Cornell was named the 2007Field Turf/NCAA Lacrosse Team of the Year. 2007 Season in Review Road to the National Semifi nal The Big Red band supported the men’s lacrosse team both at Schollekopf Field and on the road. Though the conditions were General/Media Info General/Media cold and snowy, No 7 Cornell was red hot as it opened the Matt McMonagle matched a career-high with 19 saves against Princeton. 2007 season with a decisive 19-4 victory over Binghamton at Schoellkopf Field. Tommy Schmicker had a career day against Colgate. He won 18-of-26 (.692) face off s, while scoring the fi rst two Meet The Staff goals of his ca- reer and pick- ing up eight ground balls. No. 4 Cornell traveled to Long Island to face No. 8 Notre Dame on Max Seibald’s high school fi eld. The Big Red used an 11-1 scoring John Glynn (left) led the Big Red at Brown, scoring a game-high three run to blow open a goals and adding an assist. tied game as it Christian Pastirik (below, far left) scores a man-up goal against Towson. defeated the Irish, 13-8. Meet The Big Red Two late goals by Brian Clayton helped to seal a 7-4 victory for No. 3 Cornell as it defeated No. 9 Army at Michie Stadium. 2007 Season Review Matt McMonagle (below) stops a Yale shot at point-blank range. The team (right) celebrates one of its 19 goals against the Bulldogs. Long stick midfi elder Ethan Vedder (#13) registered a career-high two goals at Brown. 2008 Opponents Even on the road, the men’s lacrosse team enjoyed the support of a loyal fan base as Cornellians travelled far and wide to support the Big Red. Above, the fans celebrate a Cornell goal at Brown. Cornell Archives Cornell These two pic- tures capture the same moment, from two angles, as Casey Lewis scores one of his two goals vs. Tow- son in the NCAA This is Cornell Win or lose, the Big Red pays tribute to its fans after each game with a stick salute. tournament. 32 • www.CornellBigRed.com 2008 Cornell Big Red Men’s Lacrosse The Cornell defense fi nished the season ranked fi fth in the nation. General/Media Info General/Media Mitch Belisle talks to ESPN’s Quint Kessenich outside the locker room at Raven Stadium. Meet The Staff Athletic Director Andy Noel accepts the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award on behalf of Matt McMonagle during halftime of the fi rst national semifi nal between Johns Hopkins and Delaware. Meet The Big Red The Big Red celebrates its last sec- ond victory over No. 18 Syracuse at David Mitchell (above and the Dome. left) had an uncanny ability to come up with the ball in tight spaces and score from close range. 2007 Season Review 2008 Opponents Nearly 11,000 fans jammed Schoellkopf Archives Cornell Field to watch No. 1 Cornell defeat No. 5 Princeton for the Big Red’s fi fth-straight Ivy League title. President David Coach Tambroni (above) gets a J. Skorton speaks post-game congratulation from to the team be- his daughters Carissa and Maddie. fore it departs for Baltimore, Md. This is Cornell Eric Pittard (left, jumping) and John Glynn celebrate after teaming up for the game-winning goal vs. Albany in overtime of the national quarterfi nal. The contest was named the “Best Game of the Year” in the December issue of Inside John Glynn won 15-of-22 face off s for the The Big Red celebrates its 12-11 overtime victory vs. Big Red vs. Duke in the national semifi nal. Lacrosse. Albany in the national quarterfi nals. 2008 Cornell Big Red Men’s Lacrosse www.CornellBigRed.com • 33 2007 Season Review THE SEASON — The 2007 season proved to be one of the CLEAN YOUR SLATE — Cornell’s 11-8 victory over Brown record in Ivy League play. greatest in recent years as the Big Red was named the on April 28 gave the Big Red a perfect 6-0 record in the Ivy 2007 FieldTurf/NCAA Lacrosse Team of the Year. Cornell League for the 15th time in program history. With the 17-4 FOUR SURE — Cornell has had its share of Final Four ap- capped an undefeated regular season (13-0) with the victory over Hobart, Cornell fi nished the regular season pearances in NCAA team competition over the years, as program’s fi rst trip to the national semifi nal since the undefeated for the ninth time in program history and the the 2007 men’s lacrosse team brought the total of national 1988 campaign. The Big Red, the fourth seed in the NCAA fi rst time since 1987. semifi nal appearances to 20. tournament, held the top spot in both national polls for • Men’s Ice Hockey (8) - 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, the fi nal nine weeks of the season and fi nished the year AND THE WINNER IS … – For the fi rst time since the 1977 1973, 1980, 2003 with a 15-1 record, one victory shy of the school record season, the Big Red swept the defensive honors given by • Men’s Lacrosse (10) - 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, General/Media Info General/Media (16 in 1976) and eighth all-time in NCAA history for wins the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, as 1982, 1987, 1988, 2007 in a season. Cornell fi nished its Ivy League schedule with Mitch Belisle ’07 earned the Schmeisser Cup as the Out- • Women’s Lacrosse (1) - 2002 a perfect 6-0 record, winning its second outright league standing Defenseman in Division I and Matt McMonagle • Men’s Soccer (1) – 1972 title in the past four years, garnering at least a share of the ’07 won the Ensign C.M. Kelly, Jr. Award as the Outstanding conference crown for the past fi ve seasons. Goaltender in Division I. The duo become the second and 200 GOALS — With its 14-goal performance vs. Towson, third players, respectively, to earn USILA awards during the Big Red reached the 200-goal plateau for the fi rst AT THE HELM — Jeff Tambroni’s seventh season as head head coach Jeff Tambroni’s tenure, as Joe Boulukos ‘06 time since 1987. That season, Cornell scored 204 goals in coach of the Big Red saw the program reach a level of suc- earned the Lt. Donald McLaughlin, Jr. Award as the nation’s 14 games, fi nishing the season as NCAA runner-up. The cess that it hadn’t enjoyed in 19 years, as he led the team to Outstanding Midfi elder in 2006. The unanimous Ivy League Big Red fi nished the 2007 campaign with 224 goals in its fi rst national semifi nal appearance since 1988. With the Player of the Year, McMonagle became the Big Red’s fi rst 16 games, the fourth highest single-season goal total in team’s 15-1 record, Tambroni’s career record improved to Kelly Award winner since Dan Mackesey earned the honor Cornell history, following only the 1976 (276), 1975 (255) 73-26. His winning percentage of .737 is the second-best in 1977, while Belisle became the fi rst Cornell defenseman and 1974 (233) teams. Meet The Staff among the nine coaches who have served as head coach to win Schmeisser Cup since Chris Kane in 1978. at Cornell, ahead of the legendary Richie Moran (.680) and TOURNAMENT TIDBITS — The 2007 season marked the behind the all-time leader Ned Harkness (.972). EVERYBODY’S ALL-AMERICAN – Cornell placed three on fi fth time that Cornell made it to the NCAA tournament the USILA All-America fi rst team and had seven players during Coach Tambroni’s tenure, and the fi rst time it made COACHING AWARDS — Jeff Tambroni was named the honored in total. The seven All-Americans were the most it to the semifi nal round under his tutelage. FieldTurf/NCAA Division I Coach of the Year, while associate in one season since the 1987 squad also had seven. The head coach Ben DeLuca was named the IMLCA’s Assistant three on the fi rst-team was the most since the 1978 THE LAST GAME – In what was perhaps the gutsiest per- Coach of the Year. squad put four fi rst-teamers on the fi eld. Mitch Belisle formance of the entire 2007 collegiate lacrosse season, the ’07 and Matt McMonagle ’07 joined Max Seibald on the Big Red rallied from a seven-goal defi cit with 18 minutes LAST MAN STANDING — Cornell was the last Division I fi rst team, while attackmen David Mitchell ’07 and Eric left in its national semifi nal contest with Duke and tied team in the nation to lose a contest, falling in the national Pittard ’07 joined midfi elder John Glynn on the second the game on a Brian Clayton goal with 17 seconds to play, semifi nal on May 26. The Big Red amassed a 15-0 record and team. Honorable mention went to defender Matt Moyer. only to see Duke’s Zach Greer score the game-winner with Meet The Big Red outlasted Albany, which opened the season at 11-0 before It was the third All-America honor for McMonagle, while three seconds to go, giving the Blue Devils the 12-11 victory losing to Syracuse on April 20. Division III’s Salisbury (23-0) Belisle, Seibald and Mitchell all appeared for the second in front of a record-setting crowd of 52,004 spectators at was the only team to fi nish the season undefeated.