Army vs. Cornell: Three things to watch
Cornell and Army meet for the second time this season with the Big Red having won the last five meetings. Cornell, the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, has won its last two quarterfinal games after losing the previous three times. The Black Knights haven’t been to the Final Four since 1984. The winner of Sunday’s contest at 12 p.m. at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y., will move on and face either No. 6 seed Maryland (13-3) or Notre Dame (9-6) on Saturday, May 29 at either 4 or 6:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
1. One key to an Army win: The Black Knights (11-5) are at this stage after rallying and edging No. 2 seed and 11-time national champion Syracuse, 9-8, in double overtime. Sophomore Derek Sipperly was a key component in that comeback as he won 11-of-18 face-offs. His performance against Big Red senior Austin Boykin could determine whether Army has the ball long enough to take advantage of possessions and attack freshman goalkeeper A.J. Fiore.
2. One key to a Cornell win: Getting a significant lead is not necessarily beneficial for the Big Red (11-5). In the last three games, Cornell has enjoyed sizable advantages, but allowed opponents to rally back. Only once did the Big Red squander the lead and the contest (to Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament final), but it’s not a good sign when your team can’t maintain an advantage and finish off a game. If Cornell is fortunate enough to jump on the Black Knights, many Big Red supporters will stay rooted in their seats to ensure a positive outcome.
3. One key match-up: Watch the one-on-one battle between Cornell sophomore attackman Rob PannelI and Army junior defenseman Bill Henderson. In the regular-season meeting between these teams on March 6, Pannell registered two goals and one assist, but Henderson did a decent job, causing two turnovers and collecting one groundball. The winner in this match-up could help determine the result.
