LONG ISLAND, N.Y. -- Chris Finn scored the unassisted game-winner 2:37 into overtime to lift No. 6 Cornell to an 8-7 victory over Navy at Mitchel Athletic Complex on Long Island on Saturday afternoon, capping a furious comeback that saw the Big Red score twice in the final minute of regulation to extend the game. Cornell won its season opener, while handing No. 12 Navy its first loss of the year (2-1).

Cornell rallied from a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter in the low-scoring. affair, as All-American midfielder Max Seibald scored with 12 seconds remaining to knot the game at 7-7.

Sophomore Ryan Hurley registered a career-high three points on two goals and an assist, while Finn (two goals) and John Glynn (two assists) had two points each. Navy was led by Nick Mirabito with three goals and one assist.

The game was evenly matched with both teams taking 28 shots and Navy holding a slim edge in both ground balls (37-31) and turnovers (21-20). The Midshipmen won 10-of-19 face-offs and converted 1-of-1 man-up opportunities.

In goal, Jake Myers made 10 saves and was instrumental in the final minutes as he helped the Big Red force a crucial Navy turnover. For the Mids, Matt Coughlin made seven saves, including several great stops in the second and third quarters to help Navy take the lead.

Cornell opened up a 4-1 lead with 6:54 remaining in the second quarter thanks to a brilliant goal by Finn, who scored despite being checked to the ground. From there, everything seemed to go Navy's way, as the Mids scored six unanswered tallies. Included in the run was a goal that was scored when a pass from a Navy player bounced off a Cornell player and slipped past Myers.

Trailing 7-4 midway through the final quarter, John Espey ended a nearly 30 minute scoring drought for the Big Red as he beat Coughlin to start the Cornell comeback. An amazing defensive effort forced a Navy turnover with just over one minute to play to give Cornell the ball and Hurley capatilized, taking a pass from Glynn and scoring with 53 seconds remaining to set up Seibald and Finn's heroics.

The Big Red is back in action on Tuesday, February 26 when it plays Binghamton on Schoellkopf Field at 4:00 p.m.

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Junior attack man Chris Finn scored an unassisted goal just over a minute into overtime to lead No. 6 Cornell (1-0) to an 8-7 victory over 12th-ranked Navy (2-1) Saturday afternoon at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y. Navy held a two-goal lead with a minute remaining in regulation, but goals by Ryan Hurley (0:53) and All-American Max Seibald (0:12) left Navy without an answer to the Big Red's furious furry in suffering its first loss of the 2008 campaign.

"Anytime you lose a game like that, you reflect back on the last four minutes of the game," said Long Island native Richie Meade, who is in his 14th season as Navy's head coach. "If you go back and look at the tape, there were probably five or six plays during that stretch that had we eliminated the mistakes or taken advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves, we would have won the game.

"I have to give Cornell credit. They have a lot of guys who are back from a team that had great success last year. We benefitted from the same thing a few years ago. If you look at the guys who stepped up for Cornell down the stretch, Seibald, Glynn and Espey were the leaders."

Cornell took an early 2-0 lead in the game as Ryan Hurley fed Mike Corbolotti from behind the cage and Corbolotti stuck the goal from the crease at 12:02. With just under four minutes remaining in the opening period, Hurley curled around the right side of the cage, sneaking his shot past junior keeper Matt Coughlin (Brightwaters, N.Y.).

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2008-02-23