Big Red Banter

Cornell soccer attempts to repeat history…in a good way  

by 3 months ago

Photo by Al Rinow

Streaking–The Cornell Big Red are 8-0-5 their past 13 games, the longest stretch without a loss since the 1995.

They say history repeats itself, but for the Cornell men’s soccer team in recent years, it appeared that repeat button may have been broken.

However, the 2011 season marks the teams surprise 8-1-5 start and first place standing (3-0-2) in Ivy League play with two regular season games remaining.

What has been the most remarkable is that the Big Red are currently riding a 13-game lose-less streak (8-0-5), second only to New Mexico (15) for the longest streak in the nation.

Last season, the Big Red did not win a single Ivy League game (0-5-2), and before head coach Jaro Zawislan arrived in 2009, the Big Red finished the 2008 season 1-15.

The always modest Zawislan believed he could make a dissertation out of the question as to why the Big Red have improved so drastically over the past three seasons.

“Well, how much time do we have to talk about it?” Zawislan said. “Because I can go on for hours about the transition of (Cornell soccer) the past two-plus years.”

“I mean when I came to the program (in 2008), it was my first head coaching position and we started with a philosophy that there’s a fresh start to the program. My record at the time as head coach was zero wins, zero losses, zero ties, and that’s the (philosophy) I expected out of the players—to come with a kind of fresh attitude and forget about the past seasons and just look forward towards the future.”

However, sophomore forward Daniel Haber believed there was a more simpler answer: the team’s dedication to the matriculation of the program has guided the Big Red in the right direction.

“I think that (Jaro’s) done a very good job of really bringing in guys that are committed,” Haber said. “Everyone in the program right now…they’re number one priority is soccer. Everyone is willing to do whatever it takes year round to make the program better.

According to Zawislan, anticipating the high level of competition in Ivy League play compelled the players to respond even hungrier in 2011.

“This season, the returning players came back ready to tackle the challenges of the preseason and season,” he said. “Newcomers came in and they were ready to contribute right off the bat so it’s been a very highly competitive environment in our program and that’s just what makes us better week to week, and from game to game.”

What started as a little hot streak turned into a surprising 1-0 win in the Ivy League opener against Penn Oct. 1 in Philadelphia, as Haber’s goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation gave the Big Red a win to open conference play for the first time since 2005.

“Penn’s a great team and they’ve been going to the tournament for the last few years and been nationally recognized consistently and we knew that being able to get a win against them would be a big turning point for the program as a whole,” said Haber. “I think it really gave us a big sense of confidence where we feel like after that (win) we can take down anyone if we play our game.”

And thus far, nobody has been able to take the Big Red down in nearly two months. That is unless their opponents consider ties moral victories.

The Big Red’s game versus Brown Oct. 22 drew 983 fans, a Berman Field record, a double overtime thriller that ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Big Red travel to Hanover, N.H. to take on Dartmouth this Saturday, a game that has serious Ivy League title implications considering the Big Green trail the Big Red by two points in the Ivy Standings in a two-way tie with Brown for second place.

Then, the Big Red close out their regular season when they host Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 12, a game that with a win has the possibility of being the Big Red’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1996.

And Haber stressed the importance of the last two regular games of the season, and what it would mean for a program whose last Ivy League crown was in 1995 to not only win the league championship, but also extend their season.

“We’re going to do our best to finish out the season strong,” he said. “We want to win the Ivy League. We want to get to the NCAA tournament. Those are our goals. But no matter what looking back on the season it will be a success. Big step forward for the program, for now and for the future…”

Big Red Banter

Harvard scores 21 unanswered in second half to fend off Cornell  

by 4 months ago

Photo by Tim McKinney

It has been six years since the Cornell Big Red last beat Harvard, and the streak is set to continue after a 41-31 loss to the Crimson Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.

The Big Red (2-2, 0-2 Ivy League) led 24-20 late into the third quarter, but the Crimson (3-1, 2-0) tacked on 21 unanswered points in the second half to keep the Big Red winless in Ivy League play.

And the key momentum changer occurred with the Big Red holding a 24-20 lead.

Punting from the Crimson 49, senior kicker Brad Greenway, normally not relegated to punting duties, made a costly mistake.

Greenway took a low snap and bobbled it before punting it away, but his knee had touched the ground, ruling him down at the Cornell 38. Instead of likely pinning the Crimson inside their own 20-yard line, the Crimson was given a short field.

And according to Big Red head coach Kent Austin, a mistake the team can’t afford to make.

“We shouldn’t be making those [kinds of plays],” Austin said. ”That’s on me. We can’t make those mistakes. Our seniors need to know better than that.”

With the ball at the Big Red 38, the Crimson marched down the field, scoring on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Colton Chapple to sophomore tight end Cameron Brate to take a 34-24 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Crimson’s biggest lead of the game at the time.

Another touchdown pass from Chapple broke the game wide open at 41-24 with 10:56 remaining, sealing the Crimson victory.

According to Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, Greenway’s mistake on special teams was the game-changing play needed to ignite the Crimson offense.

“In essence, that’s a turnover in all honesty,” said Murphy. “We created some momentum for us, and took away momentum for [Cornell]…Obviously you’d rather have the ball at the 50 rather than the 10-yard line coming out [on offense].”

And it was plays like Greenway’s that Austin believes puts his team at a severe disadvantage, and provides some unnecessary growing pains for a now more experienced team.

“The disaster play you have to get off this football team,” he said.

“You know, we got to get that out of our psychology and I told the team we need to grow up. It’s time for us to push through some of that stuff. It’s what they’ve been used to, and it’s time to grow up now as a football team.”

Chapple, who had started the last two games for the Crimson after an injury to Collier Winters in the opener, threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns, the first Crimson player to throw for over 400 yards since 2002.

But coach Murphy was not hesitant to mention the strong play of Jeff Mathews, who threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns.

“That was an eye opener that this was going to be a tough game [against Cornell],” said Murphy. “That this is a very legitimate offense. Jeff Mathews is a terrific young quarterback. He gave us all we could handle…”

In fact, the Big Red scored on their first drive of the game to quickly take a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the first quarter. However, the Crimson always seemed to have an answer, never trailing by more than seven points.

The Big Red travel to Hamilton, N.Y. next Saturday to take on the Colgate Raiders to close out their non-conference schedule, a team that beat the Big Red 44-3 at Schoellkopf Field in 2010.

However, it is the play of the offense that remains a high note for an improved and more experienced team, an offense that was first in the Ivy League in total offense (367.7 yards per game) entering today’s game.

“When your offense can move the ball and take advantage of those key turnovers, it brings enthusiasm and energy,” said senior defensive back Rashad Campbell. “And knowing that our offense is a lot better this year and making those plays is going to take us a long way this season.”

Cornell Sports Broadcasting

Sprint Football Dominates in 49-7 Win Over Princeton  

by 4 months ago

After a loss to Post University, Cornell Sprint Football bounced back in a win over Princeton (0-3). Quarterback Brendan Miller completed 13 of 15 pass attempts for a total of 211 yards and 4 touchdowns, one week after missing the game against Post with a concussion. The Big Red (2-1) hosts Army this Friday at 7 p.m.

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  • Posted at 2:01 pm October 6th, 2011 by Morgan Miller | Tags: Brendan Miller, Cornell Athletics, CSFL, , , , Sprint Football
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Big Red Banter

Big Red loses heartbreaker to Post  

by 4 months ago

Photo courtesy of Cornell Athletic Communications

If this were a game of straws, the Cornell sprint football team got the short end of the stick. Whether it was from missed opportunities or wrapping up gifts in the form of second chances, it may have only been inevitable that the Big Red would falter against Post 25-20 in a sloppy, wet Friday night at Schoellkopf Field.

The Eagles’ (2-0) Rashad Hendricks scored on a seven-yard scamper, his third rushing touchdown in the game, with 36 seconds left in regulation to put the dagger on a would’ve, could’ve, should’ve night for the Big Red (1-1).

According to senior wide receiver Abe Mellinger, who had two touchdown receptions on the night, the Big Red gave the game to the Eagles.

“You could say that Post won the game, but I would say that we beat ourselves,” Mellinger said. “We were given the opportunities. We didn’t capitalize.”

The first missed opportunity came in the first quarter when a high snap on a punt sailed over the punter’s head, giving the Big Red the ball at the Eagles’ 16-yard line. But the Big Red were unable to capitalize, as a holding call set them back, and kicker John Rodriguez missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Typically a team with the advantage in the kicking game, Rodriguez missed two field goals, both from 45 yards. But according to Big Red co-head coach Bart Guccia, the staff already had the confidence in Rodriguez to make field goals from 40-plus yards.

“He’s got the range to make those…he just missed them,” Guccia said. “They were long enough.”

And despite three missed extra points and a missed field goal, the Eagles were able to capitalize on opportunities late in the game.

“They should have never been in that position,” said Guccia. “They made the most of their opportunity at the end. You got to give them credit.”

Post trailed 13-12 in the fourth quarter, but Eagles quarterback Erich Broadrick connected with Tony Simpson for an 18-yard strike to take a 19-13 lead with 9:40 remaining. The same drive was kept alive when Broadrick avoided a sack on a third down and completed a pass down field.

“We had (Erich Broadrick) sacked and we missed him,” said Guccia. “He makes a big completion and they score on that drive.”

And one play and 17 seconds later, the Big Red countered with a 55-yard touchdown reception from Mellinger to retake the lead, 20-19.

But it was a three-and-out and a short field that gave the Eagles one last shot to win the game, and another key third down conversion in the red zone that kept another drive alive, and one too many chances for the Eagles.

The Big Red hope to bounce back from a tough loss to the Eagles when they host Princeton next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Schoellkopf Field.

According to Guccia, the team must move on from the loss if they want to still salvage a season that is far from over.

“The game’s over,” he said. “We can’t look backwards. We have to…go forward, try to improve on the mistakes we made in this game and then go out and play Princeton to the best of our abilities.”

Tims Take On Sports

Tim’s Take on Sports Fall 2011-Week 2  

by 4 months ago

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Downloads 10

The second segment of Tim’s Take on Sports aired on Tuesday, Sept. 20. We welcomed in a colleague and die-hard Buffalo Bills fan Eli Bannister to the studio to talk about the Bills surprising 2-0 start, and the tough reality of being a Bills fan. We also discuss other aspects of the NFL in Tim’s Take on Sports first-ever segment of “Fan’s Corner.” On the show, we make predictions for next week in the NFL, overview the major college football games, talk NBA lockout, and discuss the MLB playoff picture. Be sure to tune in next Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. Special guest TBA. Please “like” the Tim’s Take on Sports facebook page, and follow Tim’s Take on Sports on twitter at sloperadiotake! Your tweets could make it to the show!

Tims Take On Sports

Big Red Talk: One-on-One with Rashad Campbell  

by 4 months ago

 Enhanced Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Downloads 9

The final part of a three-part interview series, Big Red Talk sat down with Cornell senior defensive back Rashad Campbell to discuss the upcoming season and the excitement around the Ithaca community for homecoming. Big Red Talk is an association with Slope Media Sports, the show that takes you inside the players, coaches and personnel from Cornell athletics. The Big Red host Bucknell tomorrow night at 6 p.m.

Be sure to follow Big Red Talk on facebook for more updates on upcoming shows!

Tims Take On Sports

Tim’s Take on Sports Fall 2011 Pilot  

by 4 months ago

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Downloads 32

Tim’s Take on Sports pilot episode for the week of Sept. 13. Special guest Catherine White, senior forward on the Cornell University women’s hockey team, joined us in the studio to talk about the upcoming season and the team’s aspirations for a third consecutive Frozen Four appearance. I also discuss and break down the second weekend of college football, as well as the first week of the NFL. Predictions are made for next week, so tune in Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. at www.slopemedia.org/radio for another episode of Tim’s Take on Sports. Special guest TBA via twitter (sloperadiotake) and the Tim’s Take on Sports facebook page.

Fashion

Style on the Slope  

by 6 months ago

Lizzie Brooks

It’s raining, what a surprise. However, I am usually a little too optimistic about the weather- and wind up wet. Umbrellas, boots, and rain coats can help anyone avoid soaked jeans. But when it comes to function and fashion, not all rain gear is equal.

I personally have no objection to the giant umbrella- the kind that looks as if it was made for a small family, or could be turned into a pool. I saw someone walking with one today that made my umbrella seem laughable. My shoulders, backpack, and discussion section could probably fit under there and enjoy one of the only preferable experience of dehydration.

However, function and fashion can work together. I prefer classic black umbrellas like this: because the match anything, while simultaneously adding a classic elegance to any look. I am also a fan of the dome umbrella which covers more of its subjects and has an intriguing form.

Classic trench coats, or macintoshes are ideal for the rain. Something that goes with everything, looks good a shade darker, and is tight enough to keep splashes out but flexibility                                                                                                              unrestrained, works perfectly. These Burberry jackets below perform beautifully.

Magazine

Cornell alum Keith Olbermann visits Ithaca  

by 10 months ago

The perks of working in the media industry were reiterated  when Cornell alum and political correspondent Keith Olbermann hosted an exclusive group discussion for Slope Media Group e-board members, along with prominent juniors and seniors Monday afternoon in Willard Straight Hall’s International Room.

Sporting a jacket, jeans and New Balance tennis shoes, Olbermann first discussed his career at Cornell from 1975-79 working at the student-run WVBR as sports director, and later director of the station.

He then enlightened the select few Cornellians with some compelling advice about the direction of the industry. He emphasized the importance of dipping our toes in multiple mediums-print, online, multimedia, video, radio, television, etc.-because one day the industry will be meshed together as one.

Consolidation at its finest, his intention was not to scare students, but to provide us with over 30 years of expertise, along with a realization that the industry is changing at an alarming rate.

What he infamously called “the reverse Big-Bang Theory,” media will eventually be so consolidated it will form one giant mass integrated as one.

Olbermann began his broadcasting career as a sports journalist, working in sports as a correspondent, reporter and anchor for more than twenty years before transitioning into news journalism. He had worked at CNN as a sports correspondent, but after a brief hiatus with ESPN, began working in news journalism.

Most notably known for his news show in cable news commentary entitled Countdown with Keith Olbermann, which ran from 2003 up until this year on MSNBC, he ended the discussion by describing his new direction working with Current TV, along with his blog FOKnewschannel.com.

Olbermann fielded questions after the discussion, chuckling at my comment that a print journalist is an unemployed journalist, but also reiterating advise about how to assimilate into the industries’ constantly changing direction.

From the emphasis on reaching a niche audience to the realization that the industry is reaching closer and closer to mass consolidation, Olbermann advised students to find a passion, yet be willing to learn and develop skills in other mediums to represent the new “multi-tasked journalist.”

Cornell University will host “An Evening with Keith Olbermann” Tuesday, March 29 at 6 p.m. in Bailey Hall. Free tickets will be available at the door, and will also be available at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office.

Fashion

Style on the Slope  

by 11 months ago

Style on the Slope Ithaca weather is bipolar. Should you dress for spring or for blizzards? What if it starts snowing in the middle of a formerly spotless day? Even if it is sunny and mild outside, what about all of the slush on the ground? When it comes to shoes, flats are a definite no. However, that does not mean you have to wear mukluks to class. Anything that at least covers your ankles with a semi-waterproof material should be sufficient. Some examples are shown below.

Sweaters are a must in this dynamic climate. Yes, layering overall is good, but a cardigan is probably the least awkward layer to pull off in the middle of a class. Just make sure that whatever you wear fits reasonably under your jacket. The following options have light sleeves that will make their addition a breeze.

To avoid getting caught in the snow, try wearing a wide scarf that you can wrap around your head if need be. The snood is a great option (the circular scarf that can also be a hood). A scarf can also be a great way to add some color to your look.

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  • Posted at 11:27 pm March 11th, 2011 by elizabeth.brooks | Tags: anthropologie, boots, Cornel, dressing, Elizabeth Brooks, , fashion column, , j crew, , scarves, , style, Style on the Slope, sweaters, The Slope
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