No. 1 'Hoos Visit No. 8 Cornell Saturday
from press release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - After defeating No. 1 Syracuse on
Sunday, 11-10, the Cavaliers are this week's consensus No. 1 team
in the nation, receiving all No. 1 votes in the Nike/Inside
Lacrosse media poll and USILA coaches poll. There is no rest for
Virginia (5-0) competition-wise, as the Cavaliers travel to Ithaca,
N.Y., to battle the No. 8 Cornell Big Red (4-0), Saturday afternoon
at Schoellkopf Field. Faceoff is slated for noon and live stats
will be available at VirginiaSports.com. UVa will look to avenge
last year's 15-6 setback to Cornell in the NCAA Tournament
semifinal round at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
Virginia holds a slim 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, however
the Cavaliers are 2-0 when the series is played in the regular
season. The two teams met for the first time during the 1971
regular season when UVa hosted the Big Red and were victorious
10-9. UVa's only previous trip to Ithaca, N.Y., was for the 1974
NCAA Tournament when Cornell topped the Cavaliers 15-8.
The regular season series was renewed last year when Virginia rode
three goals apiece from Shamel Bratton and Steve Giannone with the
Cavaliers winning 14-10 at Klöckner Stadium on March 8, 2009.
Of the six other programs to win the NCAA title, Virginia has faced
Cornell by far the fewest times.
Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni enters his 10th season at the helm
of the Big Red and returns 15 letterwinners and four starters from
last season's squad that went 13-4, losing in the NCAA Tournament
finals to Syracuse. The Big Red are led offensively by Ryan
Hurley's 13 goals (15 points) and Rob Pannell's 10 assists (18
points). The Big Red were ranked No. 6 in both the Nike/Inside
Lacrosse media and USILA coaches poll, but have fallen to No. 8 in
both polls despite its perfect record. Strong starts and big wins
by Maryland, Notre Dame and Princeton have catapulted those
programs ahead of the Big Red in the polls.
The Big Red are most recently are coming off a convincing 19-4
victory over in-state foe Binghamton on Tuesday. Hurley tallied a
game-high four goals, while Pannell chipped in three goals and
three assists. Prior to Tuesday's win, the Big Red topped a tough
Army squad, 12-11, on March 6.
Virginia topped VMI, 20-6, in its first test as the nation's No. 1
squad on Tuesday. Chris Bocklet and Matt White each tallied four
goals in the contest. For the sophomore Bocklet, it matched a
career high, while the freshman White set a career best for
himself. Fourteen different Cavaliers scored in the contest,
allowing UVa to open a season 5-0 for the third straight year.
Since the USILA started its coaches' poll in 1973, UVa has been
ranked in the Top 5 in 250 polls, including this week's No. 1
ranking. The No. 1 ranking serves as the first time UVa has been
ranked No. 1 in both polls since the week of April 20, 2009. The
Cavaliers spent seven weeks last season atop both polls, and 10
weeks as the No. 1 team in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll.
Bocklet leads Virginia with 15 goals, while Steele Stanwick leads
the squad with 11 assists and 21 overall points. Current ACC
Co-Player of the Week Rhamel Bratton is third on the team with nine
goals, while White has eight goals and 12 points, third-most on the
team. White has scored a goal in all five of his collegiate
games.
Ken Clausen and Chris LaPierre are tied for the team lead with 20
ground balls, while Clausen is ranked No. 3 nationally with his 16
caused turnovers. Goalie Adam Ghitelman is saving .507 percent of
shots and has an 8.00 GAA.
Virginia returns to Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday for its final
midweek game of the season when it hosts Vermont, who is coached by
former UVa All-American defenseman Ryan Curtis, the 2000 National
Defenseman of the Year. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
