US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 on Dec. 17. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February.

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No. 12 Cornell

2019 Record: 10-5 (3-2, Ivy League)
Coach: Peter Milliman (3rd year)
Assistants: Jordan Stevens, Connor Buczek

All-Time Record: 768-485-27
NCAA Appearances: 28
Final Fours: 13
Championships: 3

2020 Schedule

Save the Date
March 14

Cornell lost each of its matchups to the 2018 NCAA champion last spring by a five-goal margin. If the Big Red want to stake their claim as the top dogs of the Ivy League, they’ll have to stand up to the Bulldogs in Ithaca.

Big Red Must Replace Petterson, Win More Faceoffs

Cornell finished last spring just on the outside of the NCAA tournament bubble after losing to Yale, 15-10, in the Ivy League semifinals, squandering the No. 9 national ranking the Big Red had going into the conference tournament.

While they return almost 70 percent of their scoring from last season, the obvious exception is Clarke Petterson, who accounted for more than half of the 120 points of senior scoring departing.

“That is a pretty significant presence to fill,” Milliman said of the three-year captain who was the No. 5 overall pick in the PLL (Redwoods) and NLL (Halifax Thunderbirds) drafts. “Clarke was a tremendous leader and a presence on that end of the field, so that will be difficult to replace.”

Still, there are plenty of options.

Jeff Teat, a perennial Tewaaraton Award nominee, will look to cap a career that has been both workmanlike and stellar.

Cornell also will rely on John Piatelli, who was part of the three attackmen ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring, to take some of the scoring burden off Teat, who’s production last year dipped slightly.

Early options to fill in on the attack are Michael Long, Inside Lacrosse’s No. 9 incoming freshman. Long graduated from Delbarton (N.J.) as the school’s all-time leader in assists and points and was named the US Lacrosse New Jersey Player of the Year.

Yet, Teat and company — the second-most efficient unit in the country last spring — will need more opportunities to take the next step.

That starts at the faceoff.

“This fall is the healthiest we've been at that position,” Milliman said.

Senior Paul Rasimowicz has most of Cornell’s faceoffs since his freshman year. He ranks fifth in school history for faceoff wins, but finished at a 42-percent clip in 2019. Junior Luca Tria (32-for-81) and sophomore Tim Graham (21-for-61), gained experience last season, and the Big Red added freshman Angelo Petrakis, IL’s No. 11-ranked recruit in the class of 2019.

“He's going to have to compete at a high end to get on the field right away,” Milliman said. “But he's got a lot of ability, so we'll see.”

Projected Starters

A - Jeff Teat - Sr. - 34 G, 36 A
A - John Piatelli - Jr. - 45 G, 19 A
A - Michael Long - Fr. - 44 G, 64 A (high school)
M - Jonathan Donville - Jr. - 20 G, 14 A
M - Connor Fletcher - Sr. - 10 G , 9 A
M - Cooper Telesco - Sr. - 12 G, 5 A
FO - Paul Rasimowicz - Sr. - 42.0 F0%, 52 GB
LSM - Joseph Bartolotto III - Jr. - 12 GB, 8 CT
SSDM - Sam Duggan - Sr. - 7 GB, 3 CT
D - Brandon Salvatore - Sr. - 74 GB, 32 CT
D - Dom Doria - Jr. - 26 GB, 19 CT
D - Gavin Adler - So. - 2 GB
G - Chayse Ierlan - So. - 53.7 SV%, 11.83 GAA

Tewaaraton Watch
Jeff Teat, A, Sr.

The senior captain from Brampton, Ontario, has been in the player of year conversation since he broke Rob Pannell’s record for freshmen with 72 points. His sophomore year, he dropped 99 points and fueled the Big Red to an Ivy League championship while earning first-team All-America honors. Without his fellow Hill Academy alum, Clarke Petterson, Teat will likely draw even more attention while he quarterbacks an offense that was ranked in the top five nationally last spring.

X Factor
Chayse Ierlan, G, So.

While there are questions at the defensive end, the Big Red seemed to find their answer last spring between the pipes. Chayse Ierlan made 10 saves in his first start at the Crown Lacrosse Classic, when the Big Red knocked off then-No. 1-ranked Towson, 18-11. Ierlan went on to to earn Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors four times, including after a 17-save performance that tied his career high and helped Cornell knock of Notre Dame at Arlotta Stadium.

National Rankings

36.8%

“That is a priority for us,” Milliman said of the team’s shooting percentage that ranked second in the nation last spring. “Our productivity on that end of the field and how we convert opportunities into goals is a focus. We've been pretty successful at that without having a lot of opportunities from winning faceoffs at a high percentage or really even playing fantastic defense. That's something we're going to need to depend on as we continue to develop and hopefully improve in those areas.”

Enemy Lines

“The Big Red offense is very good, led by one of the best players in the country, Jeff Teat. The Big Red were 10-5 last year winning only 38% of their faceoffs. Win more draws, and that team can be very good.”

“Lost enough to make them questionable but with Teat, anything can happen.”

“If they can get to 50/50 on faceoffs, the offense is so good. There’s a lot there.”