We can be heroes
When Cody Jamieson (two goals) scored the game-winner, 80 seconds into OT, he sprinted to the other end of the field to celebrate with senior defender Sid Smith, whose strip of Cornell’s Ryan Hurley had just given Syracuse possession. Jamieson, academically ineligible for much of the year, and Smith grew up together on an Indian reservation in Canada and played at the same high school, Hagersville Secondary, in Ontario.
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Most Valuable Player
Syracuse 6-foot-4 senior midfielder Dan Hardy (two goals, two assists) figured in three of the Orange’s final five goals, including the game-winner in OT, when he faked a shot from the wing and passed to Jamieson for a better shot, a low-to-low layup from the crease that beat Cornell goalie Jake Myers (10 saves), a former player at Syracuse.
Buzzer beater
Leading 9-8 in the closing seconds, all Cornell needed to do was clear, but Syracuse A Kenny Nims knocked the ball loose from All-American Matt Moyer. M Stephen Keogh eventually scooped it up, flipped it behind his back, upfield to M Matt Abbott, who lobbed a desperation pass toward the crease. Cornell M Roy Lang got his stick on the ball, but Nims plucked it from the air and scored past a lunging Myers with 2 seconds left. Nims was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Nearly a hero
For 56 minutes, Cornell controlled the pace and the game, leading 9-6. The man most responsible was M John Glynn (three goals, two assists), who also excelled at the faceoff X. With Cornell star midfielder Max Seibald (two goals) drawing a long stick middie, Glynn thrived offensively against Syracuse defensive (short stick) midfielders.
Local impact
Cornell has an undersized defense, but senior Matt Moyer (6-0, 180) and sophomore Max Feely (5-11, 180), a big hitter from Bethesda’s Landon School, were the leaders of a zone defense that frustrated the Syracuse attack, holding top-scorer Nims without a goal until he finally scored at the end of regulation.
From the bench
Syracuse coach John Desko had superior depth, using 28 players while Cornell used 20. Eventually it took a toll on Cornell as Desko won his fifth national title in 11 years as head coach, Syracuse’s six other NCAA championships came during his tenure as an assistant (1980-98).
Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni, blamed himself for the Big Red meltdown. “We certainly didn’t manage, from a coaching perspective, the clock as well as we could have. But in their offensive end, they did a great job staying poised.”
