A Force to Be Reckoned With

Most players have a superstition, a quirky ritual that has developed over the years. Senior Karen Force is no exception. The three-time captain is out on the court long before other players, honing her skills and soothing her nerves. It's this combination of superstition, leadership, and hard work that have made Force the player she is today.

Force is undoubtedly a leader on the stat sheet. She led the team in points, assists, 3-pointers, and steals last season. But she has also developed into a vocal leader on the court as well, and that will be essential to the team's success.

"I like to play the point because the ball's in your hands, and you see everything, and it gives you the opportunity to be a leader," said Force. "You call the plays, you've got a lot of thought processes going on all the time, you need to see things from other people's positions all the time, and being in that kind of position, and being able to so many things at the same time is awesome."

Playing the point puts Force in control of the offense, and she is also one of the best shooters on the team. Her impact doesn't stop at the perimeter. If you glance at last season's stats, there is one that jumps out at you -- free throw attempts. Force reached the line almost 100 times more than her closest teammate.

"I think our offensive set this year allows more penetration from my position, and that just develops into me getting fouled more often in shooting situations. I think I was just more aggressive this past season," remarked Force.

Driving to the inside is one of the things Force likes best when she's up on offense, and she will be able to do that frequently this season.

"I really like to penetrate, it's a lot of fun, whether you penetrate full up, penetrate all the way for a lay-up or a dish, I get juiced from stuff like that."

With the new coaching staff coming in last season, Force had to learn new offensive sets in addition to filling the void in the backcourt left by Breean Walas '02 and Do Stevens '02. She did so in remarkable fashion, becoming the first junior in Cornell history to be named to the All-Ivy first team. Force was the league's fifth-leading scorer, with 15.1 points per game, including 17.9 ppg in conference games.

In Smith, Force has a mentor who knows her position better than anyone, as Smith was one of the best point guards in the country in during her college career. Because of this, Smith is tough on the point guards, but that has helped Force improve her game a lot.

"Being point guard to point guard, it helps me a lot because she's gone through a lot herself, so she can help me learn from what she learned," said Force.

Force had the added challenge of recovering from knee surgery over the summer. Despite this, she comes into the season fully ready to lead the team to further success this year.

"There's still ways you can improve, whether it be in the weight room or stand-still things on the court, but I've done everything I can to improve," said Force.

With the start of the season approaching, Force is looking forward to seeing the hard work the team has put in pay off on the court.

"How many wins you want, the championship, you have to build to that, and I think we've got the mindset and the passion to do that. Day by day, we'll get there, and I'd love to see that progression. That would be awesome."

Guarding the Ivies

One will be hard pressed to find a more dangerous big three in the league this season than Cornell's own. Yet seniors 5-9 Karen Force, 5-10 Lauren Kilduff, and 6-1 Katie Romey aren't called that for their size -- it's for their scoring presence.

"I think the three of them will be a real scoring trio that needs to be reckoned with on the defensive end. I think teams are really going to have to key in on them because they're very versatile, and they can score from all different ways," said head coach Dayna Smith.

Despite learning a new system from scratch last year, Cornell's guards showed great promise and improvement. The guards have easily built themselves into the deepest position on the team, and are now past the transition period.

"It was an adjustment, like any coaching change is an adjustment, but we all came in with positive attitudes ready to learn. That's what we needed to do, and I think we came in with the proper mindset to do that and it's paid off. I think we've done a good job, and we've adjusted well," said Force.

Serving in her third season as captain, Force became the first junior in program history to be named to the All-Ivy first team last season, when she led the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game. She will the play the point again this season, and -- under Smith's offense -- will be able to drive inside frequently.

At 6-1, Romey provides size at guard and has developed into a scoring threat. After taking her sophomore season off, Romey came back strongly last season, registering 7.6 ppg, and ranking second on the team in assists, 3-pointers, and blocks.

"I think this year we're able to read the defense a little better. Last year, I think we were stuck in some of the plays. I think already we're starting to read things, and get a lot more options out of things," said Romey. "I think it's just after a year of experiences under our new coaches, and running these plays. We already knew them coming into this year, so we're a lot more used to them this year."

The third senior captain, Kilduff, worked her way into the starting lineup midway through last season. Her rebounding ability has been key at both ends of the floor. She led the guards last season with 4.8 rebounds per game.

While the team lost some size, the Red's speed and intensity more than make up for it.

"We look to run a lot, we're going to look to run the ball up the court as much as possible, and out of that we look for a lot of basics, pick and roll, back-door, just really moving the ball, and being crisp," remarked Kilduff.

Providing depth off the bench will be junior Lindsey Dean. A local product of Lansing, N.Y., Dean came off the bench in 13 games last season. The trio of sophomores -- Hillary Seidel, Sarah Brown, and Brittani Rettig -- all saw playing time as freshmen, with Seidel appearing in all but one game. Two freshmen round out the backcourt. Claire Perry went down with an injury, but Katherine Stritzl looks to settle in at point guard.

As one of the top point guards in the country during her playing days at Rhode Island, Smith brings valuable experience to the guard position.

"I'm tough on them, especially the point guards. Hopefully, they know I've kind of been through it in that position, and I think that they trust me. Being a player that has competed in that situation, you kind of understand what they're going through and just try to translate that out on the court," said Smith.

PTI - Cornell Style

I'm sure most of you have seen ESPN's gem of a show, "Pardon the Interruption," weekdays at 5:30 p.m. Basically, the show consists of Washington Post sports columnists Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser arguing about the day's sporting event, with each topic getting about a minute of discussion. What would the show be like if they talked Cornell sports?

MW: Pardon the Interruption, by I'm Mike Wilbon. Hey Tony, did you catch the Cornell men's hockey game on TV on Friday or were you already asleep?

TK: I'm Tony Kornheiser, and you'll be very surprised to hear that I stayed up to catch the game, although I fell asleep during the second intermission.

MW: Wow, I'm impressed.

TK: Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, Wilbon and I yack about Cornell sports. You may have noticed the Cornell football helmet that adorns the set behind us.

MW: Tony, the men's hockey team put up only four goals on the weekend after scoring seven last weekend against Princeton alone. What's going on with their offense?

TK: Let me tell you something, Friday's broadcast of the game against Clarkson was one of the worst I have ever heard. Let's see, the color guy was a Clarkson alum, and both of the dopes kept pronouncing the players' names wrong. Ryan Veshee? Greg Hornsby? Take a minute and get it right! It's not that difficult. But listen, you don't just go up to the North Country and expect to blow out Clarkson and St. Lawrence. That's a tough road trip.

MW: Speaking of tough road trips, the Princeton Tigers went into the Bright Hockey Center for the second year in the row and took down the Harvard Crimson. You'd think the Crimson would learned to take the Tigers seriously after being embarrassed last year at home.

TK: When I saw the 2-0 score in favor of Harvard, I thought, "That game is over." Then, out of nowhere, Princeton scores four unanswered goals to come away with the win. I bet your boy Mark Mazzoleni is feeling really stupid now. This was a trap game if I ever saw one.

MW: Moving back to Cornell, the women's volleyball team capped off one of the most successful seasons in program history with a weekend sweep of Yale and Brown, and compiled a 21-4 record with an 11-3 record in the Ivy League. Hey Tony, you ever watch a volleyball game?

TK: As a matter of fact, I caught the Red's tilt against Penn last week, and let me tell you, it was one hell of a match. This team is exciting to watch, and I also loved the rowdy members of the track team heckling the Penn players.

MW: It's Role Play time. Tony, you are Ken Dryden '69, former Cornell and Montreal Canadiens goalie. You led Cornell to the only undefeated, untied season in college hockey history, but you didn't make the short trip down to Buffalo to catch the Red play in its first Frozen Four in 33 years. What were you doing?

TK: Well look, I've been very busy trying to help the Leafs win their first cup since 1967. We have the second-longest Cup drought behind the Blackhawks. But I'll tell you what, I was very impressed with the team's run last season to the Frozen Four. And it will please you to know that we signed Cornell's own Joe Nieuwendyk '88 in the offseason.

TK: Next one up, Wilbon, you are the Section A student who during the first hockey game against Western Michigan lobbed a soda bottle at the opposing coach as he was leaving the ice. What do you have to say in defense of your outrageous behavior?

MW: Well Tony, I was very upset that the team came away with a tie. I can't think straight when the team doesn't win, so I kind of just threw my soda at the opposing coach, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Fortunately the ref didn't catch me, so maybe I can throw some fish at Mazzoleni in two weeks.

MW: Last one Tony, you are President Lehman '77. You helped participate in the $10,000 Field Goal Challenge this past weekend at the football game against Columbia. What are your thoughts on the event?

TK: Hey I'm just glad I didn't get kicked in the head. Seriously though, there's no way anyone is going to make that kick. At least with a half-court shot at a basketball game, there's a small chance it could go in, but a 45-yard field goal with the wind blowing against you? They might as well have dumped the $700 they spent into the stands. That would have been worth watching!

MW: It's time to find out what we messed up, Stat Boy...

SB: Well Wilbon, contrary to popular belief, Dryden was not a member of the 1970 undefeated, untied team. He led the Red to its first national title in 1967 but had already graduated when Brian Cropper backstopped the '70 squad to its perfect season.

TK: We're running out of show, let's go to the big finish! This Saturday, the men's hockey team faces off against THE Ohio State University. Who do you like, Wilbon?

MW: Tony, the Buckeyes lost Ryan Kesler and R.J. Umberger, and the Red is looking for revenge for its 1-0 loss to Ohio State at the Everblades last season, so I'm taking the Red, and I'm also picking Michigan to take down the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor beforehand.

TK: Well, that's all the time we have for today. We'll try to do better next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

MW: And I'm Mike Wilbon, we'll be back next Monday, as we're being preempted by more golf.

TK: I hate when they do that. Who wants to watch golf over our show?

MW: You've got quite the ego there, Tony.

Morgan '60 Endows Position

As Cornell's Campaign for Athletics enters the home stretch, the women's basketball team is the latest recipient of alumni generosity, as Becky Morgan '60 recently endowed the team's head coaching position. With Morgan's donation, the team becomes the fifth women's team at Cornell to have its head coaching position endowed.

"The endowment really just goes to show that we have great supporters out there, that believe in Cornell athletics and our women's basketball program," said Dayna Smith, Becky Morgan '60 head coach of women's basketball. "Becky came and spoke with the players, and really just showed her genuine interest and support for the team."

Morgan served as a California state senator from 1984 to 1993, and was the first CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. She is currently a member of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's transition team and is also a member of Cornell's Board of Trustees.

"I think it makes our players feel respected and makes them feel that somewhere out there believes in what they're doing, and I think it's a just a huge honor for me and for our program to have something like that given by such a remarkable person," said Smith.

In addition to her support of women's basketball, Morgan and her husband Jim Morgan '63, have contributed to other areas of the University, including endowing the dean of the College of Human Ecology.

During Morgan's recent visit to campus, the players had an opportunity to talk with her during practice.

"She came and spoke about what she does today and how Cornell helped her get where she is and why she made the donation and how athletics in general helped her as a woman in the business world and I think the players saw first hand what their experience here at Cornell is going to open up for them in the future, so I think they enjoyed meeting her and I know they appreciate the gift, and hope to really establish a good relationship with her in the future," said Smith.

The Campaign

The Cornell Campaign for Athletics is a $100 million fundraising undertaking. Already more than $58 million has been raised, and 17 head coaching positions have been endowed.

A new rowing center and renovations to Helen Newman and Schoellkopf Halls are also part of the campaign.

he women's basketball team begins its 2003-04 season this Saturday at the Indiana Classic, where it will face off against its first Big 10 opponent in program history in host Indiana, and will play either Indiana State or North Texas on Sunday.

Booters Eke Out Tie

The men's soccer team finished its season on a strong note, tying the fourth ranked team in New York, Columbia (10-4-3, 3-2-2 Ivy), on Saturday night at Berman Field 1-1. The Red (5-9-2, 2-3-2 Ivy) won its most Ivy games in three years, and most likely eliminated the Lions' chances of an at-large bid to the NCAA College Cup.

"That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," said head coach Bryan Scales in reference to spoiling Columbia's postseason hopes.

The booters have more to be proud of than that, as they displayed a lot of heart and determination, especially in the second half.

"I'm really proud of the effort that they put in tonight, and that was a real good performance for us. That's what we're looking for, at this stage, is the commitment and it was here tonight," remarked Scales.

The Red got on the board early, as junior Peter Lynch slid a low shot through a defender on net that Columbia keeper Dean Arnoaoutakis saved. Freshman Ryan Imamura was there to collect the rebound, and he dished it to classmate Nick Leonard, who slammed it home from the right side for his second goal of the year.

After the goal, Cornell kept up the pressure on the offensive end, but got a scare on its defensive side when junior goalie David Mahoney collided with a Cornell defender as he went out to play the ball in the 34th minute. Junior Scott Palguta was able to clear the ball, however, to prevent Columbia from getting a shot at the empty net.

With just over a minute to play in the first half, Columbia's Oladero Ola-Niyi received the ball to the left of the Cornell goal from Stephen Foster, and sent a strike past Mahoney for his third goal of the season.

Despite letting up a goal in the waning moments of the half, the Red came out after halftime with a lot of intensity.

"They could have folded, that's a terrible time to give a goal up, and they came out in the second half and went after them again. We kept going forward and going forward," said Scales.

Sophomore Kuda Wekwete made a great play in the 57th minute, as he stole the ball from a Columbia defender, and went in on a breakaway. The goalie rushed in and before Wekwete could get the shot off, he was tripped up from behind.

"I don't know how you don't have a penalty kick there with Kuda going in on goal, so there's lots of calls during the game that don't go your way, but you have to hope that they don't determine the fate of the game," remarked Scales.

Mahoney was tested in the 67th minute, when Thorsteinn Gestsson received the ball inside the Cornell box. He one-touched it toward the left post, but Mahoney came up with the quick save.

In the 90th minute, Mahoney made his biggest stop of the game, as he made a diving save, leaving him out of position. Columbia collected the rebound, but the shot on the open net was blocked by a Cornell defender.

"I thought we dominated the whole second half of the game, and then in the overtimes, where we had a lot of good chances to finish the game, we just didn't," said Scales.

The Red's best chance in the first overtime was set up by senior Ian Pilarski. Pilarski brought the ball up the right side of the field and crossed it to Palguta on the left. He blew by the last Columbia and launched a high shot that Arnoaoutakis tipped slightly.

"When you get inside the penalty box and you have open shots on goal, it's a matter of concentration and striking a good ball and keeping it down. It's frustrating to miss chances inside the penalty area especially when you have so many of them, but that's part of soccer," commented Scales.

In the second overtime, the booters put five shots on goal, but could not find the back of the net. With three minutes to go in the second extra session, Pilarski broke in on goal after beating his defender. He launched a shot from the left that hit the outside of the goal.

"It's going to be a long offseason for us, and although we didn't win the game today, we have to be pleased with our performance. At least it says the guys said 'You know what? We didn't quit,' and that's the bottom line," said Scales.

M. Soccer Wraps Up Season

Tomorrow, the five seniors of the men's soccer team will play the final game of their collegiate careers, as the Red (5-9-1, 2-3-1 Ivy) looks to spoil Columbia's (10-4-2, 3-2-1 Ivy) postseason aspirations at 4 p.m. on Berman Field. The booters dropped another close game to No. 16 Hartwick on Wednesday, 3-1, and will try to end their six-game losing skid.

"This has been a real tough second half of the season for them, and they keep putting the emotional energy into each and every game, and to not come out on top takes a little piece out of you every time it happens," said head coach Bryan Scales. "They want to leave a good legacy in the seniors' last game. They're going to compete, this group will compete."

On Wednesday, Hartwick got on the board midway through the first half, as a questionable foul call to the left of the Cornell goal set up a free kick that Josh Herrera headed home. Junior goalie David Mahoney came up with four incredible saves in the remainder of the half to keep the Red within striking distance.

The Hawks tacked on two more scores at the start of the second half, at which point junior Peter Francis came in for Mahoney in goal. For the last 30 minutes of the contest, the Red stepped up the pressure, and finally knocked home a goal in the 80th minute. Sophomore Andrew George dribbled along the baseline to the left of the Hartwick goal, before passing to senior Evan Wiener, who collected the rebound from his own shot for his second goal of the season.

"Soccer's always a game of ebbs and flows. Each team's going to have a run at goal," said Scales. "After we scored to make it 3-1, that gives you energy, that gets you going, you feel like you're making some progress. I did think we really got some momentum."

Columbia comes into tomorrow's match gunning for a win to help it get an at-large bid to the NCAA College Cup. After being ranked No. 23 in the country at the beginning of the month, the Lions dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Yale two weeks ago and then tying one-win St. Francis. Columbia rebounded to beat Harvard last weekend, but its postseason hopes are riding on the outcome of tomorrow's contest.

"They're trying to get into the national tournament, they think they have a chance, and we're going to try to spoil it," said Scales.

While the booters can play the spoiler again tomorrow, they also want to finish the season, and for the seniors their careers, on a positive note. A win tomorrow would give the Red its most Ivy victories since 2000.

"Our guys have a responsibility to their teammates and to the program to come out and represent our program, and that's what I expect to happen," remarked Scales. "Are there going to be players that want this thing to end? Absolutely. I think we're all on the end of our rope as this stage in the game, but we know it's going to be a long winter, it's going to be a long spring waiting for next year to come around, and so I think they want to go out with a bang, and they can take their foot off the pedal when this whole thing is done."

All Ducked Out, No Wins to Show

Tucked into the confines of Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon is the eighth wonder of the world. At least, that's what the Oregon athletic department would like you to believe. You see, the school recently completed the construction of a new locker room for the football team to the tune of $3.2 million.

Why did this locker room cost so much? Well, Oregon AD Bill Moos claims that the locker room "is the best anywhere, including the NFL."

Within the two-story complex, there are 120 state-of-the-art lockers. Each locker has its own personal ventilation system, and connections for video games and the Internet. In the main atrium area, there are three 60-inch plasma TVs, which run about $15000 each, as well as a complex lighting system. The players enter the locker room by means of a thumbprint scan.

Now if that didn't convince you to play football at Oregon, then maybe you'd like to hear about its indoor practice facility or its $100 million football stadium renovations or its aggressive marketing. You may have seen former Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington in Times Square a couple of years ago --- on a 10-story, $250,000 billboard. Then there's the "oh-so-delightful" new uniforms, a marriage of dark green and blinding neon colors.

Has all this spending translated into wins? Well, not yet. The Ducks opened the year with a four-game winning streak, including maybe the biggest upset in program history over then-No. 5 Michigan. The team then preceded to lose four of its next five games, with only one of these losses coming against a ranked opponent.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Hey, they only completed the locker room before the current season, they haven't brought in any new recruiting classes yet." You're right on the money. I am predicting now, based on no other evidence except for this locker room, that the Ducks will win the next five BCS titles.

I'm somewhat surprised by this season though. You think having the best locker room in the world would help the team on the field somehow, but apparently not. You see, the players still have memories from before the new locker room was completed, and they can't sleep at night, much less perform well on the field.

All this football spending is bound to make the other Oregon athletes a bit jealous.

What if you're on the basketball team? Will Oregon provide you with the same fiscal support it has been giving the football team? Absolutely. McArthur Court, the second-oldest basketball arena in the country and the current home of the Ducks hoops program, is being replaced by a brand-spanking new 100-million dollar arena.

How is Oregon able to afford all of this athletic spending? Well, the school counts among its alumni Phil Knight, chairman of Nike. Knight donated half the money for the football stadium renovation, and has his own honorary locker in the new locker room. Oregon players also benefit from the Nike connection by having the latest and greatest performance apparel, as the football uniforms can be plugged into special cooling systems on the sidelines (perhaps the only benefit to these god-awful uniforms. Who picked these colors? Neon? I'm surprised the other teams aren't blinded when Oregon walks on the field).

Our own university is in the midst of a $100 million athletics campaign. New facilities on campus include the wrestling center which opened last fall, and the new rowing center, and renovations to Helen Newman and Schoellkopf Halls are all coming soon. But this hardly compares to the pristine Ducks' facilities. If we want to be able to compete with Oregon, our athletic department needs to step it up. Of course, the first thing would be a new practice facility for the hockey team. I would suggest building it underground, perhaps in the synchrotron. Also, I think we need a new wrestling center.

"But Jon, we just built a wrestling center last year. It's the only one of its kind the nation." Yes, but two is always better than one.

And our Lindesth Climbing Wall? I mean, we only have the largest natural rock indoor climbing wall in North America. It's not even the largest one in the world. How does this university expect us to survive?

Also, while our logo may have gotten a makeover, I think we need to overhaul the Bear mascot -- how about making it look like a real bear? I mean, Monte the Grizzly Bear from the University of Montana was the 2002 Capital One Mascot of the Year. I recommend endowing the mascot costume, like we do with coaching positions, for the amount of $2 million, and installing some sort of candy-dispensing system in it. Then the Big Red Bear would surely be named to the next Capitol One All-America Mascot team.

Cornell had better start upping the spending now, because our women's lacrosse team needs to be ready when Oregon's team begins its first season of play in 2005. No doubt the Ducks will have specially-designed, state-of-the-art sticks from Nike, and we need to be able to counter that. But until I submit my athletics proposal to our Board of Trustees, Oregon will continue to be far and away the most prestigious institute of higher athletics in the country.

M. Soccer Visits Princeton

With its Ivy League title hopes on the line, the men's soccer team travels to New Jersey to take on Princeton at Lourie-Love Field for a 7:30 p.m. contest tonight. The Red (5-6-1, 2-1-1 Ivy) has had trouble finding the back of the net recently, having been shut out in its last three games, while the Tigers (4-6-3, 1-2-1 Ivy) scored their first goal in four games against Rutgers on Tuesday.

"The guys will have a positive attitude coming into the Princeton game. We lost another game that we should have won on Tuesday, but I think everyone still realizes that we still have something to play for," said junior Scott Palguta. "Everyone is gunning for Brown now, so you never know what will happen in the league standings. Our fate isn't in our hands anymore, but we still need to do our part by winning the remainder of our Ivy games."

No. 11 Brown is in sole possession of first place in the league, after defeating the Red, 2-0, last Saturday, while Cornell is tied for third with No. 23 Columbia.

Despite controlling the play for most of the game against Oneonta on Tuesday, the booters were unable to answer the Red Dragons' goal, scored by Jme Amoako from 20 yards out in the 36th minute. Junior goalie David Mahoney stopped eight shots on the night, including one on a breakaway by Amoako late in the game.

"We've put ourselves in the position to score goals, we just haven't converted. I think we need to take more chances and play with more creativity in the attacking third of the field. That's not the place to play safe," remarked Palguta. "You need to take chances, put the other team under pressure, and force them to make mistakes. Sometimes we play like we're afraid to do that."

Against Rutgers, senior Gianfranco Tripicchio scored the equalizer in the closing minutes of the first half, shortly after Rutgers head coach Bob Reasso was ejected from the game after arguing a foul. The Scarlet Knights tacked on two second-half goals to hand Princeton its fourth loss in five games. The Tigers have not won since Oct. 8.

Last year, the Red defeated the Tigers, 1-0, on Berman Field for its only conference win of the season, and tonight's game should also be a close one. All four of the Red's conference games this season have been decided by two goals or less.

"There's no one on their team that we're going to play particular attention to. They're a good team that's pretty balanced in all positions. In a way, they are a lot like us. We have comparable records, and we both play well defensively but struggle to find the back of the net," said Palguta.

On offense for Princeton, Darren Spicer and Jame Wunsch are tied for the scoring lead, with six points each. Spicer has three goals on the year, while Wunsch's two goals have both been gamewinners. Eric White has started in goal in 11 games this season, recording a 1.35 goals against average and stopping 39 shots.

Mahoney has played well in the team's first four Ivy games of the season, recording two shutouts and allowing only three goals. His 64 saves is tops in the league.

The Red will hit the road against next weekend for its last road game of the season against Dartmouth next Sunday. The team returns home for its final non-conference game of the season against No. 20 Hartwick, head coach Bryan Scales' alma mater on Nov. 12, before facing Columbia on Nov. 15.