ITHACA, N.Y. – After opening the season 3-0, the Cornell men’s polo team will look to keep stacking wins when it competes in the Virginia Polo Fall Tournament, hosted by the University of Virginia Polo Club, on Oct. 20-24 in Charlottesville, Va. The Big Red will go head-to-head with Southern Methodist on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before squaring off against host Virginia on Friday at 6 p.m.
The last time the Big Red took on Southern Methodist was in the 2019 Virginia Fall Tournament, and the Mustangs came out on top, defeating Cornell, 16-8, on Oct. 24, 2019. The contest marked one of two times that the two teams played that season, as Southern Methodist also beat Cornell, 24-15, in the Bill Field Invitational on Nov. 21, 2019 in Ithaca, N.Y. With that win, the Mustangs took a slight edge in the all-time series, currently leading Cornell, 4-3. Southern Methodist has won each of the last three meetings between the two teams, as the Big Red will be seeking its first victory over the Mustangs since Oct. 13, 2017.
Virginia holds a 24-10 series advantage over Cornell from the 2001-02 season to the present day. The Big Red have started to even things out, going 4-4 in its last eight meetings against the Cavaliers. Virginia has won the last two meetings, however, including a 21-5 victory over the Big Red the last time the two teams played each other on Nov. 18, 2018.
The Big Red is off to a 3-0 start this season, winning each of its first three contests against Skidmore (20-11), Old Chatham (16-8), and the Central New York Polo Club (22-10) by an average of over nine goals per game. Taylor Palacios has gotten off to a great start in his first season of collegiate action, having his best showing yet against the Central New York Polo Club with nine goals. The sophomore has scored a team-high 21 points for the Big Red so far this year.
Pablo Herrera has also been an offensive threat, ranking second on the team in points with 19 and leading the team in two-point goals with three. He scored eight points against the Central New York Polo Club on six goals, two of which were good for two points. Together, the duo of Herrera and Palacios has scored 40 of the Big Red’s 58 points this season.
The Cornell men’s polo team will be back in action when it takes on Harvard on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.