SU Visits Cornell in NCAA First Round

Syracuse (12-6-0) at #11 Cornell (15-1-0)
Game Details	Thursday, Nov. 15 \| Ithaca, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Championship Program \| Championship Bracket Tickets \| Berman Field \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: None \| Radio: None Orange All Access: Live Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @Cuse
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes
Cornell Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The SU men's soccer team (12-6) renews its rivalry with Central New York neighbor Cornell (15-1) in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Championship on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Berman Field. The Orange is making its first NCAA appearance since 1984, while Cornell won the Ivy League this season to qualify for the first time since 1996.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for senior, $4 for children and $3 for students, and parking is free. To purchase tickets in advance, visit CornellBigRed.com.

ABOUT THE SELECTIONS
The Orange received one of the tournament's 26 at-large berths. SU's only previous NCAA invitation came in 1984 when it lost in the first round to Hartwick, 3-1.

Cornell is the 2012 Ivy League champion. By virtue of its league title, the Big Red received one of the 22 automatic bids awarded to conference winners. Thursday's match marks the first time since 1977 Cornell will host an NCAA game.

AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD
The Orange has faced 20 of the other 47 teams that were selected for this year's NCAA Championship and own an 85-138-25 (.393) aggregate record against those foes. Of all of this year's tournament teams, the Bid Red is the Orange's most frequent historical opponent (66 matches). Next is Connecticut (35 matches).

FAMILIAR FACE
Fourth-year Cornell head coach Jaro Zawislan is someone very familiar with the Syracuse program. Zawislan served as SU's assistant coach from 2002 to 2008 before accepting the head coaching position at Cornell in July of 2009. While with the Orange, Zawislan tutored the goalies and was an integral part of the Orange's recruiting success, helping bring previous standouts like Richard Asante, Kyle Hall and Robert Cavicchia to Syracuse.

Zawislan is 33-17-16 overall at Cornell, including this year's 15-1-0 record.

ORANGE ON OFFENSE
Syracuse is tied for fourth in the BIG EAST in goals (34), fifth in points (98), tied for third in goals per game (1.89) and fifth in assists (30). The Orange's 34 goals are 14 more than it scored last season and the last time Syracuse registered 30 goals in a year was 2001 (35).

Five players have at least 10 points, led by freshman Jordan Vale's 17 (eight goals, one assist).

ORANGE ON DEFENSE
Syracuse has shut out 11 out of its 18 opponents this season and has allowed 14 goals. SU's 11 shutouts are tied for second most in team history, and represent the most clean sheets for the progam since 1986.

The Orange is tied for third in the NCAA in shutouts. In additon, Syracuse is 18th nationally in team goals-against average (0.78) and 22nd in save percentage (.827). Goalie Alex Bono is third in the league in shutouts with nine.

SCOUTING CORNELL
At 15-1-0, the Big Red leads the nation in winning percentage (.938). Cornell opened the year with 12 straight wins before losing its only match to Brown, 2-0, Oct. 20. The Big Red boasts the No. 4 scoring offense in the NCAA at 2.44 goals per game.

Forward Daniel Haber is the offensive catalyst. Haber leads the country in points per game (2.69), goals per game (1.13), and ranks third in the NCAA in both points (43) and goals (18). Conor Goepel is second on the club with six goals, while Nico Nissl leads the team with eight assists.

Defensively, the Big Red has surrendered 12 goals in 16 games for a 0.74 goals-against average. Goalie Rick Pflasterer has started every match. He has 37 saves and five shutouts.

THE CORNELL SERIES
The Orange has a long history with the Big Red, meeting for the first time in 1921. Cornell owns a 34-25-7 advantage in the series, but the Orange has gotten the better of the Big Red recently. Syracuse has won seven of the last nine pairings, including five in a row from 2002 to 2009.

The last meeting occurred in 2010, Ian McIntyre's first season as head coach, with the two sides drawing, 1-1, at Berman Field.

UP NEXT…
The winner of Thursday's match advances to the NCAA second round and will face 14th-seeded VCU on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in Richmond.

Syracuse University Athletics

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