GAME INFORMATION

GAME #5: #7 Cornell vs. #2 Penn State
FACE-OFF: Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m.
SITE: William Amos Hough High School (Charlotte, N.C.)
2020 Records: #7 Cornell (4-0, 0-0 Ivy League); #2 Penn State (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
SERIES RECORD: Penn State leads, 22-21
LAST MEETING: Penn State won, 19-13 (3/8/2019 in Charlotte, N.C.)
GAME LINKS: Live Video (LSN) | Live Stats | Live Audio | Twitter Updates | Tickets
RADIO: 97.7 FM / 870 AM (Ithaca, N.Y.)
TELEVISION: None

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 GAME NOTES

THE MATCHUP:

For the second-straight season, No. 7 Cornell will clash with No. 2 Penn State in a matchup of two top-10 nationally ranked teams at the Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte, N.C. Last season, then-No. 6 Penn State upended then-No. 3 Cornell, 19-13. The Big Red will be out for revenge this year as it prepares to face its highest-ranked opponent of the 2020 season thus far.

Face-off against the Nittany Lions is set for Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. at William Amos Hough High School in Charlotte, N.C. The contest will be available to both domestic and international viewers on the Lacrosse Sports Network (LSN) online or can be heard locally on 97.7 FM/870 AM with Barry Leonard and Howie Borkan on the call. Live audio can be accessed on WHCUradio.com as well.

SETTING THE SCENE:

Cornell is off to a 4-0 start this season, its best since 2014 when the Big Red won nine straight games to open the year. The Big Red faced its first ranked opponent of the season in then-No. 16 Ohio State in its most recent outing on March 1, defeating the Buckeyes, 17-16, in Columbus, Ohio. Sunday's contest will be the Big Red's fifth-straight road game to open the season, as Cornell will finally play its first home game next Saturday, March 14 when it welcomes No. 5 Yale to Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. But beforehand, Cornell will look to extend its win streak to five games and remain unbeaten when it takes on the Nittany Lions this weekend.

Penn State will be the Big Red's biggest test of the season thus far, as the No. 2 Nittany Lions enter Sunday's contest with a 4-1 record, having beaten then-No. 6 Penn, 18-17, in an overtime thriller in its last game on Feb. 29. Penn State was previously ranked No. 1 in the USILA Coaches Poll for the week of Feb. 20 before it fell to then-No. 3 Yale, 12-10, on Feb. 22.

THE SERIES VS. PENN STATE:

• Cornell and Penn State first met in the 1923 season and went on to play 36 times prior to 1961.
• The series took a 40-year hiatus before resuming in 2001 in what was an 8-7 victory for Penn State.
• The Big Red responded by winning the next two meetings (2002, 2003), but the Nittany Lions won two in a row (2016, 2017) before Cornell won in 2018 to tie the series at 21-21.
• Penn State emerged victorious in the two teams' matchup last year at the Crown Lacrosse Classic, beating the Big Red, 19-13.
• The last three meetings between the two schools have all been in a neutral site setting.

A WIN OVER PENN STATE WOULD:

• Give Cornell a 5-0 start to the season for the first time since 2014.
• Even the all-time series between Penn State and Cornell at 22-22.
• Be the Big Red's second-consecutive win over a ranked opponent.
• Give Cornell five-straight road wins to open the season.
• Make the Big Red 20-7 all-time when ranked No. 7 in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Be Cornell's 10th-straight win over an opponent when ranked No. 7 in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Be the 773rd win in program history.

SCOUTING PENN STATE:

• Penn State is coming off its best season in program history, finishing with a program record for wins (16-2) while advancing to the NCAA Semifinal for the first time.
• Penn State returns 89% of its goals, 85% of its assists, and 87% of its points from a season ago.
• The Nittany Lions, who are led by three-time All-Americans Mac O'Keefe and Gerard Arceri and two-time All-American Grant Ament, have seven returning All-Americans on its roster (Jack Kelly, Tommy Wright, Nick Cardile, and Colby Kneese).
• O'Keefe is third among active players with a 29-game goal-scoring streak, also holding Penn State's school record for career goals (186)
• Ament is fourth among active players with a 52-game point streak and is the Penn State school record and Big Ten record holder in career points (274) and career assists (183).
• Ament raked in the honors in 2019, being named a Tewaaraton Award Finalist, the NCAA's Most Outstanding Attackman, and the unanimous Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
• Arceri is the Penn State school record holder in ground balls (480) and was named the 2018 Big Ten Specialist of the Year.
• As a team, Penn State ranks third in the nation in shot percentage (.385), fourth in in man-up offense (.636), eighth in scoring offense (16.40), ninth in scoring margin (+6.00), ninth in points per game (25.60), 10th in opponent clear percentage (.766), and 12th in assists per game (9.20).

CORNELL VS. THE BIG TEN:

• The Big Red is 43-55-2 against the current members of the Big Ten conference.
• Cornell has a winning record vs. Ohio State (3-2), Rutgers (8-1) and Michigan (1-0).
• 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's hot start to his junior campaign continued on Sunday against the Buckeyes, as he tallied five goals and three assists for a game- and career-high eight points.
• Piatelli has now scored at least four goals in every game he has played this season, currently leading the Ivy League and ranking second in all of Division I in goals per game (4.50).
• Jeff Teat (4-2-6) and Jonathan Donville (3-1-4) also notched hat tricks, while freshman Michael Long scored two goals for his third-consecutive multi-goal game.
• The Big Red defense was a major factor in the 17-16 win over Ohio State, pressuring the Buckeyes into 25 turnovers as compared to Cornell's nine.
• Chayse Ierlan held strong in goal, especially in multiple man-down scenarios for Cornell in the first half of Sunday's contest. The sophomore finished the game with nine saves, six of which game in the first half. Of those six, three came on man-down situations.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:

• Following the Big Red's victory over Ohio State on Sunday, John Piatelli and Michael Long swept the Ivy League weekly awards.
• For the first time of his career, Piatelli was named the Ivy League's Player of the Week.
• Piatelli followed this up with a second award, also earning a spot on the USILA Team of the Week.
• Long was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second-straight week. With the back-to-back Rookie of the Week honors, Long is only the third Cornell player in the last decade to accomplish this feat, joining Christian Knight '17 and Chayse Ierlan. 

TEAT TAKES THIRD:

• After Sunday's contest, Jeff Teat has officially moved into third all-time in Cornell history in career points (262), surpassing Eamon McEneaney '77 (256). He needs 34 more points to move into second alongside Mike French '76 (296).

HISTORY IN THE MAKING:

• With his 262 career points, Jeff Teat has moved into third all-time in Cornell history in career points.
• Teat has also moved into the top-10 all-time in Big Red history in career goals. Teat is now ninth all-time in career goals (113) and needs just six more goals to move up to eighth all-time.
• Teat's 149 assists currently ranks third all-time at Cornell. He needs just 15 more to move into second all-time.

CLIMBING THE IVY:

• Jeff Teat currently ranks eighth in Ivy League history for career assists (149) and needs just three more to move into seventh place.
• Jeff Teat ranks seventh in conference history in career points (262) and needs 34 more to move into sixth place.
• Jeff Teat ranks 37th in conference history in career goals (113) and needs just one more to move into 36th place.

MOVIN' ON UP THE CORNELL RECORD BOOKS:

• Paul Rasimowicz ranks fourth in career face-offs won (394). He needs 16 more to move into third place.
• Brandon Salvatore ranks second in career caused turnovers (70). He needs 45 more to break the Cornell record.
• Dom Doria ranks ninth in career caused turnovers (42). He needs one more to move into eighth place.

UP THE RANKS:

Now 4-0 on the season, Cornell has moved up two spots in the USILA Coaches' Poll to No. 7 this week. The Big Red also moved up five places in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll to No. 5. These are the highest rankings for Cornell so far this season, as the Big Red started the season ranked No. 13 in the USILA Coaches' Poll and No. 11 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

ELITE COMPANY:

With its 4-0 record, Cornell is one of only six-remaining unbeaten teams in Division I men's lacrosse: No. 1 Syracuse (4-0), No. 3 North Carolina (5-0), No. 6 Princeton (4-0), No. 13 Georgetown (5-0), and Dartmouth (3-0).

A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN:

This year's Ivy League slate, which starts next weekend for the Big Red on Saturday, March 14 against No. 5 Yale, is truly shaping up to be a great one. The conference currently has four teams ranked in the top-10 of the USILA Coaches' Poll: No. 5 Yale (2-1), No. 6 Princeton (4-0), No. 7 Cornell (4-0), and No. 9 Penn (1-2).

CAMPUS CONNECTIONS:

• Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni spent 10 seasons on the Big Red sidelines as the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Lacrosse. During his time with the Big Red, Tambroni posted a record of 109-40 and won a share of eight consecutive Ivy League championships.
• Cornell junior Joe Wolf's uncle, Mike Wolf, played football at Penn State.
• There are four high schools represented on both the Cornell and Penn State rosters:
                • Haverford School (CU's Parker Henderer; PSU's Grant Ament, John Nostrant, TJ Malone)
                • Salisbury School (CU's JJ Lombardi; PSU's Dylan Sulzbach)
                 • Garden City HS (CU's Danny Boccafola; PSU'S Tommy Wright)
                 • Victor HS (CU's Chayse Ierlan, Ryan Maloney; PSU's Sutton Boland)

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 (0.394) (also leads the Ivy League)
• 2nd in scoring offense (18.50 goals per game) (also leads the Ivy League)
• 5th in ground balls per game (40.00)
• 5th in points per game (28.75)
• 6th in assists per game (10.25)
• 7th in scoring margin (+6.75)

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS:

The following Big Red student-athletes rank in the top-20 nationally in their respective statistical categories:
• John Piatelli – 2nd in goals per game (4.50), 13th in points per game (5.25), 18th in shot percentage (0.500)
• Jeff Teat – 7th in assists per game (3.00), 13th in points per game (5.25), 16th in individual man-up goals (3),
• JJ Lombardi – 11th in shot percentage (0.538
• Michael Long – 18th in shot percentage (0.500)

SCORING MACHINES:

With the Big Red ranking second in the country in scoring offense (18.50 goals per game) and sixth in assists per game (10.25), it comes as no surprise that Cornell has three student-athletes ranked in the top-five of the Ivy League in points per game: John Piatelli (3rd – 5.25), Jeff Teat (3rd  – 5.25), and Jonathan Donville (5th – 4.50). 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 four contests, currently ranking fifth in the country as a team in ground balls per game (40.00) and having four players ranked among the top-10 in the Ivy League in this statistical category: Paul Rasimowicz (4th – 4.75), Sam Duggan (6th – 4.00), Jeff Teat (8th – 4.00), and Brandon Salvatore (9th – 4.75).

TRICKY, TRICKY, TRICKY:

Cornell 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 (27-10, .730) 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 (64-36, .640), 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.

SALVATORE NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE:

Cornell men's lacrosse senior Brandon Salvatore has been selected as one of 20 candidates for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men's lacrosse. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

TEAT PLACED ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST:

For the third time of his career, Cornell men's lacrosse senior attackman Jeff Teat has earned a spot on the Tewaaraton Award men's watch list. Teat has been named a Tewaaraton Award nominee in each of the last two seasons (2018, 2019).

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 Syracuse, No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Yale, No. 6 Princeton, No. 9 Penn, and No. 18 Ohio State.
• One additional opponents – UAlbany – is 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.

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 (2017-19).
• 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 (70).

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. 7 Cornell men's lacrosse team will play its first home game of the 2020 season when it welcomes No. 5 Yale to Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday, March 14. Face-off is set for 1 p.m.