The Syracuse Orange are as hot as can be, winning their ninth straight game in their domination of Pitt in the Dome on Saturday.
As a result, they’ve moved up to No. 3 in this week’s Inside Lacrosse media poll, the highest ranking they’ve achieved all season.
The Orange now head back out on the road for their second straight Tuesday away game in New York State, this time for a night contest with the Cornell Big Red at Schoellkopf Field. Opening draw is set for 7 PM on ESPN+.
Season so far
Cornell is having themselves a very good season so far with a record of 7-3 and 2-1 in Ivy League play. They’re on a winning streak of their own, having won four in a row. They’re currently receiving votes in the latest IL media poll.
They started their season with a trip out to Boulder, CO for a pair of games. They opened with a three-goal loss to a Colorado team now ranked No. 16 and bounced back with a win over UC Davis. They returned home and picked up an impressive, four-goal win over a ranked-at-the-time James Madison team, followed by a two-goal loss to a ranked Penn State.
They bounced back with a win over Binghamton, but then dropped their conference opener to Brown by four goals. They have since won four straight against St. Bonaventure, BU, Columbia and Dartmouth.
Scouting Cornell
This game presents an interesting matchup, because Cornell is actually a very similar squad to Syracuse. They’re a team built on and powered by their defense, attempting to win games by scoring just enough to outpace the work their defense can do by holding opponents below their scoring average.
While the Orange have the No. 3 scoring defense in the country at 7.0 goals-against per game, the Big Red are right behind them at No. 4 and 7.2 goals-against per game. On top of that, neither team produces a ton on offense. Cornell averages 11.2 goals per game, slightly better than SU’s 10.08 goals per. Add all that together and it’ll be very interesting to see if we get the low-scoring, defensive battle all the stats suggest we will.
Part of why their defense has done so well is their proclivity for causing turnovers, which they’ve done at a rate of 9.1 per game. As a result of that, they’re holding their opponents to just 19.2 shots per game and 11.6 shots on goal per game. It’s tough to score goals when you can barely get looks at net, and very few know that as well as Syracuse fans.
They’re a decent draw control team, drawing at a .527 win percentage this season, and they’re also plus-33 on ground balls.
Names to Know
While the Big Red are not a particularly high-scoring offense, they are a well-balanced group. Cornell currently has six players who’ve scored double-digit goals, as well as eight players who’ve scored double-digit points.
They’re led by junior attacker Ellie Bergin, who leads the team with 24 goals and 27 points and is shooting 50 percent on the season. Senior attacker Ella Wilmot leads the team with 16 assists and is second with 26 points. Sophomore attacker Lilly Whaling is their second-leading goal scorer with 14 goals and is third with 21 points.
Senior attacker Emily Iacobellis (13G), sophomore attacker Kathleen Michaud (12G) and sophomore midfielder Lexie Tully (12G) round out the double-digit goal scorers for their offense.
Tully is also one of the best all-around players on the team, making an impact everywhere with 16 draw controls, 14 caused turnovers and 10 ground balls.
Her older sister, senior defender Caitlin Tully, leads the Big Red in the draw circle and on the defensive end. She leads the team with 28 draw controls, 21 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls.
In net, senior goalie Mackenzie Clark is having a huge season in leading their defense, having started all 10 games and making 62 saves. Her 6.93 goals-against average is fourth-best in the country, while her .500 save percentage ranks her 10th.
