ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell men's lacrosse team will be challenged by its second consecutive top 20 Ivy League opponent when it visits Penn on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. at Franklin Field. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, while Barry Leonard and Howie Borkan will air live on WHCU 97.7 FM/870 AM.
 

GAME INFORMATION

#3 Cornell at #7 Penn
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 1 p.m.
SITE: Franklin Field – Philadelphia, Pa.
RECORDS: Cornell 6-0, 1-0 Ivy League / Penn 3-2, 0-1 Ivy League
BROADCAST: ESPN+
RADIO: WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM) (https://whcuradio.com/)
STATS: PennAthletics.com
GAME NOTES
 

STORY LINES

• Cornell won its 11th straight game and its second against a ranked opponent in its past three games with its 13-12 victory over No. 11 Yale this past weekend.
• It was Cornell's second straight one-goal win and fourth consecutive game decided by three goals or less.
• The Big Red is off to a strong 6-0 start, climbing to No. 4 in the latest USILA Coaches poll and No. 4 in the Inside Lacrosse Media poll.
• Cornell ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense (10.5 goals per game) and has allowed the lowest opponent clearing percentage in the country (.718).
• Fifth-year seniors Joseph Bartolotto III (nine caused turnovers, 12 ground balls) and Dom Doria (eight caused turnovers, 11 ground balls) rank 1-2 on the team in caused turnovers with 17 between the two.
• In goal, Chayse Ierlan ranks in the top 20 nationally in goals against average (10.50 GAA) and has at least 10 saves in five consecutive games.
• On offense, two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Year CJ Kirst paces the team in goals (19), assists (nine) and points (28), while ranking second in ground balls (20).
• Tewaaraton Award candidate John Piatelli is second on the team in goals (19) and is averaging 3.7 points per game.
• Face-off specialist Angelo Petrakis is winning 49 percent in the circle, including a 16-of-29 effort against the nation's top-ranked face-off unit in No. 5 Ohio State, and leads the team with 36 ground balls.
 

LAST TIME OUT

• In a game full of runs, it was a goal that interrupted Yale's final flurry and a late defensive stand that delivered a 13-12 victory for third-ranked Cornell over No. 11 Yale at Schoellkopf Field. 
• The Bulldogs nearly recovered from a 12-5 deficit early in the fourth quarter, but the Big Red stemmed a 7-1 charge with a long possession that included a ground ball win to the end line that gave the home team the ball back with an opportunity to run out the clock. 
• Yale forced a turnover and called a timeout with 15 seconds to play, but Cornell kept the ball in front of them and a last-second, long shot from Christian Cropp sailed too high as the Big Red ran on to the field and celebrate the win.
• On a day where the Big Red struggled on face-offs, a big pickup by Marc Psyllos after a long scrum allowed Cornell to settle in for a settled offensive possession that ended in a CJ Kirst goal. 
• Chayse Irelan made 18 saves, including 10 in the decisive second half, and added three ground balls and an interception. 
• Twelve different Big Red players caused turnovers, with Gavin Adler recording two, and four different players had four ground balls. 
• Offensively, Kirst scored four times, John Piatelli and Aiden Blake each found the back of the net three times and both Matt Licciardi (two goals, one assist) and Michael Long (three assists) also tallied multi-point days.
 

THE SERIES VS. PENN

First Meeting: 1901    
Overall: Cornell leads, 66-26-3 (27-14-2 in Philadelphia)
In Overtime: Cornell, 7-1
Current Streak: Penn, 1 game
Last Meeting: Penn, 16-15 (3/23/19 in Ithaca)
Buczek vs. Penn: 0-0
Series vs. Penn: The Cornell/Penn rivalry is the second-oldest in the Ivy League and eighth longest in the nation, beginning in the Quakers' second season, 1901.
• The two programs began playing each other regularly in 1920, meeting nearly every season since except for the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and the 2021 COVID-canceled campaign.
• Saturday's edition will be the 96th meeting, with the Big Red holding a dominating 66-26-3 record overall.
• Penn has won three of the last four meetings and four of the past six after the Big Red had won six consecutive from 2007-14.

A WIN OVER PENN WOULD

• Give Cornell a 7-0 start for the first time since 2014 (9-0).
• Extend the program's win streak to 12 games overall — last loss coming on May 5, 2019 against Yale in the Ivy League Tournament — its longest since winning 15 games to open the 2007 season.
• Make head coach Connor Buczek the third head coach in Cornell history to begin a career 7-0, joining Ned Harkness (22-0) and Matt Kerwick (9-0).
• Give the Big Red a 67-26-3 lead in the all-time series, including 28-14-2 in Philadelphia.
• Be the 777th win in program history (776-487-27, .612).
 

SCOUTING PENN

• No. 7 Penn is 3-2 on the season and is three goals from being 5-0 (and three goals from being 0-5).
• The Quakers have had four of its five games decided by a single goal (and the other by two goals) with two coming in overtime, including a classic 21-20 defeat at Princeton this past Saturday.
• Among its wins were a top 10 win against Duke, a neutral site victory against Penn State and a one-goal triumph at Villanova, while it also dropped a 10-8 contest to Georgetown.
• The Quakers are averaging 12.0 goals per game with Sam Handley (10-13-23) and Dylan Gergar (18-3-21) powering the attack with Cam Rubin (10-4-14) also in double figures in scoring.
• Jamie Zusi is winning 46 percent of his face-offs with 16 ground ball wins.
• Patrick Burkinshaw has caused four turnovers with 15 ground balls in goal while posting an 11.45 goals against average and a .531 save percentage.
• In his 13th season, head coach Mike Murphy has an 81-71 record to become the program's all-time winningest head coach and the 2019 USILA Division I Coach of the Year.
 

THE RICHARD M. MORAN HEAD COACH

• Connor Buczek '15 (6-0) is in his first season (second year) at the helm of the Cornell men's lacrosse program.
• He was elevated to the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse in the spring of 2020 after five seasons on staff in the capacities of volunteer assistant coach for two years and assistant coach for three.
• His first year in the head coaching role saw the 2021 season get canceled due to COVID-19 and have to navigate his team through the challenges of having the season eliminated due to the pandemic.
• He has served as the offensive coordinator since 2018, and his duties have also included working with the goalies.
• He has helped turn the Big Red offense into one of the most potent units in the country, as Cornell has finished each of its last two seasons ranked among the top-five nationally in shooting percentage, assists per game, shots per game, and goals per game.
• Buczek was a decorated student-athlete during his playing days at Cornell, being named a three-time All-American and unanimous first team All-Ivy selection, among various other awards.

MEET THE CAPTAINS

• Joseph Bartolotto III '22, John Piatelli '22, and Chayse Ierlan '22 will serve as the Big Red's captains for the 2022 campaign.
• This marks the second time Bartolotto and Piatelli have been elected captains, having also done so in 2021, while it's Ierlan's first time steering the ship.

THIS IS OUR HOUSE

• Cornell has enjoyed a true home field advantage since beginning play on Schoellkopf Field in 1972, going 246-85 for a .742 winning percentage, with 12 undefeated seasons.
• Cornell has been even more impressive since 2000, going 106-30 overall (.782) with perfect slates in 2015 (6-0), 2011 (8-0), 2009 (6-0), 2007 (7-0) and 2005 (6-0).
 

UP NEXT

• The Big Red will play a midweek game against Colgate on Tuesday, March 29 at 5 p.m. at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, N.Y.
• Cornell leads the all-time series against its Central New York rival 43-8-1, though the Raiders snapped a 12-game Big Red win streak in 2019 (14-11).