The men’s lacrosse team returns to Hanover for its home opener against No. 2 Cornell University this Saturday at Scully-Fahey Field. Last season, the Big Green fell 21-5 to the Big Red in Ithaca, N.Y. In its first Ivy League game, the Big Green (1-4, 0-1 Ivy) fell to Harvard University 16-7, largely thanks to a 7-1 second quarter for the Crimson.
“It’s a game of runs, so while we had a good first quarter, they had the second and that’s just the way pretty much every game will go,” co-captain Bobby Osgood ’15 said. “It’s not a lack of preparation but a question of if we show up and play four quarters like we can. While Cornell is a great offensive team, we’re not doing anything crazy just to prepare for them.”
The Big Green had a difficult season last year, finishing 3-11 overall and 1-5 in the Ancient Eight. Last April, the men upset Princeton University 10-9, but still finished last in the League, largely due to a six-game losing streak midway through the season.
“The game against Princeton last year shows that, when we put everything together, we can beat anyone in the country,” Osgood said. “Although Cornell is the last undefeated team in the country, they are still beatable.”
In the early season this year, the men have struggled offensively, scoring 40 goals in five games, only reaching double digits once. The team has failed to keep an opponent from scoring over 10 goals this year, so far surrendering a total of 67. Two of the team’s top three scorers from last season graduated. In 2013, Chris Costabile ’13 led the team with 22 goals and 30 points. Nikki Dysenchuk ’13 was third in points with 14 goals and 19 points. The team also lost starting goalkeeper Bernie Susskind ’13, who led the team with 160 saves last year. The two returning goalies with game experience last season, Blair Friedensohn ’16 and Ham Sonnenfeld ’16 combined for three appearances, 20:56 of playing time and four saves in their collegiate careers.
The graduation of Pat Flynn ’13, who served as a defensive anchor for the Big Green last season, also hurt the team, Osgood said.
Osgood said that the freshmen and sophomores have stepped up to fill the holes left by the departing seniors, earning starting roles and a lot of time on the field for the Big Green.
Mike Olentine ’14, KC Beard ’16 and Billy Heidt ’16 have been the offensive stalwarts in the early season for the Big Green. Olentine leads the team with seven goals while Beard and Heidt each have four. The team has struggled to convert on its man-up opportunities this season, completing three goals in 18 opportunities though it has given up goals on 13 of 19.
Cornell, which the Big Green will face Saturday, has torn through its early season, going 8-0 and 2-0 Ivy. The Big Red’s signature win so far was a 12-9 win over perennial powerhouse and then No. 2 University of Virginia in Ithaca. The Cornell offense has scored 115 goals and 348 shots. Cornell is averaging around 14 goals per game, while the Big Green averages eight. The Big Red also claims the top three scorers in the Ivy League. Though the team had 16 players graduate last year, the Big Red still has a strong line up. Last season, Cornell lost in the Ivy semifinals to Princeton and eventual national champion Duke University in the Final Four.
The team hopes to earn a top-four finish in the Ancient Eight, which will get them into the Ivy League tournament.
“If you go 3-3, it’s very likely you’ll make the Ivy tournament,” Osgood said. “That’s our number one goal right now, so we’re putting every effort we have into winning each game and if we win three of those, we’ll likely be just two wins away from the NCAA tournament.”
