Lady Booters Win Two

While many Cornellians sought refuge from the downpour on Friday night, the women"s soccer team battled the elements and defeated St. Bonaventure, 2-1, under the lights of Berman Field. The Red (3-0-2, 0-0 Ivy) welcomed the sunnier weather in Ithaca yesterday morning, as it wrapped up the weekend with a 2-0 win over Robert Morris (0-4-1). 

Friday night's game saw the end of the booters' shutout skein, as the team allowed its first goal of the season after 400 minutes of scoreless soccer. After scoring only one goal in its first three games of the season, Cornell's offense came to life over the weekend, netting four goals and taking 50 shots.

The Red dominated possession during the first half against the Bonnies (6-2), but was unable to find the back of the net.

"We were trying to solve the scoring problem, so we were hoping to get more quality chances on the goal. We felt against Binghamton that we had chances, but just not the kind that were going to result in a goal," said assistant coach Gretchen Zigante. 

In the second half, the Red made some adjustments to its formation, moving junior Kara Ishikawa up from midfield to play behind the forwards, and shifting senior Natalie Dew up to play as a defensive center midfielder. 

The Red ended the scoring impasse in the 57th minute, as sophomore Caitlin Oliver collected a rebound from five yards out, and shot the ball towards the top of the left post for her first career collegiate goal. 

In the 69th minute, freshman Molly Easterlin served a shot toward the goal from the far right side. With the ball heading wide of the left post, classmate Kara Lewis redirected the shot past St. Bonaventure goalie Lisa Eberhart to notch her first collegiate goal as well.

The rain grew heavy at times throughout the match, but both teams played through it, and the field conditions did not have much of an impact on the game.

"You just focus on the game, you try to ignore the rain. This field plays really well whether it"s pouring down rain or not. It was still a good soccer game," Zigante said.

While the rain had little effect on the players' footing, the wet ball proved to be a problem for both Eberhart and Cornell goalie Katie Thomas. With six minutes left in regulation, Thomas saved a St. Bonaventure shot from the right side, but Jacquee Boyle knocked in the rebound to cut the Red's lead to one. Kerry O'Malley nearly notched the equalizer for the Bonnies with 15 seconds left, as her shot from the right side banged off the top of the crossbar.

With the rain subsiding on Saturday, the Red had markedly better weather for its match against Robert Morris. 

"When we played Friday, we lost a bit of our game in the second half. [Yesterday,] we wanted to stay focused the whole game and be able to possess the ball and do our short passing a lot more," Zigante said. "In the second half, that was our big focus to try to accomplish that, and it resulted in a lot of shots on goal." 

The Red started its scoring early, as Ishikawa notched her second tally of the season in the 21st minute. After winning a corner, the ensuing kick drew out Robert Morris goalie Irene Petrou, and the ball ricocheted off several players before Ishikawa got a handle on it. She tried to knock the ball in the open net, but a Robert Morris defender blocked her initial shot. Fortunately for the Red, Ishikawa was able to collect her own rebound and connected on her second shot.

With the Colonials pressing late in the second half, the Red put the game away with 10 minutes left in regulation. Freshman Jackie Stromberg recovered the ball outside the Robert Morris box, and fed it ahead to Oliver, who had an open look at net. Oliver did not waste her scoring chance, as she buried the ball in the right side of the net for her second goal of the season.

Sophomore Katrina Matlin started in goal for the Red, but only had to make one save to earn her third shutout in as many games this season.

While many Cornellians sought refuge from the downpour on Friday night, the women"s soccer team battled the elements and defeated St. Bonaventure, 2-1, under the lights of Berman Field. The Red (3-0-2, 0-0 Ivy) welcomed the sunnier weather in Ithaca yesterday morning, as it wrapped up the weekend with a 2-0 win over Robert Morris (0-4-1).
Friday night"s game saw the end of the booters" shutout skein, as the team allowed its first goal of the season after 400 minutes of scoreless soccer. After scoring only one goal in its first three games of the season, Cornell"s offense came to life over the weekend, netting four goals and taking 50 shots.
The Red dominated possession during the first half against the Bonnies (6-2), but was unable to find the back of the net.
'We were trying to solve the scoring problem, so we were hoping to get more quality chances on the goal. We felt against Binghamton that we had chances, but just not the kind that were going to result in a goal,' said assistant coach Gretchen Zigante.
In the second half, the Red made some adjustments to its formation, moving junior Kara Ishikawa up from midfield to play behind the forwards, and shifting senior Natalie Dew up to play as a defensive center midfielder.
The Red ended the scoring impasse in the 57th minute, as sophomore Caitlin Oliver collected a rebound from five yards out, and shot the ball towards the top of the left post for her first career collegiate goal.
In the 69th minute, freshman Molly Easterlin served a shot toward the goal from the far right side. With the ball heading wide of the left post, classmate Kara Lewis redirected the shot past St. Bonaventure goalie Lisa Eberhart to notch her first collegiate goal as well.
The rain grew heavy at times throughout the match, but both teams played through it, and the field conditions did not have much of an impact on the game.
'You just focus on the game, you try to ignore the rain. This field plays really well whether it"s pouring down rain or not. It was still a good soccer game,' Zigante said.
While the rain had little effect on the players" footing, the wet ball proved to be a problem for both Eberhart and Cornell goalie Katie Thomas. With six minutes left in regulation, Thomas saved a St. Bonaventure shot from the right side, but Jacquee Boyle knocked in the rebound to cut the Red"s lead to one. Kerry O"Malley nearly notched the equalizer for the Bonnies with 15 seconds left, as her shot from the right side banged off the top of the crossbar.
With the rain subsiding on Saturday, the Red had markedly better weather for its match against Robert Morris.
'When we played Friday, we lost a bit of our game in the second half. [Yesterday,] we wanted to stay focused the whole game and be able to possess the ball and do our short passing a lot more,' Zigante said. 'In the second half, that was our big focus to try to accomplish that, and it resulted in a lot of shots on goal.'
The Red started its scoring early, as Ishikawa notched her second tally of the season in the 21st minute. After winning a corner, the ensuing kick drew out Robert Morris goalie Irene Petrou, and the ball ricocheted off several players before Ishikawa got a handle on it. She tried to knock the ball in the open net, but a Robert Morris defender blocked her initial shot. Fortunately for the Red, Ishikawa was able to collect her own rebound and connected on her second shot.
With the Colonials pressing late in the second half, the Red put the game away with 10 minutes left in regulation. Freshman Jackie Stromberg recovered the ball outside the Robert Morris box, and fed it ahead to Oliver, who had an open look at net. Oliver did not waste her scoring chance, as she buried the ball in the right side of the net for her second goal of the season.
Sophomore Katrina Matlin started in goal for the Red, but only had to make one save to earn her third shutout in as many games this season.
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Women Booters to Battle St. Bonaventure and Robert Morris

The four-game home stand continues for the women's soccer team, as the Red (1-0-2, 0-0 Ivy) welcomes St. Bonaventure (5-1) and Robert Morris (0-4-1) to Berman Field this weekend. The booters will face off against the Bonnies tonight at 7 p.m. and will take on the Colonials on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Facing intra-state rival Binghamton on Tuesday night at home, the Red saw its third straight game head to overtime. In the second overtime period, freshman Kelly Kosco took a shot from the middle of the box that was heading for the back of the net, but Binghamton goalie Kristie Bowers made a diving save in the air to preserve the tie. When the game ended minutes later, the booters notched their second scoreless tie of the season, with sophomore goalie Katrina Matlin recorded her second shutout on the year.

While the team has only scored one goal in the young season, several players are battling injuries. Freshmen Dani Haigh and Jackie Stromberg started up top for the Red on Tuesday, while back on defense, classmate Leslie Campbell has played with the maturity of a seasoned veteran.
With only one day of practice to prepare for this weekend's games, the booters need to put the tie behind them, and get ready for a tough stretch ahead, during which they will play three games in six days.

"Tactically, we don't have to do too much. We just need to collect our thoughts. We have played four games in three games." said head coach Berhane Andeberhan, referring to the three overtime games the team has played this season.

St. Bonaventure comes to Ithaca after winning its own tournament, the Adidas Classic, last weekend. In its two games in the tournament, the Bonnies registered 12 goals, while only surrendering two. Tournament MVP Heather MacDougall tied a school record for goals and points scored in a game, netting four goals and an assist. She was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week for her effort.
MacDougall is second on the team in scoring with eight goals and two assists, while Kerry O'Malley leads the squad with nine goals and six assists. In goal for the Bonnies, Lisa Eberhart has recorded an 0.83 goals against average along with four shutouts.

Robert Morris is still looking for its first win of the season, after losing two of its last three games in overtime. In the consolation game of the 2004 Quality Inn & Suites Classic, the Colonials were outshot by host Charleston 24-1, but freshman goalie Jessica Onufer put up 11 saves before giving up the game-winning goals 30 seconds in the first overtime. Three of the Colonials' netminders have seen considerable time in goal, while its offense has only generated three goals on the year.
The Red will have one more non-conference game this Wednesday against Bucknell, before it opens its Ivy slate next Saturday at Columbia.

W. Soccer Plays to A Scoreless Draw

Scoreless ties in soccer are the ultimate stalemate, and for the women's soccer team, they are becoming very familiar, as the Red (1-0-2, 0-0 Ivy) played to a double-overtime draw against Binghamton (3-1-1) last night on the pitch of Berman Field. All three of Cornell's games this season have gone to overtime, with the Red recording its first scoreless tie in the season opener against Stony Brook.

With two of the booters' forwards hampered by injury, freshmen Dani Haigh and Jackie Stromberg started up top, and classmate Tracy Wooster also saw playing time in the second half.

"We need to get healthy, but I'm not using that as an excuse," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "We need to teach [Dani and Jackie] a few things tactically, but their skill and effort was tremendous, and Tracy too, all three freshmen. It's very hard to do it with freshmen, but these kids are wonderful."

While Cornell dominated possession in the first half, Binghamton's Danielle White had the best scoring chance when her shot from the right side of the goal dribbled just wide of the left post late in the half. After the break, the Red adjusted its formation due to the extra players Binghamton kept back on defense, bringing up an extra forward. The Bearcats responded with several scoring chances in the opening minutes of the second half.

"We tried to get into an offensive set, but the girls did not have time to practice it much," Andeberhan said. "We wanted to go into a 4-3-3, but our forwards didn't know when they needed to help out at midfield, so once we went back to a 4-4-2, we settled down."

The Red's defense shut down the Bearcat forwards in the second half, making quick clears whenever Binghamton tried to move the ball up the side. 

Freshman sweeper Leslie Campbell made the biggest defensive stop for Cornell with five minutes to play in regulation. Binghamton's Kelly Burnham brought the ball up the right side on a breakaway, and Campbell sprinted in out of nowhere, breaking up the play with a slide tackle.

"[Leslie]'s a pro, she is not a freshman," Andeberhan said. "The referees at the last game wouldn't believe me when I told them she was a freshman. She is very calm, very steady. She just doesn't make any wrong decisions. We're very fortunate to have her." 

Cornell had several good scoring chances in the two overtime periods, but Bearcat goalie Kristie Bowers literally saved the game for Binghamton in the 105th minute. Freshman Kelly Kosco took a hard shot from the middle of the box that was heading for the back of the net, but Bowers made a diving save in the air to preserve the tie.

With nearly a half of sudden-death play under their belts, the booters will be more prepared for the tough games they will face against their conference foes later in the season.

"The kids already know that they have the fitness. In terms of fitness and tenacity, it's amazing. Since I've been here, we've never had a kid with this kind of tenacious play," Andeberhan said. "There were a few times when we made a bad mistake, where in the past, it might have have broken our backs, but we just kept playing, I'm very pleased with that. If you know you have the energy, then you can just keep going."

Lady Booters Host Bearcats

In its first 206 minutes of play this season, the women's soccer team had yet to fish the ball out of its own net, putting up two shutouts against Stony Brook and Lafayette. The Red (1-0-1, 0-0 Ivy) hopes to maintain its excellent defensive play when it welcomes Binghamton (3-1) to Berman Field tonight at 7 p.m. for the team's home opener.

The Red notched its first goal of the season against Lafayette on Sunday when junior Kara Ishikawa scored from 18 yards out after a failed clear attempt by the Leopard defense in overtime. Cornell senior Katie Thomas saw her first action of the season in goal, recording her 11th career shutout. The game was a physical one, with 23 fouls called between the two teams.

"In our games, I think we'll continue to face this, because of our style of play and unfortunately because of the state of college soccer,' said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "It's just really rough play and very physical, and our kids handled it very well. We kept our composure and kept playing."

While the booters did not score in regulation during their first two games, the team has generated numerous scoring chances thanks to a new offensive scheme. This tactic, dubbed the "Ishikawa offense" by Andeberhan, was implemented against Lafayette with excellent results, as Ishikawa moved up from the midfield to play behind the two strikers.

"Once we got into the overtime, we said, 'Let's go for the win. It might backfire on us, but let's go for it." Immediately, we started creating a lot of scoring chances, and then of course [Ishikawa] scores. It was a very exciting finish," Andeberhan said.

Binghamton comes to Ithaca after knocking off Lehigh in its home opener on Friday 1-0. Freshman Kim Povill leads the team in scoring with two goals and one assist, while sophomore goalie Kristie Bowers has recorded a 1.25 goals against average in four games for the Bearcats.

"We haven't played [Binghamton] in a couple of years," Andeberhan said. "They had a close game against St. Bonaventure recently, so that's kind of a common factor we have, as we did fairly well against St. Bonaventure last year. It should be fun to be home."

While the team graduated three key defenders from last year's team, the Red's newcomers in the back have made the transition to the college game smoothly, and the use of team defense has proved successful so far this season.

"We want our goalkeeper to start our offense, and we want our forwards to start our defense. Our forwards start our defending; they may not necessarily win the ball, but they put pressure on the other team,' Andeberhan said. "Whatever the other team does to advance the ball, it"s under pressure, which means our midfield can pick it up."

Qualms About Summer Games

Twelve hundred ten hours is approximately 50 days -- no, that's not the amount of time you're going to have to wait on the hockey line this year. It's total coverage of the Athens Olympics that NBC aired over a 17-day period. Thanks to the $793 million NBC shelled out to buy the rights to air the games, the American viewing public was treated to a six-channel blitz of the Olympics for two straight weeks, while quality shows such as North Shore and Quintuplets were sadly put on hiatus.

Overall, 929 medals were awarded in 301 events, and I successfully watched about 15 of them, none of them live. For the first time ever, the American public could watch rhythmic gymnastics and modern pentathlon simultaneously. (Trivia time! Name all five events in the pentathlon. Winners will receive a copy of the 2004 men's pentathlon final.)

While the Athens Games were the most entertaining Summer Olympics in recent memory, there are still some qualms I would like to address.

First -- the over-hyping of swimmer Michael Phelps. It is the media's duty to responsibly and fairly cover and report an event or person, and unfortunately, the media failed Phelps in this regard. The frenzy surrounding the 19-year old during the weeks leading up to the Games created a huge burden that was impossible for him to live up to. Every day from every media outlet, it was Phelps Central. By the start of the Games, I was ready to believe that not only would Phelps win gold in his eight swimming events, but he would also medal in field hockey, handball, and trampoline. But then the dream came crashing down.

In the 200-meter freestyle, which featured the showdown between America's Chosen One and Aussie Ian Thorpe, Phelps swam a personal best in the final. However, this sordid effort was only good enough for bronze. Never mind that this wasn't even one of Phelps's strong events, he let the whole country down by not beating Thorpe. An entire generation of young swimmers was left crying in front of their televisions as Phelps stood on the lowest level of the podium, while we were forced to listen to "Advance Australian Fair."

Ok, so maybe that's taking it a little too far, but I was only trying to emulate the media's unrealistic portrayal of Phelps. Clouded from view by the dashed hopes of the diehard swimming fans in America is the real accomplishment Phelps achieved at the Games: he won a record-tying eight medals. That feat took 17 races in eight days, a ridiculously busy swimming schedule.

After setting an Olympic record and taking gold in the 200-meter individual medley on August 19, Phelps had little over 30 minutes to prepare for the semifinals of the 100-meter fly. How did he respond to the quick turnaround? Another Olympic record in the span of under an hour. Maybe Phelps will only be remembered for failing to win seven gold medals, but I think we owe him a lot more than that.

On to Paul Hamm, who became the first American ever to win gold in the men's gymnastics all-around competition. Hamm's victory came into question when it was discovered that the judges gave bronze medallist Yang Tae-young a 9.9 start value instead of the correct 10.0 for his parallel bars routine. This extra tenth would have propelled Tae-young to the gold medal. The South Koreans tried to appeal the results, but were told that they should have first filed their appeal before the next rotation began during the competition.

Another media frenzy erupted, and Hamm was unfairly pressured by the president of the International Gymnastics Federation to give up his gold medal, in what would be considered "the ultimate demonstration of fair play."

Way to pass the buck there, Mr. President. There is a reason there is no video replay for gymnastics. While the review of Tae-young's routine showed that his start value was wrong, it also showed another huge mistake that would have actually lowered his score. In the parallel bars, a gymnast is only allowed to make three holds during the routine, and the tape clearly shows that Tae-young had four holds, an automatic 0.2-point deduction. You can't fairly go back and review only one part of one routine. That would be like an NFL referee using video review to call a pass complete, but failing to realize that the receiver stepped out of bounds during the catch. This whole fiasco has evidently cost Hamm the thing he really wants--a place on the Wheaties box.

Finally, a brief word on the men's Olympic basketball team. There has been much criticism over the "Dream Team's" bronze-medal showing, and most of the blame is being unfairly placed on the players. Given the circumstances, I think it was unrealistic to expect the domination exhibited by the past Dream Teams. There is no way a group of players thrown together a few weeks before the Games can meld into a cohesive unit and adapt to a different style of basketball after playing a full NBA season.

This wasn't our first choice team by a long shot, but don't blame the players for having the audacity to want to play in the Olympics after so many other players passed. Blame Larry Brown for quitting on his team in the middle of the first round. Blame the selection committee, who brazenly ignored players that fit the mold of the international game, choosing instead to focus on marketing the NBA's young stars. Maybe the disappointment will convince the committee to give Fred Hoiberg and Michael Redd a call in 2008.

There are so many other stories from Athens that this column could go on for several more pages. If you have a lot of time to kill, (say, on the hockey line?) drop me a note. I've got all 1210 hours of Olympic footage on 200 convenient video tapes or one DVD for only three payments of $39.99.

Women's Soccer Ties Stony Brook, 0-0

Despite the 0-0 on the scoreboard after 110 minutes of soccer, the women's soccer team (0-0-1) still took away a lot of positives from its season opener against Stony Brook (1-1-1) on Sunday. The Red faced a surprise when it arrived at Stony Brook's field, as the team was not informed that the match would be played on an artificial surface. This setback did not faze a Red lineup which featured four freshmen.

"There was a little bit of nervousness obviously in the beginning of the game, but once we settled down, we played very well," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "We had a little bit of an edge in the first half, but it was relatively even. In the second half, we played very well, and in the overtime, we were parked in their half. We just couldn"t find a way to get the ball into the net."

With the new personnel on the team, the Red has more flexibility in its tactics this season, and this was put into practice against the Seawolves. Junior Kara Ishikawa moved up to play behind the two strikers in the latter part of the second half and the overtime period, which generated a lot of scoring chances. Freshman Molly Easterlin was slotted at the left midfield/fullback position, where she provided defensive help, but was also able to attack.

Stony Brook did not rely on its midfield to set up attacking chances in the Cornell zone, instead preferring to settle the ball in the backfield and then it up to the Seawolves' quick forwards.
Sophomore goalie Katrina Matlin's preparation in the offseason was evident during the game, as she made several excellent saves to keep the game scoreless.

"There was one distance shot, bending toward the far post, and at the last moment, she just came flying in and flicked it out. She distributed well, she seemed very calm, and did a good job," Andeberhan said.

On the other side of the field, Stony Brook goalie Cindy Bennett continually stoned the Red's scoring attempts, registering a total of 11 saves in the match.

"[Stony Brook's] goalkeeper was excellent. Somebody said she had been in the national program, and it shows. We were going to have a score a good goal, we weren't going to get anything cheap, but we had some chances," said Andeberhan.

In all, eight freshmen saw playing time in the match. Many of the newcomers came to Cornell from very competitive teams and leagues, so they were able to adapt to the high-pressure environment of college soccer. The team's defense is a very young group, but they were able to help register the clean sheet for Matlin.

"[Freshman] Leslie Campbell, our sweeper, basically helped solidify our defense. Our defense played great, and she was an important part of it," Andeberhan said.

W. Soccer Opens Season on Road

After a summer of intense training and preparation, the women's soccer team kicks off its 2004 season Sunday when it travels to Long Island to take on Stony Brook for an 11 a.m. contest. The Seawolves (1-0) are a familiar opponent for the Red (0-0) -- Cornell will be facing Stony Brook in its season opener for the third straight year.

"[Stony Brook is] a very strong, unified team. They would also like to beat an Ivy League school," said head coach Berhane Andeberhan. "They are a little awkward for us to play -- it's the kind of team where we always pray for a good referee, because the game tends to deteriorate. But this is good training for us."

The Red looks to start off the season strong after dropping its last five games last season. Cornell finished the 2003 campaign with a 7-7-2 (1-5-1 Ivy) record.

The team returns four starters from last year in seniors Katie Thomas and Natalie Dew and juniors Kara Ishikawa and Shannon Fraser, in addition to several key reserves. The team also welcomes ten new freshmen, who will add depth throughout the lineup. The recruiting class also allows the team to be more flexible in its playing formations and tactics this season. Stony Brook opened its season last Friday with a 1-0 win over Iona. The Seawolves are coming off a 7-11-1 record a year ago, just failing to make the conference playoffs. The team was recently picked to finish sixth in the America East preseason coaches poll, and it returns second team all-conference selection Danielle Lewis and three-year starting goalie Cindy Bennett.

When the teams met last season in Ithaca, the Seawolves rallied back from a 2-0 hole with 12 minutes to play in regulation, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Stony Brook provides a physical test for the Red that will be benefit the team when it begins Ivy league play.

"We need to learn to be composed regardless of what's happening. I think our finest moment last year was against Harvard. Not only did we play well against an excellent team -- and withstood a lot of simply soccer pressure -- but we also withstood a lot of physical pressure, a lot of fouling," Andeberhan said. "If you can withstand it, all you have to do is neutralize it. You don't have to beat them in the physical game, just not allow it to affect you and continue to play the game. So this is a good test for us, I think, in that respect."

Force Returns to Cornell as Coach of Former Team

Last winter, Karen Force '04 walked off the court at Newman Arena, her final home game of her career complete. This winter, the former All-Ivy point guard will be back on the sidelines at Newman Arena, although in a much different role, as Force was recently named an assistant coach of the women's basketball team.

"I love the game so much, and I wasn't ready to give it up after ending my career as a player," said Force. "All throughout your senior year, whether you're a student or a student-athlete, you're trying to figure out what to do with that next year. I was thinking about coaching in one aspect or another."

Force will serve as a volunteer assistant this season, juggling a job at CBORD in addition to her coaching responsibilities. She will be involved in many of the team's basketball decisions and will work with the guards alongside assistant coach Val Klopfer. Force has also been organizing several different things such as the team's golf outing in September, the Cornell Kids' Club, the Alumni Game and basketball clinics for the community.

The team will benefit from adding another point guard to the coaching staff, as both head coach Dayna Smith and Klopfer played the position in college.

"We're a completely new team, a different team losing five starters, so Karen won't have the luxury of just teaching the next point guard what the offenses were last year," said Smith. "I think she understands what we expect out of a point guard, what I expect out of a point guard, and I think especially with our four freshmen coming in, Karen's going to be great helping them out, teaching them the ropes."

After serving as a captain for three seasons, Force will have a markedly different role now that she is in the coaching ranks, but her leadership experience during her playing days will help her in her new position.

"As you go through periods of your life, I think any leadership role that you have is important to any job that you have in the future, whether it's five or ten years ahead or whether it's just next year, like in my case," said Force. "I think that being a captain has been beneficial in many ways. It's helped me better lead on the court and hopefully I can take those leadership skills to this perspective of the game."

For the returning members of the team from last season, it will be different experience for them now that their former captain is one of their coaches.

"As far as the players are concerned, it's always nice to have someone you're comfortable with join a coaching staff. When someone new joins, there's a lot of unknowns, so for them, they know who Karen is, they know she loves the program, and she's going to work very hard," Smith said.

Force finished her playing career on the East Hill as the program's all-time assist leader and became the first player ever in the league to amass 1250 points and 400 assists. She became the first Cornell player to be named to the All-Ivy first team as a junior, and was a second team selection her senior year.

Newcomers Ready to Fill in for Lost Vets

While one All-Ivy standout has departed the East Hill, the men's basketball team welcomes six new players to the team this season. Junior Ryan Rourke, sophomore Ugo Ihekweazu, and freshmen Khaliq Gant, Jason Canady, Shawn Oliverson, and Will Scott look to contribute on the court this year at several positions.

"With the class, we attacked a lot of different needs that we had. I think, since I've been here, we haven't been able to get a four-man who's been really skilled in the system that I like to run," said head coach Steve Donahue. "With Ryan Rourke, we address that. I think that's a kid with size and athleticism, a very skilled player that can play that position. We have some guards that can compliment our veteran guards, and then we have some size inside to help us rebound."

While the team returns three starters from a year ago, it loses its starting point guard in All-Ivy first-team selection Ka'Ron Barnes '04. The new members of the Red are not only high in number, but come highly regarded, as Cornell's recruiting class was ranked number one in the Ivy League by Hoop Scoop.

Gant, a point guard from Taber Academy in Boston, was ranked as one of the top 200 recruits nationally by Prep Basketball magazine. He has the maturity as a player that will allow him to make an easy transition to the college game.

"He's been away from home for three years, so he's more mature than a typical eighteen year-old college freshman," Donahue said. "He's a very confident kid, he's a very mature guy and he understands what his role will be when he's given it."

Scott, a guard who committed to Cornell before last season, spent last year playing at Blair Academy in New Jersey. While playing at the Collegiate School, he was the school's all-time leading scorer, and was an all-state selection as a senior.

"He's been around real good players at Blair, and was an all-league player at that level. He's a very good player in terms of his ability to make the transition to college I feel," Donahue said.

 Rounding out the guards is Canady, who played his final two seasons of high school ball at the Millbrook School. He was named the team's most valuable player as a senior and was also selected as the New York Boys' Club Student-Athlete of the Year in 2004.

Oliverson, a center from Preston, Idaho, was a second-team all state selection as a senior, and helped his team win the state championship.

"He's going to have to transition to how fast the game is played and playing against bigger guys finally, and the quickness of the game, just playing a lot more basketball against better players than he ever has before," Donahue said.

Rourke comes to Cornell from Mesa Community College in Arizona, and will contribute at the four spot. He was a National Junior College Athletic Association all-american honorable mention as a sophomore.

"We know needed someone to step in and play the four, and we were looking for that skilled guy with talent. He played at a very high level in junior college ball, and I think he could be one of the top players in the league at his position," Donahue said.

Ihekweazu is a transfer from Wofford, and will sit out the 2004-05 season because of transfer requirements.

Women Laxers Face Colgate

While the women's lacrosse team will miss the postseason for the first time in five years, it has the chance to go out on a winning note, as the Red will faceoff against Colgate (13-5, 5-0 Patriot) tomorrow in Hamilton, N.Y. at 1 p.m. With a win tomorrow, Cornell (5-9, 3-4 Ivy) can finish the season having won five of its last six contests. Meanwhile, the Raiders captured their first ever league title and will be playing in the upcoming NCAA tournament for the first time.

"The goal is to have a game where we control our own destiny for 60 minutes. I would personally like to dominate and control and feel that empowerment of really culminating our efforts this year," said head coach Jenny Graap '86.

"We've been up and down this year. We had a tough start and then we came on strong at the end. I think if we're really going to feel satisfied with this year, we want to get as many players onto the field as possible."

Graap hopes to be able to utilize most of her bench, something that she has not been able to do this season. In order to accomplish this, the team's starters need to take control of the game early on.

On Sunday, the Red closed out its Ivy season with a 10-9 win at Harvard. Cornell's victory saw eight different players score, while sophomore goalie Maggie Fava made six saves, including a point-blank stop with 40 seconds left in the game.

Fava was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after her efforts against No. 14 Syracuse and Harvard. She stopped four shots against Syracuse in the sudden-victory overtime periods, helping the Red get the upset in quadruple overtime. 

"I'd like to see Maggie be consistent with her clears and to continue to elevate her game outside of the net with her ground balls and interceptions," Graap said.

The team's two seniors, co-captains Jaime Quinn and Kate Hirschfield, look to end their careers on a winning note. The Red swept the weekly league awards, as Quinn was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, scoring five goals in the team's two games last week. 

"I'm expecting consistent leadership [from the seniors] that lets the younger players see by example what they need to do," Graap said.

The Red's defense will have another challenge on its hands, as Colgate boasts several prolific scorers. Sophomores Katie McVeigh and Kelly Winning lead the way for the Raiders, with 44 and 36 goals, respectively. McVeigh and Winning were pegged as Patriot League first-team selections along with classmates Heidi Ross and Sue Bielamowicz. Bielamowicz was also named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year after recording an 8.76 GAA and a .564 save percentage.

Graap will be relying on the defensive strategy that the team has been using all year, calling on the team's best defenders to hold Colgate's offensive weapons in check with solid marking.

"There's going to be some individual responsibility to mark those girls, but we're looking for that total team effort," Graap said.

The Raiders clinched their first ever trip to the NCAA tournament after knocking off American in double-overtime of the conference tournament finals. The Red can curb Colgate's momentum heading into the tournament with a solid win tomorrow.

"This game is going to be particularly emotional since it's Colgate first time ever making the NCAAs. We know what that was like, we got that out of our system in 2001 when for the first time ever, we represented Cornell lacrosse in the women's NCAA tournament," Graap said.