When Sports Gambling Goes Good

The lottery is one of America's oldest and proudest institutions. Every week, millions of Americans pick random numbers in the hopes that one day, the stars will align, and their numbers will match the winning ones. How much money has been thrown away on a seemingly arbitrary venture? A lot. In New York State alone, lottery revenue for the past fiscal year was over $5.7 billion. Playing the lottery is an addiction. No one wants to quit playing the week before his/her numbers actually win. Thus, we continue to spend money on hopeless wagers.

While the lottery is held in some regard because of its educational benefits, sports gambling is frowned upon by the majority of society. The first word associated with "gambler" is usually "degenerate," and gamblers are portrayed as shady characters by the media. While there are state-sponsored lotteries in 38 states and the District of Columbia, sports gambling is legal only in Nevada and Oregon.

Of course, there are numerous problems associated with sports gambling. We've all heard of the point-shaving scandals, seedy bookies, and Pete Rose. Nevada sports books record $2.5 billion per year in wagers according to the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study, while illegal wagering on sports is estimated at $80 to $380 billion annually. With off-shore Internet sports gambling sites gaining popularity (over 400 sports betting sites according to a 2001 Bear Stearns report), sports wagering is not going away.

Sports fans have always looked for ways to become more involved with the games and teams they follow. The most obvious way to attain this goal is to become a professional athlete. Given the relative difficulty of doing that, the next best thing is gambling. For those too wary to start gambling, there's fantasy sports leagues. While everyone gets excited as the fantasy draft nears, by the end of the season, there are only two or three people still paying attention to their teams.

Then there's the March Madness office pool. This little devil has been improving productivity in the American workplace for many years now, but does the person with the most basketball knowledge usually win? No. Instead it's the guy who picked his alma mater or who made his picks by flipping a coin. When it comes down to it, does anyone actually want to pick Duke to win (except the Crazies)?

What are we left with? Not much, unless of course you live in Oregon.

Oregon, which has given us Nike products and superbly-colored football uniforms, has quietly been conducting its own sports lottery game since 1989.

Sports Action is a game conducted weekly during the NFL season. It works just like a regular lottery, but instead of picking numbers, you pick the winner of an NFL game against the spread, along with a number of other props. Unlike a regular sports book, Sports Action only lets you wager on parlays, with a minimum parlay of three teams.

Ticket prices ranges from $2 to $20 and for each dollar wagered, a Sports Action player can win a guaranteed $5 on a three-team parlay. If you want to go crazy, you can pick the winners for five to 14 games/props. The money you win in these pari-mutuel wagers depends, of course, on the number of people who make a similar wager. For week 11, there were two correct tickets in the 12-of-12 prize pool, netting those winners $2371.90 for each dollar wagered. In total, $805,630 was awarded in week 11, the highest payout of the season.

Now, since the point spreads make the odds 50:50 for each game, the true odds on a three-team parlay should be 8:1, but Sports Action only gives 5:1 odds. This is because, just like the regular state lotteries, part of Sports Action's revenue helps fund state education ($2.5 million per year). While this is a far cry from the New York lottery education revenue, Oregon is a much smaller state, and Sports Action is only run for half the year for one sport.

Now, if you're a regular lottery player with sports knowledge, would you want to keep putting money on random numbers or would you want to actually have a chance to win some money (although not in the million-dollar range)? Unfortunately, Oregon remains the only state in the country with a sports lottery game. If a game like Sports Action was expanded to other sports and other states, people would finally have an alternative to illegal sports wagering. These games would generate more money for education and fill a void in the hearts of sports fans everywhere. In order for this expansion to take place, states would need to each lift the ban on sports gambling. Until then, we're stuck with the regular lottery games. If you're looking for some numbers this week, I recommend 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Hey, you never know.

M. Cagers Face Quinnipiac

After opening its home season with a win against intra-city rival Ithaca College, the men's basketball team will head out on the road again to face Quinnipiac tonight at 7 p.m. Both teams enter having won their last games. The Red (1-3, 0-0 Ivy) defeated the Bombers on Monday, 69-67, in Newman Arena, while the Bobcats (2-2, 0-0 Northeast) are coming off an 89-62 win over Longwood last Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams, and the contest will be televised live on the New England Sports Network. Tonight's game will be the second of four games this week for the Red.

"It's a big week for us, no question," said head coach Steve Donahue. "Quinnipiac on the road is a very good scholarship team in the Northeast Conference. They're struggling a little bit, but they're good at home."

In the fourth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the Red faced a hot-shooting Ithaca squad. The Bombers jumped out to an eight-point lead midway through the first half, but the Red pulled ahead, 27-22, after a 15-2 run. Ithaca battled back, and the two teams went into halftime tied at 35.
The Red pulled away in the second half, leading 69-56 with a minute left in regulation, but the Bombers mounted a huge comeback and rattled off 11 straight points before the end of the game. Despite the valiant effort, IC fell just short of a victory.

Senior captain Eric Taylor led the Red with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Lenny Collins chipped in 15 points and six assists. Freshman Khaliq Gant notched nine points in his first start at point guard for Cornell. After shooting 59 percent in the first half and 66 percent from beyond the arc, Ithaca finished the game with a field goal percentage of 52. The Red out-rebounded the Bombers 35-17, while Ithaca had four players in double figures. Quinnipiac will be facing its third and final Ivy League opponent of the season tonight, as it has already dropped games to Penn in the first round of the Pre-Season NIT and Dartmouth. Its other win of the young season came against Concordia.
The Bobcats return nine players and three starters from a squad that went 9-20 and finished tenth in the Northeast Conference. Junior guard Craig Benson leads the team in scoring with 15.0 points-per-game. Senior guard Rob Monroe is averaging 13.3 points-per-game and 8.3 assists-per-game, and recorded a career-high 14 assists against Longwood.

Monroe has a good chance of finishing his career as Quinnipiac's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level. Senior C.J. Vick is the Bobcats' third-best scorer, averaging double digits, and he also leads the team in rebounding with 6.5 rebounds per game.

Cornell also boasts three scorers in double figures on the season in senior Cody Toppert, Taylor, and Collins. Collins is averaging a team-high 18.5 points per game, while Toppert and Taylor average 12.8 and 12.3 PPG, respectively. The team is shooting 81 percent from the line and 48 percent from the field.

The Red will try to capture its first road win of the season tonight in the team's fourth contest away from Newman Arena. Afterward, Cornell will travel to face St. Bonaventure on Saturday, returning home on Monday to face Lafayette in its last game before the team breaks for exams.

Not Much History For the Trustee Cup

Even though the conference practically invented the game of football, the Ivy League is behind the times. Sure, John Heisman, Pop Warner 1894, and Walter Camp all played a role in developing the game from its infancy, but today's Ivy teams can't match the pageantry of their D-1A cousins. Why? Because we don't have rivalry trophies.

This past weekend, Minnesota battled Iowa for something more valuable than a win. Yes, they were playing for a pig. More precisely, they were playing for the Floyd of Rosedale, a trophy that dates back to 1935. Sixty-nine years ago, Floyd Olsen, the governor of Minnesota, issued the following challenge to Iowa governor Clyde Herring: "I will bet you a Minnesota prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota wins."

Minnesota won the game, and Gov. Herring delivered a pig from the Rosedale Farms in Iowa, and the tradition was born. There are similar stories from across the nation. There's the Old Oaken Bucket (Indiana-Purdue), Paul Bunyan's Axe (Wisconsin-Minnesota), the Keg of Nails (Cincinnati-Louisville), and the list goes on.

Now, some rivalries transcend a trophy. While the winner of the Cal-Stanford game (The Big Game) is awarded the Stanford Axe, the Cal-Stanford rivalry will now always be defined by one particular play.

Alright here we go with the kick-off. Harmon will probably try to squib it and he does. Ball comes loose and the Bears have to get out of bounds. Rogers along the sideline, another one ... they're still in deep trouble at midfield, they tried to do a couple of ... the ball is still loose as they get it to Rogers. They get it back to the 30, they're down to the 20 ... Oh, the band is out on the field!! He's gonna go into the end zone!!!

That, of course, was the Joe Starkey's famous call of the 1982 edition of the Big Game, when Cal beat Stanford on one of the most incredible plays in college football history.

Mysteriously absent, though, is a trophy exchanged by any of the Ivy League schools. "But wait! Isn't the winner of the Penn-Cornell game - which, if I'm not mistaken, is this weekend - awarded the Trustees Cup?"

Why yes, informed reader, that is true, but you are probably one of the few people who know about the Cup. However, this can hardly be considered a rivalry trophy. Penn is Cornell's most-frequently played football opponent, dating back to the teams' first meeting in 1893.

Since then, the schools have faced each other 110 times, making the Cornell-Penn series one of the most prolific rivalries in all of college football. With all this tradition, you would think that some sort of rivalry trophy would have emerged along the way.

Enter the Trustees Cup. This trophy was first awarded to the winner of the Cornell-Penn game way back in ... 1995! Isn't that a century too late to be coming up with a rivalry trophy?

Also, why is it called the Trustees Cup? Did the Cornell and Penn trustees used to bet on the game in the early 1990s? No. From the Cornell game notes this week, we learn that, "many names were suggested for the award, but 'Trustees' Cup' was ultimately selected because it denotes the high level of support and recognition afforded this rivalry."

That's a pretty lame explanation for the name selection. There has to be something in the annals of this rivalry that would make a better name than Trustees Cup. I challenge the creators of the Trustees Cup to go back over the long and storied history of these two programs and find a better name and trophy for this rivalry.

So, we've got a trophy no one knows about AND a rivalry no one knows about. Can you recall a Cornell-Penn game from years past that is extremely memorable? Probably not, and that's the problem. Students won't get excited for a rivalry game if they don't know anything about the rivalry. Cornell has one of the oldest football programs in the country, and yet we are ignorant of our storied tradition.

How do we fix this? Well, for starters, we can show up for the game this Saturday en masse. After being picked in the preseason to finish last, Cornell can clinch second place in the league with a win. No Ivy League team has ever rebounded from an 0-7 campaign with a five-win season the following year, and only one other team has recorded a winning conference season after going 0-7. It's all the more fitting that one of Cornell's own, Jim Knowles '87, has helped stage this remarkable turnaround.

What else can be done to restore the pageantry and excitement that defined our football team in the past? Maybe it's time we borrowed some traditions from other schools; there's a ton of things to pick from. How about the Midnight Yell Practice from Texas A&M? Or the placards from Cal? Or maybe we can come up with our own. The Lynah Faithful is known for their creativity, and we should be able to translate that over to the football games. The program has been rejuvenated this season; let's make sure that Cornell football is in the business of creating champions for years to come.

Men's Hockey Ties, Loses at Michigan State

The No. 8 men's hockey team entered the weekend as the only remaining undefeated team in the NCAA, boasting one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. Hoping to lengthen its winning streak, the Red (4-1-1, 2-0-0 ECACHL) travelled to East Lansing, Mich., for a two-game set against Michigan State on Friday night and yesterday afternoon. The Spartans had other ideas, limiting Cornell to one goal on the weekend. After playing to a 1-1 tie on Friday night, Michigan State blanked the Red en route to a 2-0 victory yesterday, Cornell's first loss of the season.

"Any time you go on the road and you're playing a team as good as Michigan State, it's always a challenge," said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer '86. "We definitely found which areas of the game we want to improve upon, but I thought we played well against a very good team. It gives us confidence that we belong where we are."

The Red's high-powered offense, which averaged 5.75 goals in its first four games, could not get going on Friday night, while on the other end, sophomore goalie David McKee was peppered with a multitude of shots. Whle McKee made several remarkable saves -- some from point-blank range -- the Spartans capitalized on the man advantage early in the first.

With junior Jon Gleed in the box, Michigan State's Ash Goldie received the puck at the top of the right circle, and blasted a shot that beat McKee glove-high at 5:54.

After only registering three shots in the first period, the Red capitalized on one of its five shots in the second period. At 4:11, freshman Doug Krantz's shot from the left point found the back of the net after richoting off of the left post and the skate of Spartan goalie Dominic Vicari. The tally, which was assisted by classmate Raymond Sawada and junior Cam Abbott, was Krantz's first collegiate goal.

The Red's penalty kill was tested in the second period, as it had to kill off eight penalties, including 1:22 of 5-on-3. Early in the third period, McKee stoned Goldie on a breakaway with a glove save. Although the Red had two power plays early in the period, the penalty-killing unit provided an offensive spark late in regulation, as senior assistant captain Mike Iggulden stole tht e puck and fed it ahead to Abbott, who broke free up the left side. After faking a shot left, Abbott took a shot from the right, but the puck went wide. 

In overtime, Michigan State outshot the Red, 4-1, almost scoring in the waning seconds of the game. With the Red shorthanded for the final 0:47 of overtime, Abbott had two great scoring chances, but couldn't convert.

Vicari finished the game with 20 saves for the Spartans, while McKee recorded a career-high 36.

"It was an outstanding performance by [McKee]," Schafer said. "We definitely left him out to dry there a few too many times, that's something we need to work on, but Friday night he stole the point for us. It proves we are definitely strong at that position."

"That might be the best game we have played all year," Michigan State head coach Rick Comley said after Friday night's game. "We had a chance to get up by three or four, but their goaltending held them in there. It was about as much as you could want in a 1-1 game." After a day off on Saturday, the two teams resumed their series yesterday afternoon. The Spartans struck first again, as Bryan Lerg grabbed a rebound off of a shot from A.J. Thelen and slid the puck through McKee's five-hole at 15:43 in the first period. Both teams were held scoreless in the second, as Vicari and McKee turned away several scoring chances. 

While the Red's play in the second and third periods was reminscent of its earlier games, the Spartans doubled their lead at 5:13 in the third. As Michigan State crashed the net, Jim McKenzie received the puck in the slot and fed it to Chris Mueller, who beat McKee on a backhanded shot. 

"I thought we played the style of hockey in the second and third period that is typical of our hockey team," Schafer said. "I thought we deserved a worse fate on Friday night, and I thought we deserved a better fate [yesterday]; and that's the way that hockey can be sometimes."

McKee was pulled for the final 1:50, but the Red could not cut the Spartans' lead. After being outshot, 37-21, on Friday, the Red posted a 32-22 shot advantage yesterday. Vicari's 32 saves earned him his first shutout of the season, while McKee stopped 20.

"I thought their size really played a factor in the game and they came at us hard," Comley said. "Their goaltender obviously is outstanding and Dom reacted to him and the two goalies went toe-to-toe."

While the Red failed to get a win on its road trip, playing a tough opponent like the Spartans gave Cornell the chance to identify the weak points of its game in preparation for the upcoming conference slate.

"I like to play tough opponents," Schafer said. "You really don't find out what your weaknesses are until you play someone that's a strong team, and they had a good team. It gives us an opportunity to go back and refine things."

Don't Insult Our Intelligence

Joe Buck: Welcome back to the 2004 World Series. Before I take a moment to plug Budweiser for the 45^th time (can you believe they’re paying me to be in their ads?), we’re going to bring on Red Sox manager Terry Francona. Terry, how do you think the team is doing so far?

Francona: Well Joe, I think we’re playing well.

Buck: Thanks Terry, we appreciate your time.

The above may not be an exact transcript of the in-game interviews that were featured during the World Series last week, but it’s close enough to the real thing. When Fox did these interviews during the All-Star Ggame, everyone thought it was a cute gimmick. When there’s something actually on the line, though, the last thing a manager or coach wants to do is talk to the broadcasters.

This is why sideline interviews with football coaches before halftime are completely worthless. There are only two possible responses from a coach in this interview: an empty cliché or an insult directed at the reporter (thank you, Lloyd Carr).

However, it’s not the coach’s fault for uttering sound bites week after week; it’s the television executives that are to blame for not canning these interviews altogether. If I’m a coach and my team is losing going into halftime, I’m thinking about what I’m going to say to the team in the locker room or what changes I’m going to make in the second half. I’m not spending one ounce of my time during the game coming up with a suitable answer to a sideline reporter’s question.

Here’s a wacky proposition: let the coaches coach during the game, and leave the analysis to the analysts.? However, the analysts don’t seem to be up to the task. Rather than doing research before a broadcast, they are content with telling viewers that the key for the (Insert any team here) to win the game is not turning the ball over and establishing the run.

This kind of worthless commentary is breeding a generation of ignorant sports fans. Look at that ESPN Radio commercial where the kids are talking about sports on the playground. What are they saying to each other? Are they discussing the pros and cons of the west cCoast oOffense? No, they’re exchanging clichés with each other such as “Shaq’s the man, but Yao’s really shown me something.”

What happened to the educated sports fan? We have only the sports broadcasters to blame. Instead of providing valuable insight during telecasts, today’s announcers are giving us such gems as “That’s as bad as a home run. A walk or a homer. Same thing.”

Tim McCarver uttered that nugget of wisdom during Game 6 of the ALCS after Keith Foulke surrendered a leadoff walk to Hideki Matsui in the bottom of the ninth. At face value, this comment doesn’t make much sense. Did McCarver back up his claim with evidence, such as the batting average for the next few hitters with runners in scoring position? No, he never referenced it again.

Because the announcers refuse to explain anything, we’re left with Scooter, the loveable animated baseball. Scooter is a very knowledgeable ball, and throughout the baseball postseason, viewers were treated to animations showing what a fastball looks like (It’s when the pitcher throws the ball as hard as he can!). It’s one thing to try to teach young fans about baseball, it’s another thing to insult the intelligence of all the adult viewers. Leave Scooter with the rest of the Saturday morning cartoons and take a more sophisticated approach to sports commentary.

Fox seemed to get this message, adding Al Leiter to the broadcast team for this year’s ALCS. He was able to provide a good compromise between Scooter and McCarver by explaining how to throw different pitches and the mentality of a postseason pitcher without dumbing down his analysis. However, once the World Series started, Fox went back to the two-man team of Buck and McCarver. What, did the viewers complain that Leiter’s insightful comments were distracting them from the game?

Back in the good ‘ole days, baseball announcers took the time to explain the elements and nuances of the game, instead of commenting on a play that happened three batters ago. It’s how my grandfather, who has never played baseball at any level, knows that a knuckleball is thrown with the fingertips, not the knuckles. Thankfully, Al Leiter was there to explain this to the young generation of viewers, but this type of commentary is sadly the exception.

At some point in time, the networks realized that people would continue to watch sports on television no matter what the analysts were saying. So they lowered all expectations for broadcasters, focusing instead of generating ad revenues and plugging new shows. The result is the new breed of American sports fan who spouts clichés and calls into sports radios shows to repeat those clichés.

Until the networks get their act together, it’s up to the fans to take their sports education into their own hands. The Internet can help in this regard, but I shouldn’t have to do outside research if there are perfectly capable people on the air right now that can explain things to me. It would be great if the next time I’m watching the World Series, I won’t have to mute the commentary.

Senior Soccer Players Depart With Sadness

When the seniors of the women's soccer team walk off the pitch this Saturday at the team's final game, they will leave behind a team vastly different from the one they joined three years ago. Seniors Katie Thomas, Natalie Dew, Kelley Hess, Ann Hubert, Megan Healey, and co-captain Emily Wyffels have all made their mark on the program, and they will be sorely missed by their teammates and coaches.

"It's always tough to see every senior group go, because we work hard to replace them in playing ability, but every year, it makes me wonder if we can replace that kind of commitment and spirit that these kids have shown me the last couple of year," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan.

The Class of 2005 has been through a lot in its four years on East Hill. After a 4-8-3 campaign in 2001, the team reached the ECAC Finals in 2002 and traveled all the way to Oahu last season for a game against Hawaii. While the Red is going through a difficult season this year, the seniors have maintained a positive attitude throughout.

"Even though this has been a rough year, I think we all believe we have made a difference in changing the culture of the team, and we hope to see our teammates take it the rest of the way to being a truly great program," Thomas said.

Thomas has been the team's go-to goalkeeper since her freshmen year. After posting 104 saves as a rookie, Thomas recorded a 0.96 goals against average and six shutouts, and was an All-Ivy honorable mention selection as a sophomore. Although she was hampered by injury last year, Thomas returned healthy at the start of the 2004 season, and has split time in goal with sophomore Katrina Matlin.

Dew has been a mainstay in the back for several years. While usually playing at stopper, Dew was called upon at times to mark an opponent's dangerous forward, often times volunteering for the job. She has also played at the defensive midfielder position, and last season was named to the All-Ivy second team.

"She relishes the task of defending. She's a very intense and physical player," Andeberhan said. "When she first came here, she got dirty looks from teammates in practice because she was so physically intense, and a lot of them were not used to it."

Hess is one of the best technical players on the team and a student of the game. She has seen time at midfield throughout her playing career.

Hubert, a fullback, has been hampered by a foot injury during the last two years. While her injuries have limited her playing time during her career, she has worked hard to recover. "Through it all, she has been an amazing young lady, very courageous. She maintained a tremendous work ethic," Andeberhan said. "Even though she didn't play a lot, she has been an inspiration in many ways because for such little reward, Ann has been working hard, and we value her as a member of the team."

Healey, who starred at Ithaca High School, transferred to Cornell from Stony Brook after her freshmen year and is a talented defensive midfielder.

"In high school, she played mostly in the center, but we have her playing on the wings. Right or left, she handled it very well, and her strength is her defensive presence," Andeberhan said.

Wyffels has also battled injury during her time at Cornell, but has emerged as a leader this season, serving as one of the team's four captains. She recently scored her first career goal against Buffalo, and is the Red's best technical forward.

"In the spring and summer, she really took care of a lot of key things -- team unity, helping the team prepare, captain's practices," Andeberhan said. "She is one of the people that you will hold as an example, whether she plays a lot or plays a little, she always maintains such a positive even keel. She's a great person for freshmen to imitate."

The seniors have played a role in mentoring the younger players on the team, an opportunity they have enjoyed. While their time at Cornell is almost over, the class of 2005 has helped the program grow into one that will be strong in the years to come.

"We came into the program as Berhane's first recruiting class," Thomas said. "Knowing that we were undertaking the challenge to rebuild the program. I know we all have given our hearts and souls to bringing this team to a different level than it was our freshmen year."

When the seniors of the women's soccer team walk off the pitch this Saturday at the team's final game, they will leave behind a team vastly different from the one they joined three years ago. Seniors Katie Thomas, Natalie Dew, Kelley Hess, Ann Hubert, Megan Healey, and co-captain Emily Wyffels have all made their mark on the program, and they will be sorely missed by their teammates and coaches.
"It's always tough to see every senior group go, because we work hard to replace them in playing ability, but every year, it makes me wonder if we can replace that kind of commitment and spirit that these kids have shown me the last couple of year," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan.
The Class of 2005 has been through a lot in its four years on East Hill. After a 4-8-3 campaign in 2001, the team reached the ECAC Finals in 2002 and traveled all the way to Oahu last season for a game against Hawaii. While the Red is going through a difficult season this year, the seniors have maintained a positive attitude throughout.
"Even though this has been a rough year, I think we all believe we have made a difference in changing the culture of the team, and we hope to see our teammates take it the rest of the way to being a truly great program," Thomas said.
Thomas has been the team's go-to goalkeeper since her freshmen year. After posting 104 saves as a rookie, Thomas recorded a 0.96 goals against average and six shutouts, and was an All-Ivy honorable mention selection as a sophomore. Although she was hampered by injury last year, Thomas returned healthy at the start of the 2004 season, and has split time in goal with sophomore Katrina Matlin.
Dew has been a mainstay in the back for several years. While usually playing at stopper, Dew was called upon at times to mark an opponent's dangerous forward, often times volunteering for the job. She has also played at the defensive midfielder position, and last season was named to the All-Ivy second team.
"She relishes the task of defending. She's a very intense and physical player," Andeberhan said. "When she first came here, she got dirty looks from teammates in practice because she was so physically intense, and a lot of them were not used to it."
Hess is one of the best technical players on the team and a student of the game. She has seen time at midfield throughout her playing career.
Hubert, a fullback, has been hampered by a foot injury during the last two years. While her injuries have limited her playing time during her career, she has worked hard to recover. "Through it all, she has been an amazing young lady, very courageous. She maintained a tremendous work ethic," Andeberhan said. "Even though she didn't play a lot, she has been an inspiration in many ways because for such little reward, Ann has been working hard, and we value her as a member of the team."
Healey, who starred at Ithaca High School, transferred to Cornell from Stony Brook after her freshmen year and is a talented defensive midfielder.
"In high school, she played mostly in the center, but we have her playing on the wings. Right or left, she handled it very well, and her strength is her defensive presence," Andeberhan said.
Wyffels has also battled injury during her time at Cornell, but has emerged as a leader this season, serving as one of the team's four captains. She recently scored her first career goal against Buffalo, and is the Red's best technical forward.
"In the spring and summer, she really took care of a lot of key things -- team unity, helping the team prepare, captain's practices," Andeberhan said. "She is one of the people that you will hold as an example, whether she plays a lot or plays a little, she always maintains such a positive even keel. She's a great person for freshmen to imitate."
The seniors have played a role in mentoring the younger players on the team, an opportunity they have enjoyed. While their time at Cornell is almost over, the class of 2005 has helped the program grow into one that will be strong in the years to come.
"We came into the program as Berhane's first recruiting class," Thomas said. "Knowing that we were undertaking the challenge to rebuild the program. I know we all have given our hearts and souls to bringing this team to a different level than it was our freshmen year."
- See more at: http://www.cornellsun.com/node/13110#sthash.QJoeeadi.dpuf

No. 8 Princeton Proves Too Much For Women's Soccer

Eighth-ranked Princeton showed why it is one of the best teams in the country Friday night, as the Tigers defeated the women's soccer team (4-10-2, 1-5-0 Ivy), 7-0, at Berman Field. With the win, Princeton clinched its fourth Ivy League title in the past five seasons, along with a berth in the NCAA College Cup tournament, while the Red dropped its ninth-straight game. Princeton's Esmerelda Negron had a record-breaking night, as she became the program's all-time leading scorer and also set the record for goals scored in a season.

"They're clearly the best team in the league, and we didn't match up with them," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "What I'm proud of is the kids hung in there and battled."

From the outset, the Tigers used their speed to attack the Cornell defense and senior goalie Katie Thomas. During the first 20 minutes of play, Thomas stopped several Princeton breakaways and dangerous shots. However, in the 22nd minute, the Tigers finally broke through, when Maura Gallagher recovered the ball to the left of the Cornell box. She then found Negron open in the middle, and Negron placed a low shot past Thomas for her 12th goal of the season.

Diana Matheson continued the scoring for Princeton in the 31st minute when she beat Thomas on a hard-angle shot from the right side. Matheson then tacked on another tally in the 39th minute, as she received the ball from midfield on the left side of the goal, connecting on a similar hard-angle shot. 

"The most important thing is that we couldn't handle their physicality and their speed. They have foot speed everywhere, which was amazing," Andeberhan said. "We played okay, but we weren't able to generate a lot of offense because we were busy defending."

Thomas was tested early in the second half, making a diving stop in the 45th minute. She then stopped a shot from five yards out in the 55th minute, only to have the ball deflect right to Princeton's Emily Behncke, who buried the shot in the net. Less than a minute later, Matheson served the ball downfield, with Negron and freshman Leslie Campbell chasing after it. Negron beat Campbell to the ball, and tapped it over the head of Thomas, who had come out of the box to play the ball.

Princeton relied on the same tactic throughout the game to set up its scoring chances. The Tigers would send the ball downfield on the wings, and the forwards used their speed to recover the ball deep in the Cornell end. The Red shifted its players to cut off the wings, but that opened up passing lanes for Princeton in the middle.

While the game was out of reach, Andeberhan was pleased with the team's effort throughout the last quarter of the game.

"We wanted to keep battling and learn as much as we can from this game," he said. "We've never been in a situation where we're playing the offside trap, and we constantly have them in trouble, but we're also in danger of disaster. You can't manufacture that in practice."

The Red's offside trap yielded nine offside calls on Princeton, but it also led to the Tigers' sixth goal, as Negron scored her third goal of the game after she was close to being offsides. Amanda Ferranti finished the scoring for Princeton in the 85th minute, when she collected a rebound from the left side of the net.

The Tigers outshot the Red, 26-5, and Thomas finished the game with seven saves, several of which were on point-blank shots.

"She was unlucky in a couple of spots. I thought she and Leslie played great, and it's hard to realize that with such a lopsided score," Andeberhan said.

Eighth-ranked Princeton showed why it is one of the best teams in the country Friday night, as the Tigers defeated the women's soccer team (4-10-2, 1-5-0 Ivy), 7-0, at Berman Field. With the win, Princeton clinched its fourth Ivy League title in the past five seasons, along with a berth in the NCAA College Cup tournament, while the Red dropped its ninth-straight game. Princeton's Esmerelda Negron had a record-breaking night, as she became the program's all-time leading scorer and also set the record for goals scored in a season.
"They're clearly the best team in the league, and we didn't match up with them," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "What I'm proud of is the kids hung in there and battled."
From the outset, the Tigers used their speed to attack the Cornell defense and senior goalie Katie Thomas. During the first 20 minutes of play, Thomas stopped several Princeton breakaways and dangerous shots. However, in the 22nd minute, the Tigers finally broke through, when Maura Gallagher recovered the ball to the left of the Cornell box. She then found Negron open in the middle, and Negron placed a low shot past Thomas for her 12th goal of the season.
Diana Matheson continued the scoring for Princeton in the 31st minute when she beat Thomas on a hard-angle shot from the right side. Matheson then tacked on another tally in the 39th minute, as she received the ball from midfield on the left side of the goal, connecting on a similar hard-angle shot.
"The most important thing is that we couldn't handle their physicality and their speed. They have foot speed everywhere, which was amazing," Andeberhan said. "We played okay, but we weren't able to generate a lot of offense because we were busy defending."
Thomas was tested early in the second half, making a diving stop in the 45th minute. She then stopped a shot from five yards out in the 55th minute, only to have the ball deflect right to Princeton's Emily Behncke, who buried the shot in the net. Less than a minute later, Matheson served the ball downfield, with Negron and freshman Leslie Campbell chasing after it. Negron beat Campbell to the ball, and tapped it over the head of Thomas, who had come out of the box to play the ball.
Princeton relied on the same tactic throughout the game to set up its scoring chances. The Tigers would send the ball downfield on the wings, and the forwards used their speed to recover the ball deep in the Cornell end. The Red shifted its players to cut off the wings, but that opened up passing lanes for Princeton in the middle.
While the game was out of reach, Andeberhan was pleased with the team's effort throughout the last quarter of the game.
"We wanted to keep battling and learn as much as we can from this game," he said. "We've never been in a situation where we're playing the offside trap, and we constantly have them in trouble, but we're also in danger of disaster. You can't manufacture that in practice."
The Red's offside trap yielded nine offside calls on Princeton, but it also led to the Tigers' sixth goal, as Negron scored her third goal of the game after she was close to being offsides. Amanda Ferranti finished the scoring for Princeton in the 85th minute, when she collected a rebound from the left side of the net.
The Tigers outshot the Red, 26-5, and Thomas finished the game with seven saves, several of which were on point-blank shots.
"She was unlucky in a couple of spots. I thought she and Leslie played great, and it's hard to realize that with such a lopsided score," Andeberhan said.
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