It’s win or lose for the men’s (11-4) and women’s (13-1) polo teams this weekend as they participate in the Northeast Regionals. This year, Cornell will host the competition at the Oxley Equestrian Center.

The men’s squad will face Kemptville tonight at 7:30 p.m. in a semifinal game, and the women’s side will match up tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of Harvard vs. UMass.

Three of the men’s losses have been against opponents with very talented rosters (defending national champion Virginia and national runner-up Texas A&M). The fourth loss came against Kentucky in a game that the Red should have won if it was not for a missed penalty shot with three seconds left on the clock.

However, Cornell holds an 11-0 record against squads that it is expected to beat. It is because of this detail that Cornell is expected to reach the finals and play for the regional title and a ticket to the National Championships.

“We know what teams we are facing and what we have to do in order to come out with a win,” said junior captain Max Constant. “We are not concerned about whether we are going to lose or not because our team knows that we can defeat any team in Regionals.”

If the Red wins against Kemptville in the semis, Cornell will play on Sunday against the winner of a matchup between the University of Connecticut and Skidmore.

Kemptville, a Canadian team from the Ottawa area, is a young polo program that is not predicted to top Cornell’s superior roster.

“They [Kemptville] have an up-and-coming program and are getting a lot of experience in their competitions,” Constant said. “But they lost to Skidmore and other teams we have defeated. If we play our game, we should be able to defeat them.”Allow me to reintroduce myself: After sitting out last Saturday’s match against the Toronto Polo Club with an injury, junior captain Max Constant (2) will return to the starting lineup this weekend. - By: Emily Burke

On the other side of the bracket, UConn is expected to meet the Red in the regional final.

Cornell played both Skidmore and UConn twice during the regular season. The Red defeated Skidmore in both their meetings, by scores of 29-6 and 23-11. Cornell also swept Connecticut in the regular campaign with a 19-14 victory in Storrs, Conn., and a 23-13 win at Oxley.

“We would prefer to play Skidmore talent-wise but Connecticut is a rival of ours in this tournament, and we fully expect to see them in the final,” Constant said.

It is noteworthy to mention that Constant –– the Red’s leading scorer –– missed the squad’s last regular season game against Toronto, but is expected to play in tomorrow’s semifinal.

“I practiced last week and I feel fine. I’m very eager to start playing and help the team reach Nationals,” he said. “This is the time when it matters the most and I can’t afford to miss a single game.”

The women’s team has a bye in the first round of the regional tournament and will face the winner of yesterday’s matchup between the Crimson and UMass.

Cornell’s only loss came at the hands of a Kentucky team that played very well and took advantage of the different field conditions in Lexington.

The Red played both of its potential challengers for the semifinal game during the regular season; Cornell dominated UMass, 31-7, in its first game of the season, and defeated Harvard twice –– 20-3 in Cambridge, and 26-2 at Oxley.

“We have played Harvard twice and both games were really good for us because a lot of players had the opportunity to compete,” said junior captain and leading-scorer Lizzie Wisner. “We haven’t seen UMass in a lot of time so it will be interesting to play them again. Either way, we think we can go in and defeat both teams.”

On the other side of the bracket, UConn has a first round bye and will meet the winner of the game between Skidmore and Kemptville.

The expected final on the women’s side is Cornell and Connecticut. The Red is the favorite to win the final and clinch a bid to the National Championships.

“This season we have been able to mix all of our individual talent and play together as a team,” Wisner said. “If we focus and play as we are used to, we should be in Nationals.”