There's a familiar site at the top of the men's Ivy League lacrosse standings: Cornell and Princeton sit in a tie for first place, both undefeated and both nationally ranked in the top 10.
At least a share of the Ivy title has gone to the Tigers or the Big Red every year since 1995. And once again, the matchup between No. 1 Princeton (10-1, 3-0 Ivy) and No. 5 Cornell (8-2, 4-0) will likely determine who scores the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
They face off Saturday at Cornell's Schoellkopf Field. A Big Red victory would give them at least a share of the title, and a victory at Brown the following week would clinch an undefeated season and the outright title. Princeton still has contests against Dartmouth and Brown.
Saturday's showdown will be a stark clash of styles. Cornell boasts the League's - and nation's - most high-powered offense, averaging 13.9 goals per game. Princeton will counter with the nation's eighth-best offense, letting in only 7.62 goals per game.
In its latest Bracketology, Inside Lacrosse predicts both programs will make the NCAA Tournament. And with four of the League's seven teams ranked in the top 20, both will likely have faced the necessary competition to make waves come Tournament time.
Fabulous Freshmen. Surprisingly this year, it has been the rookies - and not the upperclassmen - leading the League in a number of categories.
Cornell freshman attack Rob Pannell is second in the nation in points per game, and his three assists per game are tied for the nation's best.
He notched four assists in each of the team's last two games, against No. 3 Syracuse and Dartmouth. Add to that his three goals in those matches, and Pannell set the Cornell freshman record for points scored at 44 --- and there are still three games left in the regular season.
On the other end of the field, Princeton first-year goalkeeper Tyler Fiorito has been crucial to the Tigers' success this season. His .590 save percentage is 12th in the country and in the conference trails only Brown's Jordan Burke, last year's Ivy League Player of the Year.
Best of the Best? The finalists for the Tewaaraton trophy - given to the nation's top lacrosse player - were announced yesterday morning, and not surprisingly, many Ivy Leaguers are up for the honor.
Burke, Cornell senior midfielders John Glynn and Max Seibald and Princeton senior midfield Mark Kovler and sophomore attack Jack McBride were among the 20 nominated players on the men's side.
Since its inception in 2001, no Ivy Leaguer has won the men's award.
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