Sophomore Duo Shines During Summer Play

While most other college students were trying to make a few bucks this summer, sophomores Andrew George and Sean Shannon of the men's soccer team were playing with and against some of the best collegiate soccer players in the country. As members of FC Delco Arsenal of Dowington, Penn, the two helped the team capture its second straight United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) National Title.

Starting at the state level in early June, the team faced just three other teams, and had no trouble advancing to the regionals.

"It always seems that the toughest teams are in the same bracket early on. Our toughest game [in the regionals] was actually against the [Baltimore Bays] and that ended up 1-1," said George.

DELCO and the Bays both posted 2-0-1 records with identical scores, meaning that the teams had to face each other in a penalty shootout to move on to the regional semifinals. Shannon was the fourth shooter for the team, and connected on his shot. His teammate followed suit, hitting the last shot to advance DELCO to the semifinals.

Playing against Rockville Center ProExcel from Eastern New York, George and Shannon were matched up against a familiar face, fellow Cornell teammate Bryan Jonas. But it didn't slow down DELCO.

DELCO defeated Rockville 2-0, and advanced to Nationals with a 6-1 win over the Brooklyn Italians.

"Nationals was unbelievable. There's only four teams, and they're all the top teams in the country," remarked George. "It was a great way to end it, playing against these great teams."

George and Shannon once again faced one of their Cornell teammates, in junior Steve Reuter, a member of Sockers FC. After losing a close game to Sockers FC, the team bounced back against Oklahoma, but had some troubles with Colorado.

Down 2-1 in their last round-robin game with five minutes left, DELCO needed a tie or win to move on.

"There was just tons of home support from our home area at the game, it was pretty cool," said Shannon. "There was a younger girls team from our club and a lot of other teams came down to watch us. The place erupted when [we scored the tying goal.]"

With the tie in hand, the team moved on to the finals, where it faced Sockers FC once again. Reuter, however, was not in the lineup because he was playing with his PDL team. Although it dominated the first half, DELCO was down 1-0 until late in the second, when it netted two goals in the span of five minutes to clinch the championship.

"It's completely different from last year. Last year, we walked through it, we won the national final 5-1. This year was just so much more intense," commented George.

"This one meant a lot more. No team on our club has ever repeated before, so we really wanted to do it," said Shannon.

After competing all summer, both players come into the season in great shape and are ready to help the Red climb to the top of the Ivy League.

"We're really fit going into the season," says Shannon. "We're really sharp because we've been playing all summer, so it helps us out going into the preseason."

While most other college students were trying to make a few bucks this summer, sophomores Andrew George and Sean Shannon of the men's soccer team were playing with and against some of the best collegiate soccer players in the country. As members of FC Delco Arsenal of Dowington, Penn, the two helped the team capture its second straight United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) National Title.

Starting at the state level in early June, the team faced just three other teams, and had no trouble advancing to the regionals.

"It always seems that the toughest teams are in the same bracket early on. Our toughest game [in the regionals] was actually against the [Baltimore Bays] and that ended up 1-1," said George.

DELCO and the Bays both posted 2-0-1 records with identical scores, meaning that the teams had to face each other in a penalty shootout to move on to the regional semifinals. Shannon was the fourth shooter for the team, and connected on his shot. His teammate followed suit, hitting the last shot to advance DELCO to the semifinals.

Playing against Rockville Center ProExcel from Eastern New York, George and Shannon were matched up against a familiar face, fellow Cornell teammate Bryan Jonas. But it didn't slow down DELCO.

DELCO defeated Rockville 2-0, and advanced to Nationals with a 6-1 win over the Brooklyn Italians.

"Nationals was unbelievable. There's only four teams, and they're all the top teams in the country," remarked George. "It was a great way to end it, playing against these great teams."

George and Shannon once again faced one of their Cornell teammates, in junior Steve Reuter, a member of Sockers FC. After losing a close game to Sockers FC, the team bounced back against Oklahoma, but had some troubles with Colorado.

Down 2-1 in their last round-robin game with five minutes left, DELCO needed a tie or win to move on.

"There was just tons of home support from our home area at the game, it was pretty cool," said Shannon. "There was a younger girls team from our club and a lot of other teams came down to watch us. The place erupted when [we scored the tying goal.]"

With the tie in hand, the team moved on to the finals, where it faced Sockers FC once again. Reuter, however, was not in the lineup because he was playing with his PDL team. Although it dominated the first half, DELCO was down 1-0 until late in the second, when it netted two goals in the span of five minutes to clinch the championship.

"It's completely different from last year. Last year, we walked through it, we won the national final 5-1. This year was just so much more intense," commented George.

"This one meant a lot more. No team on our club has ever repeated before, so we really wanted to do it," said Shannon.

After competing all summer, both players come into the season in great shape and are ready to help the Red climb to the top of the Ivy League.

"We're really fit going into the season," says Shannon. "We're really sharp because we've been playing all summer, so it helps us out going into the preseason." - See more at: http://www.cornellsun.com/node/16308#sthash.xwksNZKk.dpuf

Like Football, This Space for Sale

Checking out the NFL schedule for opening week, I came across an interesting matchup: the Bank One Bears against the 49ers.

Now when did Bank One, a banking company when last I checked, acquire a football team?

In June, the Chicago Bears agreed to a multi-year sponsorship deal with Bank One Corp. to become the Bears' presenting partner. While selling stadium rights is now the norm, the Bears were unable to sell the naming rights to the newly renovated Soldier Field because it is a National Historic Monument. Fortunately for them, they reached an agreement with Bank One, and now Soldier Field will be littered with signage that reads "Bears Football presented by Bank One."

Now that the team name can be "presented", the only bastion in sports that remains (somewhat) commercial free is the uniform. Sure, the logo of the apparel company is on the jersey, but it is not displayed prominently. But sometime soon, I guarantee the team's logo will be displaced for some corporate sponsor.

If you think this will never happen, you obviously haven't looked at a European soccer jersey. You will be hard pressed to find the Manchester United crest on its jersey at first glance, as the Vodafone logo is prominently displayed across the center.

Just think of the possibilities here; the Yankees logo could easily be shrunken to accommodate a more prominent larger Adidas logo.

Don't stop at the uniforms, though. Maybe instead of the National Football League, it should be EA Sports presents the National Football League? All the major awards and trophies would be in play too. The Heisman Trophy is already sponsored by Suzuki, why not the Vince Lombardi Trophy or the Stanley Cup? If the O'Brien Trophy -- you know, the NBA Finals trophy-- were sponsored, people would actually know what its name was.

College football has taken the lead in the sponsorship department. Not only is the BCS Trophy sponsored (by Sears of all companies), but also almost every single bowl game has a corporate entity attached. We now have the opportunity to watch such wonderful games as the Continental Tire Bowl and the GMAC Bowl on New Year's.

College basketball could stand to make some more money by selling the naming rights to each different round of the NCAA tournament. How does the Nokia Play-In Game or the Tostitos Sweet 16 sound?

Then again, corporate naming rights can only bring in so much money. Manchester United has taken great strides in alternative money sources. The team offers a full line of financial products, such as mortgages, credit cards, and savings accounts. You can even earn bonuses when the team is doing well! They also have an official team betting partner, Ladbrokes.com (I'm not making this up), and of course a dedicated MU television station, appropriately labeled MU.tv.

Last Thursday the team opened up its own movie theater in attempt to further integrate itself into every aspect of its fans' lives. There is also an official team video game (not EA Sports' FIFA series, ManU has developed its own game).

What's next, weddings on the pitch at Old Trafford?

Of all the sports team in the U.S., the Yankees would have the best chance of being able to offer similar services. The team already has the YES Network, which could be used to pitch Yankees Mutual Funds and the Yankees Travel Agency.

This summer, the Red Devils (Man U, for you non-soccer buffs) sold its franchise player, David Beckham, to Real Madrid for $45 million. This happens over on this side of the pond, but not with big-time players. Maybe if it did, the Texas Rangers could find a team to buy A-Rod (Perhaps the Mets? They did clear out all that payroll). If this was more fashionable, the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators could have sold of some of their players off to avoid bankruptcy.

With every team trying to become a big moneymaker, it is the fans that suffer in the end, as ticket prices continue to climb out of the (semi) affordable range. Four tickets to a Knicks game at the uppermost part of the Garden cost $124, and of course that doesn't include parking, food, etc. Across the river at Shea, the Mets have introduced a ticket-pricing plan where box seats for a game against the Yankees cost $15 more than the same seats for when the Brewers are in town.

While it becomes increasingly more expensive to attend games in person, at least you can still watch your favorite team on television. Well, except if you're a Chicago Blackhawks fan, in which case there are no home games on television at all. Team CEO Bill Wirtz came up with that brilliant idea, and attendance skyrocketed this season to seventh lowest in the NHL.

So as the NFL season starts up this Thursday, be sure to mark September 29 on your calendar. That's when the Bank One Bears play their first game at the new Soldier Field on Monday Night Football. Or maybe by then it will be "Boom! Tough Actin' Tinactin" presents Monday Night Football.

Sharks Sign Swede

After a successful hockey career on the East Hill, Doug Murray '03 has taken the next step in his career, recently signing a contract with the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Murray, a two-time All America defenseman and a Hobey Baker Award Finalist in 2002, was drafted by the Sharks in the eighth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

"[Signing with the Sharks] is a step towards a dream come true," said Murray. "It's been a dream of mine to play in the NHL since I started playing hockey as a kid."

This past year, Murray served as co-captain along with classmate Stephen Baby '03, and helped lead the Red to its first Frozen Four appearance in 23 years. Murray recorded five goals and 20 assists, while helping to establish the Red's defense as the best in the country, with a mere 1.36 goals allowed average. The Bromma, Sweden native had quite a following among the Lynah Faithful, as several Swedish flags could be seen in the stands during most games.

With training camp on the horizon in September, Murray participated in the Sharks' summer development camp from July 9-12 at Logitech Ice in San Jose. He was one of six blueliner prospects at the camp, and there are currently five defenseman on the San Jose roster. If Murray does not make the Sharks after training camp, he could be sent to the Cleveland Barons of the AHL or one of the Sharks' other minor league teams.

"I want to use the summer to put myself in a position to get a spot on the team," remarked Murray. "I need to concentrate on what I can control."

Current Cornellians in the NHL include the three-time Stanley Cup champion Joe Nieuwendyk '88 of the New Jersey Devils, Brad Chartrand '96 of the Los Angeles Kings, and Kent Manderville '91 of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Murray will look to join them when training camp starts in mid-September.

W. Lacrosse Wraps Up Season

The women's lacrosse team will close out its regular season tomorrow against Harvard on Schoellkopf Field at 1 p.m. The Red (9-5, 3-3 Ivy) will hold its Senior Day and honor the six members of the Class of 2003 before the game. Tomorrow's game will also be the last game coached by Crimson coach Carole Kleinfelder, who retires after a 24-year career at Harvard that includes a national title and 12 Ivy League championships.

"I think we'll go out with a bang. Last year, [we played Harvard] in our last league game of the season, and we struggled," said senior Sarah Averson.

"We were down four goals and we had to fight back, it wasn't a really good memory against Harvard. We just hope not to repeat that from last year."

The Red pulled out a tight 12-9 win against No. 15 Stanford on Monday, with sophomore Lindsay Steinberg scoring a career-high five goal, two assist performance. Cornell capitalized on the Cardinal's zone defense and was able to score six straight goals early in the game. Stanford fought hard until the end, scoring two goals down the stretch to cut the lead to three, but the Red prevailed.
The Crimson (3-10, 1-5 Ivy) is coming off its first league win of the season, having defeated Columbia, 10-8, last Saturday.

Its leading scorers, Katie Shaughnessy and Elaine Belitsos, have combined for almost half of the team's offensive production this season. Goalie Laura Mancini currently has a 10.44 goals against average and .531 save percentage in 13 starts.

"We have to respect the intensity of the Ivy League," said head coach Jenny Graap '86. "Last year, we had a one-goal game with Harvard, and Harvard was in the same position last year, bottom of the Ivies and an unranked team. They pulled it together, and we beat them 9-8. We need to remember that and play like we did [against Stanford]."

The Red has beaten Harvard four straight times, after dropping the previous 19 contests against the Crimson. The seniors will look to pass the Class of 2002 for most wins in program history with a win tomorrow.

Currently, the classes are tied with 49 wins.

Freshman Allison Schindler can also set a milestone of her own, as she is just three assists away from tying the single season assist record of 27 held by Linda Miller '84.

Senior Sarah Fischer, who missed two games due to injury, returned the lineup last weekend against Yale, and saw more playing time against Stanford on Monday.

The seniors are looking to put forth a solid effort at the culmination of their college careers.

"All the seniors are ready to get out there and have fun, and work a little magic. We want to step on the field and spark the team, and I think that's the focus of our game for Saturday," said senior co-captain Rachel Friedman.

Top Red Sophomores

After only two years on the Hill, the athletes of the Class of 2005 have risen to become integral parts of their respective teams. Through hard work and dedication, they have excelled both on and off the field, and will continue to do so throughout the rest of their careers. In alphabetical order, here are the top 10 sophomores of 2002-2003:

Kate Boyles, Women's Cross Country

Boyles finished second in the Army and LaSalle Invitationals and was the Red's top finisher at the Pre-National Invitational. She earned All-Ivy Second Team honors after placing 12th at the Heptagonal championships at Van Cortlandt in New York City, helping the team take third place in the event. A week later on the same course, Boyles placed 22nd at the NCAA regional championships, at which the team finished sixth out of 36 teams.

Sean Greenhalgh, Men's Lacrosse

After an outstanding freshman campaign, in which he led the team in scoring and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Greenhalgh currently leads the team in goals this season with 30. He has already surpassed his regular season scoring total from last season with one game still remaining. A preseason All-American honorable mention selection, Greenhalgh has eight multi-goal games, including a six-goal performance against Penn.  He is second in the Ivy League in goals per game and first in game winners with three.

Shellen Goltz, Gymnastics

Goltz was the only member of the Red to earn All-America honors, as she placed fifth in the individual finals at the USAG Collegiate Nationals on the balance beam with a score of 9.600. At the Ivy Classic, she scored a 9.800 on the uneven bars, helping the Red to a second-place finish in the event. At the ECAC Championships, her top-13 finish on beam helped the Red set a new school record with a score of 192.600.

Brad Kitlowski, Football

A linebacker, Kitlowski was named the team's most outstanding defensive player. He was third on the team in overall tackles with 82, 43 solo and 39 assisted, and was second on the team in sacks with 3.5. Kitlowski earned an All-Ivy honorable mention nod, and helped the Red defeat Dartmouth with a 14-tackle, one sack performance. He was seventh in total tackles in the Ivy League, and second in fumbles recovered with two.

Travis Lee, Wrestling

Lee capped off a 34-0 season by capturing the NCAA National Title at 125 pounds, defeating No. 1 seeded Chris Fleeger of Purdue. He is Cornell's first national champion since 1994 and only the second since 1960. Lee was also named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, as he helped the Red win its 24th Ivy title. At the EIWA championships, Lee won the 125-pound title for the second year in a row, with the Red taking second in the event.

David LeNeveu, Men's Hockey

LeNeveu put up incredible numbers, as he backstopped the Red to its first Frozen Four appearance in 23 years. His goals against average of 1.20 is the lowest in college hockey history, and he led the nation in every goaltending category. One of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the most outstanding player in college hockey, LeNeveu was also named Co-ECAC Player of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Year, ECAC Goalie of the Year, and Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC tournament. He broke the single-season shutout record previously held by Ken Dryden '69 with nine -- one shy of the NCAA record.

Lauren May, Softball

May was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, and has continued to dazzle in the 2003 season. Her batting average of .375 is second on the team, and she leads the team in home runs with 11, which is tops in the Ivy League. She also leads the league in RBI with 33, along with teammate Kate Varde. May was twice named Ivy League Player of the Week this season, and has the Red in the hunt for its second Ivy title in three years.

Kara Neal, Women's Diving

Neal competed at the NCAA Zone A Qualifying Meet in the one-meter and three-meter events. She advanced to the finals on the three-meter, finishing 16th with a score of 368.20, fourth among Ivy divers. She also placed 32nd on the one-meter at the meet.

Eric Taylor, Men's Basketball

In the opening game of the season, Taylor scored 30 points, garnering a comparison to Bill Walton from Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon. His 12.7 points per game was sixth in the Ivy League to go with his .558 field goal percentage -- good enough for third in the Ivy League. Taylor also led the team in blocked shots with 25 and rebounds with 7.0 per game.

Katie Thomas, Women's Soccer

Thomas was solid in goal for the Red all season, recording an Ivy-League best six shutouts and not allowing a goal against any non-conference opponents during the regular season. Her goals against average was a minuscule .96 -- fourth lowest in the League -- while recording a save percentage of .840 in 14 starts. Thomas earned an All-Ivy honorable mention nod for the second year in a row. - See more at: http://www.cornellsun.com/node/8991#sthash.DgJ5dhyq.dpuf

After only two years on the Hill, the athletes of the Class of 2005 have risen to become integral parts of their respective teams. Through hard work and dedication, they have excelled both on and off the field, and will continue to do so throughout the rest of their careers. In alphabetical order, here are the top 10 sophomores of 2002-2003:



Kate Boyles, Women's Cross Country

Boyles finished second in the Army and LaSalle Invitationals and was the Red's top finisher at the Pre-National Invitational. She earned All-Ivy Second Team honors after placing 12th at the Heptagonal championships at Van Cortlandt in New York City, helping the team take third place in the event. A week later on the same course, Boyles placed 22nd at the NCAA regional championships, at which the team finished sixth out of 36 teams.

Sean Greenhalgh, Men's Lacrosse

After an outstanding freshman campaign, in which he led the team in scoring and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Greenhalgh currently leads the team in goals this season with 30. He has already surpassed his regular season scoring total from last season with one game still remaining. A preseason All-American honorable mention selection, Greenhalgh has eight multi-goal games, including a six-goal performance against Penn.

He is second in the Ivy League in goals per game and first in game winners with

three.

Shellen Goltz, Gymnastics

Goltz was the only member of the Red to earn All-America honors, as she placed fifth in the individual finals at the USAG Collegiate Nationals on the balance beam with a score of 9.600. At the Ivy Classic, she scored a 9.800 on the uneven bars, helping the Red to a second-place finish in the event. At the ECAC Championships, her top-13 finish on beam helped the Red set a new school record with a score of 192.600.

Brad Kitlowski, Football

A linebacker, Kitlowski was named the team's most outstanding defensive player. He was third on the team in overall tackles with 82, 43 solo and 39 assisted, and was second on the team in sacks with 3.5. Kitlowski earned an All-Ivy honorable mention nod, and helped the Red defeat Dartmouth with a 14-tackle, one sack performance. He was seventh in total tackles in the Ivy League, and second in fumbles recovered with two.

Travis Lee, Wrestling

Lee capped off a 34-0 season by capturing the NCAA National Title at 125 pounds, defeating No. 1 seeded Chris Fleeger of Purdue. He is Cornell's first national champion since 1994 and only the second since 1960. Lee was also named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, as he helped the Red win its 24th Ivy title. At the EIWA championships, Lee won the 125-pound title for the second year in a row, with the Red taking second in the event.

David LeNeveu, Men's Hockey

LeNeveu put up incredible numbers, as he backstopped the Red to its first Frozen Four appearance in 23 years. His goals against average of 1.20 is the lowest in college hockey history, and he led the nation in every goaltending category. One of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the most outstanding player in college hockey, LeNeveu was also named Co-ECAC Player of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Year, ECAC Goalie of the Year, and Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC tournament. He broke the single-season shutout record previously held by Ken Dryden '69 with nine -- one shy of the NCAA record.

Lauren May, Softball

May was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, and has continued to dazzle in the 2003 season. Her batting average of .375 is second on the team, and she leads the team in home runs with 11, which is tops in the Ivy League. She also leads the league in RBI with 33, along with teammate Kate Varde. May was twice named Ivy League Player of the Week this season, and has the Red in the hunt for its second Ivy title in three years.

Kara Neal, Women's Diving

Neal competed at the NCAA Zone A Qualifying Meet in the one-meter and three-meter events. She advanced to the finals on the three-meter, finishing 16th with a score of 368.20, fourth among Ivy divers. She also placed 32nd on the one-meter at the meet.

Eric Taylor, Men's Basketball

In the opening game of the season, Taylor scored 30 points, garnering a comparison to Bill Walton from Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon. His 12.7 points per game was sixth in the Ivy League to go with his .558 field goal percentage -- good enough for third in the Ivy League. Taylor also led the team in blocked shots with 25 and rebounds with 7.0 per game.

Katie Thomas, Women's Soccer

Thomas was solid in goal for the Red all season, recording an Ivy-League best six shutouts and not allowing a goal against any non-conference opponents during the regular season. Her goals against average was a minuscule .96 -- fourth lowest in the League -- while recording a save percentage of .840 in 14 starts. Thomas earned an All-Ivy honorable mention nod for the second year in a row. - See more at: http://www.cornellsun.com/node/8991#sthash.DgJ5dhyq.dpuf

Women's Lacrosse Upsets No. 15 Stanford

The women's lacrosse team defeated No. 15 Stanford (11-4), 12-9, yesterday on Schoellkopf Field to finish the season strong after Saturday's heartbreaker at Yale. It was the 400th game in program history. With the victory, the Red (9-5) remains unbeaten against the Cardinal all-time, with a 5-0 series record.

"I'm really pleased with the effort," said head coach Jenny Graap '86. "I felt that we were intense on ground balls, hustling, and it just seemed like we played with a lot of passion."

Stanford got on the board early, scoring 48 seconds into the game. However, the Red quickly responded and mounted an impressive run. Sophomore Lindsay Steinberg got the offense started for the Red, as she intercepted a pass in the offensive zone, and beat the lone defender back for the score. Senior Sarah Averson added a tally of her own soon after, as junior Jamie Quinn found Averson all alone in front of the net. Junior Kate Hirschfield put the laxers up by two, connecting on a shot right in front of the net.

After the Cardinal called timeout to try to regroup, the Red continued to add to its lead. Sophomore Julia Hughey connected on a pass from Steinberg, who added her second tally of the day soon after on a free position shot. Averson extended the lead to 6-1 after taking a pass from freshman Allison Schindler.

"Part of strategy against Stanford was to transition down quickly, move the ball quickly, and throw the feed quickly," Graap commented. "They play a zone defense, which is a little different defensive look, and we just wanted to attack them in transition when they were vulnerable and before they had time to set it up."

Stanford went on a run of its own, scoring the next three goals to cut the Cornell lead to 6-4 with 10 minutes to go in the first half. Steinberg answered right back, though, as she hit the back of the net with a shot through traffic. The Cardinal closed the gap again with 30 seconds left in the half.

In the opening minute of the second half, Stanford's Sarah Bach cut the lead to 7-6, as she dropped a shot into the net from the left side while falling down. Steinberg added her fourth goal of the game four minutes later on a shot from the top of the arc, but Stanford connected on a free position shot to cut Cornell's lead to one.

The Red never let the Cardinal get any closer, as it jumped ahead with a four-goal spurt in the middle of the half. Sophomore Annie Berkery started the run, causing a turnover while Stanford changed goalies. Both teams sprinted down field, and Schindler fed Steinberg for her fifth goal of the game before the new Stanford goalie could get settled.

Steinberg tallied her second assist of the day with 13 minutes left in the game, as she fed the ball to sophomore Kristin Smith, to give the Red a 10-7 lead.

"Steinberg ... was not only good scoring goals, but she had assists today, and she was hustling in the ride, getting stick checks and tackling back on people," said Graap. "I really think this was one of the most outstanding games she's played in her career."

Stanford gave the Red a scare in the closing minutes of the game, as it tacked on two more goals to bring the score to 12-9. The Red's defense kept the game from getting any closer, as junior goalie Ashley Charron making some clutch saves late in the game.

"Stanford's a great team and they never died, fighting right until the end. I think the defense did a good job under pressure." said Graap.

Charron finished the day with seven saves.

In addition to her career-high five goals and two assists, Steinberg scooped up a career-high six ground balls and caused two turnovers, while senior co-captain Rachel Friedman led the team with seven ground balls.

Women Laxers Face Brown in Must-Win

The women's lacrosse team will try to snap its three-game skid tomorrow at Schoellkopf Field at 3 p.m., when it takes on Brown. The Red (7-4, 2-2 Ivy) lost a tough match to No. 11 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday, while the Bears (4-6, 2-1) defeated Boston College earlier in the week. With only four games remaining in the regular season, this weekend's contest is a must-win for the Red as it seeks a berth in a third-straight NCAA tournament.

"We have to get back on track mentally. We're really kind of down, we just lost three tough games. We had chances to win all of them and we didn't win," said head coach Jenny Graap '86.

Wednesday night marked the return of two starters for the laxers in senior co-captain Erica Holveck and junior Kate Hirschfield. Both made their presence known on the field, as Hirschfield recorded a goal and an assist, and Holveck provided good speed in the transition game and saw more attack time.

Going into the half down by four, the Red burst out of the gate in the second with a torrent of shots and put up two straight goals to cut the Orangewomen's lead in half. Senior Sarah Averson brought the Red within one with nine minutes left in the game, but Syracuse ended the game with three straight goals to win its 12th straight contest at home.

Brown comes into tomorrow's contest having won three of its last four games. The Bears are led by senior Bekah Rottenberg, who leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and 10 helpers. Junior Christine Anneberg has scored a team-high 20 goals, while in net, sophomore Julie Southard has a 11.11 goals against average and a .459 save percentage. Cornell came away with a 13-9 win last season, and holds a three-game winning streak against the Bears.

With two of its remaining four games against teams ranked in the top 20, the Red needs to get back on the winning track and gain some momentum going into the postseason.

"I think it's important to get back in a groove and into a positive mode. [We have to have] fun out there and enjoy ourselves and not be overwhelmed with frustration," commented Graap.

The Red will most likely be without senior Sarah Fischer for tomorrow's game, however. Fischer, second on the team in scoring with 18 goals and seven assists, did not play against the Orangewomen, and her scoring touch will be missed.

"[With Fischer out] what you're seeing now is more middies getting into the offensive end. Erica Holveck and Katie Lavin get more attack time because we bump the midfielders up a little bit and let them come into the attack," said Graap.

Next weekend, the Red plays its final road game when it travels to New Haven, CT to take on Yale in a contest that will be televised on the College Sports TV Network. The laxers' next home game will be April 28 against Stanford, with Harvard coming to town May 3 to cap off the regular season.

W. Lacrosse Drops a Pair

The women's lacrosse team was handed two one-goal losses this weekend by No. 11 Ohio State, 11-10, on Friday in Ithaca, and yesterday by No. 13 Dartmouth, 7-6, in Hanover, N.H. This is the first time that the Red (7-3, 2-2 Ivy) has dropped consecutive games since the 2000 campaign. With the win, Dartmouth (7-2, 4-0 Ivy) remains the only unbeaten team in conference play, as Yale upended Princeton, 7-6, on Saturday.

Friday, the Red jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game's opening 10 minutes. Senior Sarah Averson started off the scoring, netting a goal off a free position shot. Sophomore Lindsay Steinberg scored 29 seconds later, getting the ball off the draw control and beating Ohio State goalie Erin Forquer from the left side. Senior co-captain Erica Holveck finished off the scoring run, as she ran down the center of the offensive zone to notch her second goal of the season.

Ohio State battled back, netting the next five goals. The Buckeyes' first two goals came on low shots from Ashley Evans and Regina Oliver. Evans added her second tally, as she ran in on net off a free position to tie the game at three after 20 minutes. Caroline Weatherill and Tracey Bounds added to more scores to give Ohio State its first lead of the game.

"I have to give Ohio State a lot of credit, they went hard to the net and they took good shots.," said head coach Jenny Graap '86. "It was a different style of lacrosse than what we've seen from this point. They didn't seem to be looking to pass the ball very much, and there weren't a lot of creative feeds, it was really just the one-on-one to the net."

The Red held the Buckeyes scoreless for the remainder of the half, and added a goal of its own with a minute to go, as Averson weaved through the defense and hit the back of the net for her second goal of the game.

Averson scored the Red's next goal in the second half to tie the game, as sophomore Julia Hughey fed the ball from down low as Averson cut through the middle of the offensive zone. The Buckeyes came right back a minute later to reclaim the lead, but the Red scored four goals in the next six minutes to take a 9-6 lead with nine minutes left in the game.

The Buckeyes mounted a furious comeback that started with Oliver's free position goal. Evans and Oliver added their third goals of the game to tie the game at nine.

"Regina Oliver is an incredible athlete; she's very fast. Our markup with Erica Holveck marking Oliver was very sound, Holveck held Regina to one goal for most of the game," said Graap. "Holveck had to come off the field [in the closing minutes of the half] with a concussion because Regina Oliver ran her over, it was just a physical thing. Regina's a strong kid, and overall the game was very rough."

With the score tied at nine, the contest went into overtime, and neither team was able to score in the first three-minute period. Junior Jaime Quinn received a pass from freshman Allison Schindler, and beat Forquer on a high shot to give the Red the lead a minute and a half into the second overtime period. The Buckeyes answered immediately, as Shannon Wilson drove hard to the net and beat junior goalie Ashley Charron.

"Overtime is a tricky thing, because it's two three-minute intervals, and I think when we scored, maybe we felt like 'Ok, we won it, it's over,' instead of playing defense the whole way through," said Graap.

With time winding down, Oliver sped down the field, and found an open Alexia Vogler in front of the net, who beat Charron with only two seconds left in the second overtime.

"There was just so much pushing and physical contact out there that people were getting hurt. We didn't have a very deep bench, and we were getting banged up, and I think that was a factor going into the overtime," said Graap.

Averson netted four goals for the Red to go with four ground balls and five draw controls. Charron made six saves in net, while Forquer stopped nine for the Buckeyes.

Yesterday, the Red faced an equally tough team in Dartmouth. However, the laxers were without Holveck due to the injury she sustained against Ohio State.

"Whenever one of your senior leaders goes down, it requires the underclassmen to really step it up a notch," said Graap.

Once again, the Red took the early lead, with sophomore Jessica Williams scoring off a feed from Schindler, and Quinn connecting on a free position shot. Katieanne Christian added a free position goal and an unassisted goal to tie the game at two. Quinn added her second of the contest with 10 minutes to go in the half to give the Red a one-goal going into halftime.

The Green dominated the second half, scoring the next four goals to go up by three with less than five minutes remaining in the game. Rather than crumble under the pressure, the Red responded with a valiant comeback.

Quinn scored the Red's first goal of the half with only 1:31 remaining in the game. Lana Smith of Dartmouth answered right back with under a minute to go to extend the Green's lead to three.

Steinberg came back with an unassisted goal with 34 seconds left, and Schindler put one in with eight seconds left on a free position shot. The Red was unable to win the ensuing draw, and the Green came away with the win.

After beating Dartmouth for the first time in 10 years last season, the Red came up just short of beating the Green in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

The Green dominated the Red in draw controls winning 13, while Cornell only won two. The laxers scooped up six more ground balls, but turned the ball over four more times than the Green.

Charron made nine of her 12 saves in the first half, with Devon Wills making four saves for Dartmouth.