Around the Ivies: Cornell, Harvard start strong in conference play

Besides Brown and Princeton, the rest of the Ancient Eight have experienced a successful start to the season, boasting an overall record of .500 or better.

Cornell (7-2, 3-0)

The Big Red enter this week ranked sixth in the nation according to the latest Inside Lacrosse poll. Cornell has won its last four games and is undefeated in Ivy League play so far. After close games with Yale and Penn, the Big Red blew away Dartmouth 19-8 at home this past weekend. Cornell leads the Ivy League in scoring with an average of 13.1 goals per game. Attackman Rob Pannell recorded a career-high nine points against the Big Green to increase his league-leading points total to 53, nearly twice as many as any other player. Cornell will travel to Harvard this weekend in a nationally televised game.

Penn (5-3, 2-1)

Ranked No. 12 nationally, the Quakers were involved in a multi-overtime thriller of their own over the weekend, as it took them three overtimes to squeak out a 10-9 victory over Yale. Penn has maintained a perfect record at home so far this season, winning all five of their games at Franklin Field, including three victories against teams then-ranked in the top 20. On the other hand, the Quakers are 0-3 on the road. Penn will try to win its first away game of the year this weekend at Brown.

Harvard (6-3, 1-1)

The Crimson also boast an undefeated 5-0 record at home, but, unlike the Quakers, they have won on the road. Harvard had the weekend off from Ivy League play and split a pair of nonconference games. Earlier in the week, the Crimson beat No. 18 Massachusetts 11-9 with hat tricks from attackmen Dean Gibbons and Jeff Cohen. Midfielder Daniel Eipp had another impressive weekend, highlighted by his second career hat trick, as he continues to add to an already successful rookie season. The Crimson will put their blemish-free home record to the test this weekend as they take on the Cornell Big Red in a game that has early Ivy League tournament implications.

Dartmouth (4-4, 1-1)

True to its .500 record, Dartmouth sits just around the league average in nearly every statistical category, from goals per game to penalty killing percentage. Over the weekend, the Big Green was defeated by rival Cornell by 11 goals. Cornell’s 19 goals were the most Dartmouth allowed all season, topping the previous high of 18 goals yielded to No. 14 Duke. Dartmouth will travel to Yale this weekend in the hopes of remaining among the top four teams in the Ivy League.

Yale (5-2, 1-2)

The Bulldogs are easily better than is suggested by their Ivy League record and their No. 17 national ranking agrees. After starting off the season with four straight victories, including a 22-1 win against Mercer, the Bulldogs have begun league play by losing two of three. Their losses, against Cornell and Penn, were tightly contested games decided by a total of three goals. Yale is currently ranked first in the league with a face-off percentage of .663. The Bulldogs take on Dartmouth at home this weekend.

Brown (3-5, 0-2)

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The Bears are the only Ivy League team yet to win a game in league play, most recently dropping a quadruple-overtime thriller against the Tigers. Brown ranks fifth in the league in shots on goal, recording an average of only 18.6 per game. Fortunately for the Bears, they also have the highest save percentage amongst the Ivies, a balance that keeps the scores close — their largest margin of defeat is only five goals against fourth-ranked Duke. Brown will try to kick-start its offense this weekend at home versus Penn.