Cornell faltered in its first two matchups against highly ranked teams, scoring just 14 total goals in losses to Richmond (8-0, 2-0 A-10) and Penn State (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten). But on March 21, the Red put up a massive 13-12 win over Princeton (5-2, 1-1 Ivy League), marking a massive boost to Cornell’s Ivy League and NCAA tournament hopes and setting the tone for its game against Yale (3-4, 0-2 Ivy League) on Saturday.
“Proud of the effort. I thought we played hard, I thought the mentality was right,” said head coach Connor Buczek ’15 MBA ’17. “I thought we made a lot of tough, physical plays that helped us win that game.”
Part of Cornell’s success in the games against Princeton and Brown was due to the clearing game, where the Red (5-2, 2-0 Ivy League) have been perfect two weeks in a row while also forcing more turnovers on the ride, a vast improvement from earlier in the season. Working off of this clearing success, the Red had numerous goals off of unsettled, transition opportunities against Princeton. While this was not necessarily part of the game plan, Cornell took what the Tigers gave it.
“It's just about opportunity,” Buczek said. “We're always trying to be aggressive, we're always trying to play offense for the entirety of the time we have the ball. I thought some opportunities arose on Saturday and we executed.”
Now the Red continue with Ivy League play, facing Yale (3-4, 0-2 Ivy League) at home. Another win for the Red would be a big step toward locking up a spot in, or even hosting the Ivy League tournament.
“We’re just trying to go 1-0 every week,” Buczek said. “We’re trying not to get too big of a picture in front of us. We're trying to just focus on the task at hand, and right now it’s Yale.”
Yale is a young team, greatly reduced offensively from last year after losing its top four scorers to graduation. The Bulldogs had a 5-8 overall record last season, and do not seem poised to do much better this year, off to a 3-4 start.
However, Yale has played Ivy League teams tough, only losing by one to Princeton and by two to Penn, and Yale is never an easy team to play against, with the 2018 national champions playing with grit when skill alone won’t suffice.
“They play hard. They're a talented group, maybe young in some spots, but so are we,” Buczek said. “We know that they're going to come in fighting for their lives and with a lot to prove.”
Cornell continues to battle through some key injuries, including freshman attackman Rowyn Nurry, junior midfielder AJ Nikolic and senior faceoff Jack Cascadden. But, the Red have been able to draw on its depth to find success.
“It’s part of the game, [we have a] next man up mentality,” Buczek said. “We've got plenty of talented guys on this roster and guys that are filling roles and doing an admirable job.”
Cornell and Yale will face off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Schoellkopf Field. Coverage will be available on ESPN+.
