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Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview: Cornell

We’ve broken down all the ‘A’ and ‘B’ NCAA D1 teams and now we have moved on to the C Section of the Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts. It’s time to take a look at the last of the “C” teams, with Cornell, located in Ithaca, NY.

cornell_lacrosse
Cornell in 2013… they’re back baby!

Photo credit: 24SevenLax

2012 saw the Big Red go 9-4, and they did so without Rob Pannell. Cornell looked great for a while last season, and with only a loss to Virginia (9-8 in OT) early in the year, Cornell was rolling, and winning tight games against good teams. Then, at the end of the year, the Cornell wheels came off just a bit, and they ended the season on a three game skid with losses to Brown (10-9), Princeton (14-9), and Yale (14-10).

In 2013, Cornell will once again take on the Ivy League, and in addition to that, they will face Hobart, Binghamton, Colgate, Virginia, Canisius, Bucknell, Siena, and Syracuse. It’s a rough schedule to be sure, but the 2013 version of Cornell should be suited just fine for the trial by fire.

https://youtu.be/RC-UFW7fjew

Cornell graduated Roy Lang, but still returns their top 4 scorers in Matt Donovan, Steve Mock, Max Van Bourgondien, and Connor English. Add in Rob Pannell and the Cornell offense is looking as dangerous as it has looked in decades. Seriously, this group has talent, and features a nice mix of youth and experience. Cornell was good offensively in 2012, but getting back the best all-around attackman in the country never hurts, and it should propel them to new offensive heights.

Defensively, Andrew West is back in net for Cornell, and while the Junior isn’t a monster size wise, his 8.3 GAA is solid, and he leads a group with potential. Thomas Keith will continue to suck up GBs with a pole and Mike Bronzino will continue to bring the pain in his senior year. If Doug Tesoriero can dominate on face offs, the Big Red will be tough all over the field.

In the end, Cornell’s 2013 season teeters on one thing: Rob Pannell. It seems obvious, and a little offensive to the rest of the team, but it’s true. The Big Red would have been good without Pannell. They have returning talent, and some special young players. But with Pannell they leap into the contender stratosphere… from very good to great, all with one guy? Watch the Big Red this year to see it happen.

Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Canisius, and Colgate!