ITHACA, N.Y. – After an exciting shootout victory over the New York City Polo Club on Friday, the Cornell men's polo team will look to carry its momentum into the Bill Field Invitational, which the Big Red will host from Nov. 18-21 at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y.
What's on Tap:
The men's half of the Bill Field Invitational will feature Virginia, Southern Methodist, and Kentucky, in addition to the host Big Red. The tournament will get underway on Thursday when Virginia and Southern Methodist square off at 7 p.m. Cornell will play its first game of the tournament when it goes head-to-head with Kentucky on Friday at 7 p.m.
The results of Thursday's and Friday's contests will determine the matchups for the remainder of the tournament, with a consolation game set to take place on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the championship bout scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m.
Last Time Out:
Taylor Palacios' heroics in the shootout against the New York City Polo Club on Friday, Nov. 12 secured the 13-12 victory for the Big Red, who improved to 7-1 on the season. With the score knotted, 12-12, at the end of regulation, the contest was forced to go to a shootout to determine a winner. Palacios delivered, scoring a goal in crunch time to give Cornell the 13-12 win for its third-straight victory.
Cornell was led in scoring in the contest by Pablo Herrera, who notched a match-high five goals. Palacios scored three goals in regulation in addition to his game winner, while Patricio Fraga-Errecart notched two and Santiago Valenzuela scored one.
The Field:
Two of the three teams at this year's Bill Field Invitational have already appeared on Cornell's schedule this season, as the Big Red faced both Southern Methodist and Virginia earlier this fall at the Virginia Polo Fall Tournament.
After getting three goals apiece from Palacios and Herrera, Cornell edged Southern Methodist, 7-6, on Oct. 20. The win snapped a three-game winning streak for the Mustangs over the Big Red and evened the all-time series, 4-4. If the two teams happen to meet this weekend, Southern Methodist will look to avenge its loss from earlier this season, while the Big Red will look to go two-for-two against the Mustangs this year and defend its home arena. Southern Methodist emerged victorious when the two teams faced off at the 2019 Bill Field Invitational, winning by a score of 24-15.
Virginia posted a convincing 21-1 victory over the Big Red at the Virginia Polo Fall Tournament on Oct. 22. The win marked the third-straight victory for the Cavaliers over Cornell. The Big Red is 4-5 against Virginia in its last nine meetings, but the Cavaliers hold a 25-10 series advantage over Cornell from 2001-02 to the present day.
Friday's Matchup vs. Kentucky:
Cornell's Bill Field Invitational opener will be the first time the Big Red has gone head-to-head with Kentucky this season. Cornell holds a 12-4 lead in the all-time series dating back to the 2008-09 season. The Big Red has won three of its last four matchups against the Wildcats, including a 26-7 victory the last time the two teams met on Feb. 15, 2020 in Ithaca, N.Y. The two teams' split its pair of meetings during the 2019-20 season, with Kentucky defeating the Big Red, 14-10, at the Virginia Polo Fall Tournament on Oct. 26, 2019.
Home Sweet Home:
The Big Red is a perfect 5-0 at home so far this season.
Dual Threat:
Taylor Palacios and Pablo Herrera have teamed up to be quite the force on offense. Palacios leads the Big Red in scoring, tallying a team-high 36 goals on the season for 37 points. Herrera isn't far behind, scoring 31 goals, including three two-pointers, for 34 points so far this year.
