The 139th meeting of the Hobart and Cornell lacrosse teams is set for Tuesday, March 1, at 5 p.m. on Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York. One of the oldest and longest running rivalries in collegiate sports will feature a pair of 2-0 teams that are both grabbing attention in the early season polls and rankings.
 
Hobart has been idle since knocking off Lehigh 14-13 on Feb. 19. The Statesmen were supposed to play at Colgate on Friday, but the game was postponed due to the weather. Hobart is receiving votes in both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse polls and is No. 18 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse rankings.
 
Cornell is also coming off a win over Lehigh. The Big Red scored a 9-5 win in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Goalie Chayse Ierlan led a strong defensive effort with 15 saves against the Mountain Hawks. Cornell is No. 9 in the coaches poll, No. 11 in the media poll and No. 13 in the USA Lacrosse rankings.
 
All spectators will be admitted free of charge to Tuesday's game. The game will be broadcast on WHWS-FM (105.7). Fans can watch the game online via ESPN+ and track live stats on CornellBigRed.com.
 
Listen to the latest edition of the Hobart Lacrosse Podcast with Head Coach Greg Raymond and Ted Baker. In Episode 35, they touch on why the Colgate game wasn't played, preview the Cornell game, touch on the health of the Statesmen lineup, the early success of the man-up unit, earning respect and "Hustling in Silence."
 
The Statesmen offense is averaging 18 goals per game and is led by attackmen Ryan Archer and Tommy Mott. Archer has a team-leading 13 points on six goals and a team-high seven assists while Mott has produced a team-high seven goals and five assists for 12 points. Faceoff specialist Adam Shea has won 61.4% of his faceoffs and leads the team with 17 ground balls. Goalie Kevin Holtby is 2-0 with a .532 save percentage and an 11.43 GAA.
 
The Big Red are averaging 12.5 goals per game. CJ Kirst paces the offense with 10 points on six goals and four assists. He also has a team-high nine ground balls. Faceoff specialist Angelo Petrakis has taken the majority of faceoffs this season for Cornell, winning 46.2%. Ierlan is 2-0 with a .649 save percentage and a 6.50 GAA.
 
The rivalry will be renewed after a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. The Big Red has won each of the past two meetings, winning 19-16 in Geneva in 2019 and 15-8 in Ithaca in 2018. Hobart posted its most recent win in the series in 2017 by a score of 16-8. The Statesmen haven't won in Ithaca since 1999.