MLax: Cornell 7 @ Duke 6 (FINAL)

[DeltaOne81]

[quote Al DeFlorio]Other than a few first-half freeze-ups, the ACC webcast was fine.  Don't know why in the second half they kept showing close-ups of the announcer while the game was on.  Worth the $3.99.[/quote]

No freeze ups here, other than my browser once.

Cons: No time displayed, no pre or post game really, showing the announcer during play

Pros: Great video quality, one-game option w/ archive, slow mo replays that the announcer can see and comment on, good audio call, nice score bar at the top

Overall: A, A- at worst if only for that camera-on-the-announcer stuff

[billhoward]

The team wearing the red jerseys in the second half looked a lot better.

Cornell had trouble penetrating the Duke defense but so too did Duke against Cornell's. McMonagle had a couple nice saves and the post helped out, too, although I thought a couple shots that appeared to bounce off Matt were described as pipe shots.

Brilliant feed by Seibald for the final goal, drawing the defender, then passing to Pitard on bended knee.

Nice camera work. Very nice of the Big Red (Alumni?) Pep Band (having no other conflicts this week) to be on site and support the team.

Nice job picking the wrong team to win, Lax Swami.

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote billhoward]Nice job picking the wrong team to win, Lax Swami.[/quote]
Swami sucks.  Blowhard.

[peterg]

[quote Al DeFlorio][quote billhoward]Nice job picking the wrong team to win, Lax Swami.[/quote]
Swami sucks.  Blowhard.[/quote]

Don't sugarcoat it.  Tell us what you really think!

[ugarte]

[quote Al DeFlorio][quote billhoward]Nice job picking the wrong team to win, Lax Swami.[/quote]
Swami sucks.  Blowhard.[/quote]It's a fun read. I could do without the self-important music and 1991-era graphics, however. Swami has been having a tough year.

[DeltaOne81]

Recap:
http://cornellbigred.cstv.com/sports/m-lacros/recaps/032007aaa.html

After being out shot significantly in the first half, Cornell turned the tables in the second half, including a 14-3 advantage in the critical fourth quarter, to hold a 35-32 lead in shots for the game.

NOTES: Cornell is the first team this season to earn the top spot in the national polls and then win its next game ... The Big Red improves to 5-0 to start a season for the second time in Coach Jeff Tambroni's tenure (2006) ... With the win, Coach Jeff Tambroni earned his 63rd career victory, giving him sole possession of third place in Cornell history for wins by a head coach ... The win is the Big Red's third straight over a top 10 opponent (No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 9 Army, No. 5 Duke).

Nice stats at the bottom here:
http://www.laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=5470

Look at how the shots, faceoffs, and ground balls trended during the game. Really tells the story.

[Al DeFlorio]

lax.com story here: http://www.lax.com/stories/1791

[JasonN95]

From the Lax.com article:

Cornell was ranked #1, but until this point of the season hadn't played any top-15 teams...

And another article I read I think made a similiar  dismissive comment about Cornell's #1 ranking, but weren't both ND and Army top 10 when Cornell played them? Is it Cornell's fault that beating those teams knocked them down a few pegs? Ok, my venting is over.

The real question: Any chance that Cornell's arrangement with Duke said that if Cornell beats them in both games in Durham, Duke has to come to Ithaca? :-)

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote JasonN95]From the Lax.com article:

Cornell was ranked #1, but until this point of the season hadn't played any top-15 teams...

And another article I read I think made a similiar  dismissive comment about Cornell's #1 ranking, but weren't both ND and Army top 10 when Cornell played them? Is it Cornell's fault that beating those teams knocked them down a few pegs? Ok, my venting is over.
[/quote]
Another factor is the poll being looked at to determine who is top 10 or 15.  The press poll will keep the usual suspects at the top regardless of results on the field.

I was very disappointed in the whinings of the Duke coach.  Someone should remind him that his team managed only three shots--total, not just on goal--in the fourth period of a one-goal game.  If it weren't for Loftus's nine fourth period saves, that game would have been blown open.  Last year Cornell outscored Duke 5-1 in the fourth period.  Could have been a replay this year if not for Loftus.

[DeltaOne81]

[quote JasonN95]From the Lax.com article:

Cornell was ranked #1, but until this point of the season hadn't played any top-15 teams...

And another article I read I think made a similiar  dismissive comment about Cornell's #1 ranking, but weren't both ND and Army top 10 when Cornell played them? Is it Cornell's fault that beating those teams knocked them down a few pegs? Ok, my venting is over.

The real question: Any chance that Cornell's arrangement with Duke said that if Cornell beats them in both games in Durham, Duke has to come to Ithaca? :-)[/quote]

Well Army is currently #8 in the USILA poll, and Duke #5. Notre Dame #19.

They're #13, #6, and #19 in the Inside Lax poll. So only if you look at the right poll can you say we hadn't beaten a current top 10.

Is a #1 ranking probably aggressive for us? Yes. Until last night it was very much so, but it still probably is. As we saw in the first half, this team isn't perfect. But the polls are very much a 'what have you done for me lately' kinda thing, and being 5-0 when most of the usual suspects have 2 or 3 losses, and can't win as #1 themselves, is gonna get you something.

Oh, and in what really matters, RPI, we beat #7 (Duke) and #13 (Notre Dame). Two top 15 wins before we even started conference play is something I'd take any year. Meanwhile, there are 2 Ivy's other than Cornell in the top 15 (Penn & Dmouth) and Princeton sitting just outside at #16. And Syracuse sitting at #4.

2 top 15 wins with 4 more opportunities is a pretty nice position to be in regarding a tournament birth, and its not even late March.

[Al DeFlorio]

Premature at this point but still kind of interesting:

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=154829

[ugarte]

[quote Al DeFlorio]Premature at this point but still kind of interesting:

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=154829[/quote]

Cornell...
Key games remaining: Penn, Syracuse, Dartmouth

Do we agree that Penn instead of Princeton was a slipup or do you think they meant to include Penn and Princeton? No way they meant to include Penn instead of Princeton.

[Al DeFlorio]

I think they meant Princeton.  Interesting, though, that as of now Penn is 4-2, #8 in RPI, and #10 in strength-of-schedule, but IL says they are "OUT" both now and later.

[Chris '03]

[quote ugarte][quote Al DeFlorio]Premature at this point but still kind of interesting:

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=154829[/quote]

Cornell...
Key games remaining: Penn, Syracuse, Dartmouth

Do we agree that Penn instead of Princeton was a slipup or do you think they meant to include Penn and Princeton? No way they meant to include Penn instead of Princeton.[/quote]

They meant Penn because they looked at T-20 RPI teams and Princeton isn't one of them (#23 at the moment). The whole discussion is stupid because (among other things) they keep saying how volatile the numbers are but how essential beating certain teams who are currently in the t-20 is.

[ugarte]

[quote Chris '03][quote ugarte][quote Al DeFlorio]Premature at this point but still kind of interesting:

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=154829[/quote]

Cornell...
Key games remaining: Penn, Syracuse, Dartmouth

Do we agree that Penn instead of Princeton was a slipup or do you think they meant to include Penn and Princeton? No way they meant to include Penn instead of Princeton.[/quote]

They meant Penn because they looked at T-20 RPI teams and Princeton isn't one of them (#23 at the moment). The whole discussion is stupid because (among other things) they keep saying how volatile the numbers are but how essential beating certain teams who are currently in the t-20 is.[/quote]
Strange to have a rule like that when you know that some top teams are currently sitting outside of the RPI top 20. Princeton may not be top 20 but they are still considered "likely in," so IL is projecting them to be top 20 later.  That should have been enough to get them on the "key games" list. But I assume you are right because Princeton isn't listed as a key game for 'Cuse either.