And Schoellkopf's astroturf suits Cornell's fast-paced transition game much better than Anderson's patient ball-control offense.

"I don't think you can say, `This is what works for them on their field' and change your game," Anderson said. "We're not going to stop doing what we do best."

Between the pipes, the Big Red has a big advantage. Crimson freshman goaltender Chris Miller was impressive in last week's 8-4 victory over C.W. Post, but he has had limited experience on turf. Cornell netminder Paul Schimoler was a key to the Big Red's second-place finishes in the 1987 and 1988 NCAA championships.

"I think Schimoler is the best goalie in the country," Anderson said. "We have to keep shooting at him, but we have to shoot smart."

So will the Big Red against Miller.

"We know he's a good goalie from Westfield, [N.J.]," Meyer said. We'll respect him like anyone else. Two years ago in the NCAA championship game, we faced a freshman goalie [Quint Keffnich of Johns Hopkins], and he won the MVP."

As for Cornell's home-turf advantage, Cavuoti revealed that the Crimson had developed a special antidote.

"We've been running on a mushy field all week in practice. It's like a giant pillow," Cavuoti said. "When we get on the turf, we'll be like Ricochet Rabbit."

Last Year march 19, 1988

Harvard defeated the Big Re, 7-6, at Ohiri Field when Rich van den Brock scored the winning goal with eight seconds left in the game.