COLLEGE PREVIEW 2013 NCAA DIVISION I MEN TOP 20 CORNELL
2012 RECORD: 9-4 (4-2 IVY LEAGUE) COACH: BEN DELUCA (3RD YEAR)
BIG RED 7 Through 10 games in 2012, Cornell sat
in terrifi c shape. With a 9-1 record, the lone blemish an overtime loss to Virginia, the Big Red had beaten the likes of Yale, Denver and Syracuse. They learned to play and even win without All-American
attackman Rob Pannell after he went down with a season-ending foot injury in the second game of the season against Army. But beginning with a 10-9 loss to Brown on April 21, the bottom fell out. Princeton throttled Cornell, and then Yale eliminated the Big Red from NCAA tournament contention in the Ivy League semifi nals. The ending was as brutal as it was swift. For coach Ben DeLuca, a terrifi c defensive mind, the fallout was maddening. His defense allowed 38 goals in those three losses, something Cornell hasn’t seen in a three-game losing streak since 1997.
“No one on the same page,” he said. “A lack of consistency across the board.”
Feb 24 Hobart Feb 26 Binghamton Mar 2 Colgate Mar 5 at Canisius Mar 9 at Virginia Mar 16 at Yale Mar 19 Bucknell Mar 23 Penn Mar 26 Siena Mar 30 Dartmouth Apr 6 at Harvard Apr 9 at Syracuse Apr 20 at Brown Apr 27 vs. Princeton* * at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Most surprising about the collapse was the team’s experience on the back end — guys DeLuca trusted like long sticks Jason Noble, Mike Bronzino, Thomas Keith, Tom Trasolini and short sticks Roy Lang and Chris Langton. Injuries also took a toll. “We’d have three-quarters of our starting lineup not in practice during the week due to injuries. Not practicing Monday- Tuesday-Wednesday and jumping back in Thursday-Friday
and playing Saturday, that affected us,” DeLuca said. Starting goalie Andrew West struggled in the Brown and Princeton losses, leading DeLuca to start AJ Fiore against Yale in the Ivy League playoffs. Of Yale’s fi rst 10 shots on goal, nine beat Fiore. It was just that kind of season for the Big Red. Cornell answered with a strong fall, recording unoffi cial wins over North Carolina and Johns Hopkins despite missing several key players — including Pannell, who received additional eligibility from the Ivy League but did not report back to Cornell until the start of spring semester. Pannell’s return has Big Red fans clamoring. They see the potential for an offense to once again carry its defense in key stretches. DeLuca knows that could happen, but he’s banking on his defense turning the page on 2012. West missed the fall season, and DeLuca left the goalie competition open. “We’re looking for consistency,” he said. “More than anything else, we’re looking for more consistency. It’s something we’ve really lacked the last couple of seasons.”
— Brian Delaney 36 LACROSSE MAGAZINE February 2013 >>
Jason Noble
RIVAL COACHES SAY “Will Pannell return to form? If so, Cornell will have the best player in the country… He makes a good team great… Can they fi nally fi nd a goalie? That’s been a major Achilles’ heel… They pose problems at attack with Pannell and with Donovan and English. Not many teams have three guys like that.”
TOP RETURNER A Rob Pannell (Sr.) Pannell has one semester of eligibility remaining, so he did not practice with Cornell in the fall. Fellow attackmen Matt Donovan and Steve Mock are familiar with his style. With the redshirt senior and former USILA Attackman of the Year, the Big Red once again has the game’s best in crunch time.
X-FACTOR G Andrew West (Jr.) West missed the fall with
an injury, senior A.J. Fiore has experience and sophomore Will Joyce enjoyed a strong fall. Cornell needs consistency in goal. A 60-percent save rate wouldn’t hurt. The guess here: West wins the job, but he must improve on his 51.6 save percentage.
Matt Donovan emerged as a
playmaker in Pannell’s absence. With the Red Mamba back, Donovan should shine in a supporting role.
52
PROJECTED STARTERS
A Rob Pannell (Sr.) G: 42 A: 47 (from 2011)
A Matt Donovan (So.)* G: 18 A: 14
A Steve Mock (Sr.)* G: 23 A: 6
M Max Van Bourgondien (Sr.)* G: 17 A: 12
M Connor English (Sr.)* G: 20 A: 8
M Connor Buczek (So.) GP: 5 SH: 1
FO Doug Tesoriero (Jr.)* FO%: 59.3 PTS: 2
LSM: Thomas Keith (Sr.)* GB: 60 CT: 12
D Jason Noble (Sr.)* GB: 35 CT: 24
D Mike Bronzino (Sr.)* GB: 28 CT: 14
D Tom Freshour (Jr.) GB: 25 CT: 12
G Andrew West (Jr.)* GAA: 8.29 SV%: 51.6 * returning starters
TELLING NUMBER
American Matt McMonagle left. DeLuca tabbed Fred Rothman to work exclusively with goalies. A Publication of US Lacrosse
Save percentage of Cornell goalies since 2007, when All-
©CORNELL (JN); ©LEE WEISSMAN (RP); ©JOHN STROHSACKER (MD)
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