ITHACA, N.Y.—The Hobart lacrosse team was staring at an 8-1 deficit this afternoon as the final seconds of the first half ticked off the Schoellkopf Field scoreboard. Facing Cornell's Division I leading offense (13.17 gpg), few would have been surprised if the Statesmen got a head start on summer vacation.
However, this Hobart squad refused to go quietly.
Senior
Jeff Colburn (2g) played beat the buzzer with the halftime horn, igniting a 6-0 Hobart run that pushed No. 6 Cornell to the brink. The Statesmen defense, led by junior
Max Silberlicht, shut out the Big Red in the second half. Cornell (10-3) had not been held scoreless in a quarter this season, let alone an entire half.
Although, the Ivy League Champs held on for an 8-7 win, the 49th time in 129 meetings that the Hobart-Cornell game has been decided—if at all, there are four ties in the series that dates back to 1898—by two goals or less.
The comeback bid gained momentum in the third quarter when the Statesmen outscored their hosts 4-0. It's the first time the Big Red has been blanked in a frame since Princeton accomplished the feat on April 19, 2008.
Sophomore
Tim Bigelow (1g, 1a) got things going by finishing a feed from first-year
Chris Pedersen (2a) with 9:20 left in the third. Three minutes later, junior
Tyler Cassell netted his team-leading 22nd goal, assisted by junior
Mike Lazore. Just 56 seconds after that, Bigelow set up senior
Matt Smalley to make it an 8-5 game.
That score chased Cornell starting goalie senior Jake Myers (5 GA, 1 Sv) from the contest in favor of classmate Kyle Harer.
Colburn closed out the third quarter run at the 2:25 mark with a strong individual effort.
Midway through the fourth quarter, junior
Kevin Curtin (2g) scored unassisted for his 21st of the year to get Hobart (7-7) within one.
The Statesmen continued to challenge the Cornell defense, taking 10 shots with a chance to tie, but half went wide, three were saved by Harer (2 GA, 5 Svs), one was blocked by the defense, and one hit the crossbar. Cassell's rocket with 3:23 remaining was Hobart's best look, but it was a fraction of an inch too high and caught the crossbar square, ricocheting back into play.
At the other end of the field, Silberlicht foiled Cornell throughout the second half. He finished the day with 16 saves. The Big Red quartet of Rob Pannell, Ryan Hurley, Max Seibald, and John Glynn came into the game averaging a combined 12.5 points per game, but managed just four (3g, 1a) on the day.
Silberlicht finished the season with a 7.91 goals against average, lowering his own Hobart Division I record that he set last season (8.05). His .613 save percentage is the second best since 1995, while his 174 saves are fourth.
First-year faceoff specialist
Bobby Dattilo, played a key roll in Hobart's success, winning 10 of 18 at the X against a Cornell squad that ranked sixth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage.
Unfortunately, the slow start—Cornell outscored Hobart 4-0 in the first quarter and 4-2 in the second—ultimately cost the Statesmen a chance to finish the season above .500.
Senior Chris Finn was the only Big Red to record more than a single point, notching a goal and an assist.
GAME NOTES: Colburn ends his collegiate career with a point in each of his final 18 games ... Among Division I Statesmen, he ranks 5th in career assists (48), 6th in career points (112), and 8th in career goals (64, tied with Nate Hill '05) ... Curtin extended his points streak to 14 games ... Silberlicht will enter his senior season with 375 career saves, 4th on Hobart's DI list ... Cornell leads the all-time series with Hobart 79-46-4.