ITHACA, N.Y. – Coming off a second-place finish at the Bill Field Invitational, the Cornell men's polo team is set for a Saturday night bout against Babson at 7 p.m. at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y.
Last Time Out:
The Big Red placed second at the team's annual Bill Field Invitational held in Ithaca, N.Y. from Nov. 18-21, splitting its pair of contests against Kentucky and Virginia.
vs. Kentucky
Cornell earned a hard-fought, 13-11, victory over the Wildcats in the first round of the tournament on Nov. 19 to advance to the championship game. While the Big Red led Kentucky, 8-4, at halftime, the Wildcats outscored Cornell, 5-0, in the third chukker to claim a 9-8 lead going into the fourth.
The Big Red reset and gave Kentucky a taste of its own medicine, scoring the next five points of the contest to take a 13-9 lead which it would never relinquish. Taylor Palacios came up huge in the fourth chukker, scoring the first four Cornell points on three goals, including a two-pointer, to put the Big Red in great position. Pablo Herrera added the final goal of the game for the Big Red. Kentucky would score twice more, but that's as close as the Wildcats would get.
Cornell was led in the win by Palacios, who scored a game-high six points on five goals. Pablo Herrera and Nick Paciorek scored three goals apiece, with Paciorek's three scores matching his season-best.
vs. Virginia
After Virginia defeated Southern Methodist, 28-13, in the other first round game of the Bill Field Invitational on Nov. 18, the championship game was set for the Big Red and Cavaliers on Nov. 21. Virginia beat the Big Red for the second time this season, however, by a score of 30-11 to win the Bill Field Invitational. Despite falling to the Cavaliers, Pablo Herrera had himself a day, scoring nine of the Big Red's 11 points for the contest.
So Far This Season:
Cornell brings an impressive 8-2 record into Saturday's contest against Babson. Virginia has been the only team that's had Cornell's number this season, as the Big Red's two losses have both come from the Cavaliers.
Against Babson:
Saturday's contest between Cornell and Babson will be the first meeting between the two schools in recent history.
Dynamic Duo:
Pablo Herrera and Taylor Palacios have been a dual scoring threat for the Big Red this season, combining for 90 of the Big Red's 136 points this season. Herrera is the Cornell leader in points (46), having scored a team-high five two-point goals on the season. Palacios has notched a team-high 42 goals for 44 points.
Patricio Fraga-Errecart joins Herrera and Palacios in double figures, scoring 18 goals for 18 points on the season.
