Cornell Manages to Beat Hobart, Win Ivy Title
from press releases
ITHACA, N.Y. - The Hobart lacrosse team was
staring at an 8-1 deficit this afternoon as the final seconds of
the first half ticked off the Schoellkopf Field scoreboard. Facing
Cornell's Division I leading offense (13.17 gpg), few would have
been surprised if the Statesmen got a head start on summer
vacation.
However, this Hobart squad refused to go quietly.
Senior Jeff Colburn (2g) played beat the buzzer with the halftime
horn, igniting a 6-0 Hobart run that pushed No. 6 Cornell to the
brink. The Statesmen defense, led by junior Max Silberlicht,
shutout the Big Red in the second half. Cornell (10-3) had not been
held scoreless in a quarter this season, let alone an entire
half.
Although, the Ivy League Champs held on for an 8-7 win, the 49th
time in 129 meetings that the Hobart-Cornell game has been
decided-if at all, there are four ties in the series that dates
back to 1898-by two goals or less.
The comeback bid gained momentum in the third quarter when the
Statesmen outscored their hosts 4-0. It's the first time the Big
Red has been blanked in a frame since Princeton accomplished the
feat on April 19, 2008.
Sophomore Tim Bigelow (1g, 1a) got things going by finishing a feed
from first-year Chris Pedersen (2a) with 9:20 left in the third.
Three minutes later, junior Tyler Cassell netted his team-leading
22nd goal, assisted by junior Mike Lazore. Just 56 seconds after
that, Bigelow set up senior Matt Smalley to make it an 8-5
game.
That score chased Cornell starting goalie senior Jake Myers (5 GA,
1 Sv) from the contest in favor of classmate Kyle Harer.
Colburn closed out the third quarter run at the 2:25 mark with a
strong individual effort.
Midway through the fourth quarter, junior Kevin Curtin (2g) scored
unassisted for his 21st of the year to get Hobart (7-7) within
one.
The Statesmen continued to challenge the Cornell defense, taking 10
shots with a chance to tie, but half went wide, three were saved by
Harer (2 GA, 5 Svs), one was blocked by the defense, and one hit
the crossbar. Cassell's rocket with 3:23 remaining was Hobart's
best look, but it was a fraction of an inch too high and caught the
crossbar square, ricocheting back into play.
At the other end of the field, Silberlicht foiled Cornell
throughout the second half. He finished the day with 16 saves. The
Big Red quartet of Rob Pannell, Ryan Hurley, Max Seibald, and John
Glynn came into the game averaging a combined 12.5 points per game,
but managed just four (3g, 1a) on the day.
Silberlicht finished the season with a 7.91 goals against average,
lowering his own Hobart Division I record that he set last season
(8.05). His .613 save percentage is the second best since 1995,
while his 174 saves are fourth.
First-year faceoff specialist Bobby Dattilo, played a key roll in
Hobart's success, winning 10 of 18 at the X against a Cornell squad
that ranked sixth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage.
Unfortunately, the slow start-Cornell outscored Hobart 4-1 in the
first and second quarters-ultimately cost the Statesmen a chance to
finish the season above .500.
Senior Chris Finn was the only Big Red to record more than a single
point, notching a goal and an assist.
