ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's polo team will aim to divide and conquer as it prepares for a trio of contests this weekend. The Big Red will split forces to compete in a pair of Saturday games, taking on Harvard at 3 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass. before hosting Gardnertown at 7 p.m. at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y. The weekend will wrap-up with a contest against Stage Hill Polo on Sunday at 10 a.m. in Cambridge, Mass.

Last Time Out:

The Big Red is coming off of a second-place showing at the Virginia Polo Fall Tournament, hosted by the University of Virginia Polo Club, on Oct. 20-24, as Cornell split its pair of contests against Southern Methodist and Virginia. After getting three goals apiece from Taylor Palacios and Pablo Herrera, the Big Red edged the Mustangs, 7-6, to open the season 4-0 for the first time in five years.

The Big Red ultimately fell to the Cavaliers, however, by a score of 21-1, in its first loss of the year. Santiago Valenzuela scored the lone Cornell goal in the defeat.

vs. Harvard:

Cornell will look to get back in the win column against Harvard on Saturday, as the Big Red holds a perfect 11-0 record over the Crimson since 2008. The last three meetings between the two teams have all been in Cambridge, Mass., with the Big Red coming out on top scores of 22-1 on Nov. 4, 2017, 38-2 on Nov. 3, 2018, and 20-2 on Nov. 9, 2019.

vs. Gardnertown:

The Big Red will be seeking its fourth-straight victory over the Gardnertown Polo Club on Saturday night, having won both meetings during the 2019-20 season. Cornell beat Gardnertown, 18-15, on Nov. 1, 2019 before widening the margin of victory with a 20-11 win on Jan. 31, 2020. Cornell also picked up a 23-12 win over Gardnertown on Oct. 27, 2018 during the 2018-19 season.

vs. Stage Hill:

Cornell and Stage Hill will meet each other in battle for the first time in recent history on Sunday.

Dynamic Duo:

So far this season, Taylor Palacios and Pablo Herrera have combined for 46 of the Big Red's 66 goals. Palacios has scored a team-high 23 goals for 24 points, while Herrera leads the team in two-point scores (three), yielding 19 goals for 22 points.

Up Next:

The Cornell men's polo team will be back in action at home on Nov. 12 against a to be determined opponent at 7 p.m. before hosting the Bill Field Invitational from Nov. 18-21 at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y.