This Time Big Red Red Gets Last Laugh

Seibald's goal with four seconds left lifts No. 1 Cornell over Syracuse, 16-15

April 11, 2007

By Zach Berman

Special to CSTV.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - It was 364 days ago when Syracuse went 50 miles down Interstate 81 to Ithaca, N.Y. and pulled off a final-minute miracle to beat Cornell.

So when Tuesday night's matchup between No.1 Cornell and No. 18 Syracuse was tied, 15-15, during a double timeout sequence with eight seconds left, both teams had flashbacks to 2006.

"It was kind of scary," Cornell senior attackman David Mitchell said. "During the end of the game there, it was almost surreal."

In the 2006 meeting, SU midfielder Pat Perritt dodged through the middle and delivered an overhand shot to win the game with 48 seconds remaining.

On Tuesday however, Cornell's Max Seibald ran from the right corner directly to the crease and placed the shot right past Syracuse goalie Pete Coluccini with four seconds remaining for the game-winner as the Big Red topped the Orange, 16-15, in front of 5,398 at the Carrier Dome.

"I figured I have nothing to lose," Seibald said. "If I score, we won it. If not, we go into overtime."

The dramatics took place in the game's final 28 seconds, at which point SU senior midfielder Steven Brooks tied the game. But Cornell was able to secure the possession on the face-off, and after attacking the net, the Big Red sat back with eight seconds remaining.

Cornell (9-0) called one timeout. Syracuse (3-6) called the next. In last year's game, there were three straight timeouts.

In Cornell's huddle, head coach Jeff Tambroni initially called for Seibald to bring the ball toward the net, draw the double team and deliver the pass to attackman Eric Pittard, who had four goals and three assists.

But after Cornell set up and the Orange called its timeout, Seibald saw something in SU's defense and came back to Tambroni with a request.

"Max looked at me square in the eye and said, `Coach, I think I can get underneath,'" Tambroni said. "You give him credit. I think the best I did tonight was just listen."

Seibald beat Syracuse star defenseman Steve Panarelli. What came next depended on what color jersey you wore.

"I thought [he was in the crease]," Coluccini said. "But it goes both ways. What [the referee] thinks counts, and what I think doesn't count."

Seibald's response: "I really don't know."

Coluccini's frustration was visible. He broke his stick in half against his leg and rode the referee all the way from the net to midfield before the referee threw the yellow flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The fact that Syracuse was in the game until the end was impressive within itself. The Big Red started with a surge, scoring the game's first six goals and going into first-quarter break with a 6-1 lead. Cornell was playing SU's game - up-and-down the field where possessions are available and shots are plentiful.

The Orange was able to halt Cornell's run and even the game up by outscoring the Big Red, 11-7, in the middle two quarters.

"We wore ourselves down a little bit in the second and third quarter in both enthusiasm and pace of the game," Tambroni said. "[The Carrier Dome] is a place where you come into and tend to expend a lot of energy before the game even starts."

The Carrier Dome was especially loud on Tuesday, with a strong Cornell contingent making its way up I-81 for the game. This had the Big Red particularly excited, especially considering the last time Cornell came into the Carrier Dome - in 2005 - the Big Red won for the first time since 1987.

Coincidentally, the stars of Tuesday's game - Pittard and Mitchell - weren't a part of the 2005 game. Pittard was at Virginia and Mitchell was a little used and even lesser-known attackman. Their only Syracuse experience was the 2006 game.

Pittard and Mitchell sought revenge.

"Last year we gave it up to them," Pittard said. "It was very important for us to come in here and keep the confidence going."

Even though Cornell is the No. 1 team in the nation, even though Syracuse has a losing record, even though the Carrier Dome crowd included as many red shirts as orange shirts, the Big Red still felt a chip on their shoulder.

Despite the best resume in the country, Cornell still approached this game like it was playing the Syracuse teams of years past.

"If you asked our guys, we probably felt like we were playing against the No. 1 team in the country," Tambroni said. "I thought about it in the locker room. It is a great opportunity to be in their shoes because you get so much respect and notoriety. But on the other side, you get everybody's best game every day you go out."

That's been the case the past four times the two teams met. Each contest has been decided by two goals or less. The past two games have gone down to the final minute.

"I'm hoping we can make it more of a rivalry," Tambroni said. "We're hoping we can start competing with this team. When we've beaten them only a couple times in the past 15 years, it's tough to call yourself a rival of Syracuse. But hopefully, because of a couple wins in the past, they can keep coming in there believing in themselves."