ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's polo team will open its 2021-22 season on Saturday when it hosts Skidmore College at 7 p.m. at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y.

The contest will mark the return to competition for the Big Red who will play its first contest since February 28, 2020, which just so happened to be against Skidmore. Cornell emerged victorious in the contest, 18-13, marking the team's sixth-straight win when the season came to an abrupt end due to COVID-19.

Cornell recorded a 14-4 record in 2019-20, with three of those wins coming over Skidmore. The Big Red won all three contests against the Thoroughbreds that season, including a 13-4 win in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on Oct. 20, 2019, an 18-7 victory at the Oxley Equestrian Center on Nov. 23, 2019, and the last contest in which Cornell played.

The Big Red will be led by Branden Van Loon '13, The Peter B. Orthwein '68 Head Coach of Polo, who enters his fourth year at the helm of both the men's and women's programs. Van Loon has amassed a 24-6 career record with the men since he took over the program in December of 2018.

Cornell returns four team members from the 2019-20 campaign, including Alexander Dawson, Patricio Fraga-Errecart, Pablo Herrera, and James Riccio. Sophomores Nick Paciorek, Taylor Palacios, and Santiago Valenzuela will have their first chance to compete for the Big Red this season, along with first-year team members Eduardo Palacios, Muzammil Rizwan, and William Serrano.

The Big Red will be back in action next weekend when it welcomes Old Chatham on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y.