfielder Connor Fletcher (honorable mention), and senior long stick midfielder Brandon Salvatore (honorable mention) were all named Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media All-Americans.
• The preseason honor is Teat's third-straight, while it is the first for Fletcher and Salvatore.

TEAT NAMED USILA PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN:

• Senior attackman Jeff Teat was also named a second-team USILA Preseason All-American heading into the 2020 campaign. The preseason distinction from the USILA is the first of his career.

DONNING THE MINTO CUP MVP:

• Junior midfielder Jonathan Donville was named the MVP of the 2019 Junior A Lacrosse National Championship after leading the Orangeville Northmen to their seventh Minto Cup in program history on Friday.
• With this accomplishment, Donville joins an exclusive list, becoming only the third Cornell student-athlete to be named the Minto Cup MVP, joining Dan Lintner '15 and Joe Nieuwendyk.

MEET THE CAPTAINS:

• Connor Fletcher '20, Brandon Salvatore '20, Jeff Teat '20, and Jonathan Donville '21 will serve as the Big Red's team captains for the 2020 campaign.

2019 ALL-IVY:

• The Big Red had 10 players named All-Ivy following the 2019 season, the most for Cornell since placing 11 on the All-Ivy teams following the 1987 season.
• Among the 10 were Jeff Teat and Brandon Salvatore, who were unanimous first-team selections.
• Other returners include Connor Fletcher (second-team), John Piatelli (honorable mention), Jonathan Donville (honorable mention), and Chayse Ierlan (honorable mention).

2019 USILA ALL-AMERICANS:

• Both Jeff Teat and Brandon Salvatore were named USILA All-Americans following the 2019 season.
• Teat earned a second-team selection, while Salvatore was named honorable mention.
• Teat became just the 29th player in Cornell history to be named All-America three times during their career after earning first-team accolades in 2018 and honorable mention status as a freshman.

2019 INSIDE LACROSSE MEDIA ALL-AMERICANS:

• For the third consecutive season, Jeff Teat was named an Inside Lacrosse Media All-American with a third-team selection in 2019.
• Brandon Salvatore was also honored with an honorable mention nod.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:

• The talented 11-member class of 2023 features five U.S. Lacrosse High School All-Americans, three Under Armour All-Americans, one Boston Lax All-American and six all-state performers.
• The balanced group includes three attackers, two midfielders, one long stick midfielder, one defensive midfielder, two defensemen, one face-off specialist, and one goalie.
• The group hails from five different states, as well as one player coming from Ontario.
• Among the group is two five-star recruits in attackman Michael Long and face-off specialist Angelo Petrakis and two four-star recruits in midfielder Aiden Blake and defenseman Frank Ciniglio.
• Long, Petrakis, Blake, and Ciniglio were all featured this past fall on Inside Lacrosse's Power-100 list.

STIFF COMPETITION:

• Cornell's 2020 schedule includes six opponents that are currently ranked in the USILA Coaches Poll: No. 1 Yale, No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Syracuse, No. 6 Penn, No. 10 Princeton, and No. 16 Ohio State.
• Two additional opponents – Harvard and UAlbany – are receiving votes.
• The Big Red had one of the toughest schedules in the nation a season ago, with four of its five losses in 2019 coming against teams that finished the regular season ranked in the top-three of the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Cornell has knocked off the top-ranked team in the country in back-to-back seasons.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK:

• Cornell has traditionally been successful against collegiate teams from New York state, posting an all-time record of 295-168-7 (.636).
• The Big Red has four New York teams on its schedule during the 2019 season – UAlbany (W, 19-10), Hobart, Colgate, and Syracuse.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• The 2019 roster feature four unique numbers on it - #51, #77, #88, and #93.
• Jeff Teat is the first player to wear #51 since Jerome Dolins wore it in 1966.
• Gavin Adler is only the second person to ever wear #77, following Tom Reilly, who wore the jersey from 2017-19.
• JQ Stramanak is the first player to wear #88 since Joseph Ryan in 1959.
• Michael Jackman is only the second person in program history to wear #93.

SETTING BIG GOALS: 

Jeff Teat finished 2019 with 34 goals to go over 100 for his career. That accomplishment makes him ...
• the 11th player in Big Red history to reach 100 career goals.
• just the fourth player in Cornell men's lacrosse history to register their 100th goal as a junior, joining Mike French, Rob Pannell and Sean Greenhalgh.
• just the seventh player in Ivy League history, and third overall at Cornell, to register 100 goals and 100 assists in a career, joining Rob Pannell (Cornell – 150-204-354), Dylan Molloy (Brown – 197-121-318), Ben Reeves (Yale – 174-142-316), Darren Lowe (Brown – 111-205-316), Mike French (Cornell – 191-105-296) and Michael Sowers (Princeton – 105-150-255).

THE 30-30 CLUB:

• With 34 goals and 36 assists during the 2019 season, Jeff Teat joined Mike French as the only two players in Cornell history to post 30 goals and 30 assists in a season three times during their career.
• Only two other Big Red players – Eamon McEneany '77 and Rob Pannell '13 – have tallied at least 30 goals and 30 assists in a season twice in their career.
• Including Teat's performance in 2017, 2018, and 2019, there have been just 14 seasons in Cornell history with a 30-30 performer.

70-POINT SEASONS:

• Jeff Teat has amassed at least 70 points in three straight seasons.
• He is just the fourth player in Big Red history to put together at least three 70-point seasons in a career, joining Mike French '76, Eamon McEneaney '77, and Rob Pannell '13. 

TOUGH-D:

• Brandon Salvatore finished the 2019 season ranked third in Cornell's single-season history with 32 caused turnovers.
• With his two caused turnovers against High Point on Feb. 23, Salvatore has moved into second all-time in Cornell history in career caused turnovers with 69.

CAN'T STOP US:

• During the 2019 season, Cornell's opponents saved just 43.4 percent of shots vs. the Big Red.
• During the 2018 season, Big Red opponents managed to save just 39.2 percent of shots faced – the lowest in program history. 
• Since opponent save percentage started being recorded in 1977, Cornell's opponents have saved fewer than 45 percent of shots faced just one other time (2013; .435 percent).

DOTTING THE MAP:

• Cornell has seven international players on the 2020 roster (six Canadians, one Australian).
• Tim Graham is the first Cornell men's lacrosse player to come from a foreign country other than Canada since John E. Beeby (Dersingham, Eng.), Thomas H. Beeby (Dersingham, Eng.) and John S. Roederer (Paris, France) all appeared on the 1961 roster.

FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER:

• Tim Graham is the first Australian to play men's lacrosse in the Ivy League.
• Graham became just the eighth Australian to play Division I men's lacrosse, and the first since Adam Sear (Yokin) and James Watson-Galbraith (Perth) played for Maryland and UMBC, respectively, during the 2010 season.

THIS IS OUR HOUSE:

• Cornell has enjoyed a true home field advantage since beginning play on Schoellkopf Field in 1972, going 245-85 for a .742 winning percentage, with 12 undefeated seasons.
• Cornell has been even more impressive since 2000, going 105-30 overall (.782) with perfect slates in 2015 (6-0), 2011 (8-0), 2009 (6-0), 2007 (7-0) and 2005 (6-0).

RECAPPING 2019:

• In his first season as the Richard M. Moran Head Coach, Peter Milliman's Big Red posted a 10-5 overall record despite facing one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
• Cornell posted a 4-2 record in Ivy League play, finishing third in the regular season standings and qualifying for its eighth Ivy League Tournament in its 10-year history.
• The Big Red ultimately fell to Yale in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal, and just missed a spot in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
• Cornell is determined to get back to the NCAA Tournament this year, as it strives to qualify for its second one in the past three seasons.

UP NEXT:

The No. 9 Cornell men's lacrosse team will compete in the Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte, N.C. for the second-straight year against No. 2 Penn State on Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. This year's game will be held at William Amos Hough High School.