Gary Gait said Cornell is playing for respect. The Big Red has not had a strong season, struggling even more than Syracuse, but the upstate New York rivals are not to be discounted in the SU head coach’s mind.

The unranked Big Red has a 5-7 record. Syracuse (7-7) has spent all but two weeks this season in the Top 25. Cornell lost at home to a Rutgers team that Syracuse beat on the road. Syracuse has played one of the hardest schedules in the nation this season. Cornell hasn’t.

But Gait expects Cornell to come to the Carrier Dome and give the Orange a run for its money.

‘They’re always going to play us tough,’ Gait said. ‘The last two years they haven’t been in the Top 10 or anything like that, but they’ve been tough to us. They show up. It’s an upstate rivalry, and I think they always play for respect.’

Despite Tuesday’s matchup with Cornell being a single nonconference game amid a run of eight Big East matchups, Syracuse expects the Big Red to maintain or even escalate the level of play the Orange has been facing. Five of Cornell’s players went to high school in the greater Syracuse area, creating a local rivalry between the two squads.

Syracuse has won its past four home games and is looking to continue its hot streak against the Big Red as the season enters the final stretch. SU is coming off a win Saturday against a Cincinnati team winless in Big East play. While the game was important for SU’s conference record — and also clinched a Big East tournament berth for the Orange — it was somewhat of a prelude to the Cornell matchup.

Saturday’s game gave Syracuse a chance to experiment and work out the kinks. It fostered confidence. Even if that confidence will be tested by Cornell.

‘You feel good,’ Gait said. ‘Everybody feels happy, but you’ve got to stay focused and mentally tough because you’re going to have a much bigger challenge coming Tuesday.’

Although the Cornell matchup has no bearing on Syracuse’s playoff chances, senior attack Tee Ladouceur said the players do not think of the game any differently. Fellow attack Michelle Tumolo said any game can indirectly affect the playoffs.

‘Every game’s a game,’ Tumolo said. ‘It’s just a step to getting better.’

As has been the case for much of the season, Syracuse’s main focus will be on winning draw controls. The team struggled with winning the draw for much of the season.

Cornell’s strengths lie in its offense. Syracuse will watch out for some leadership in the attack, specifically from the captain, Libby Johnson. Defender Janelle Stegeland said after watching film of the Big Red, the defense is preparing for some of its specific offensive plays.

‘They’ve got a great crease play,’ Stegeland said. ‘We watched film this morning, and we see them running that a lot. So I think we’ll definitely be focusing on that.’

But for a Syracuse team that is 2-6 in nonconference games, Cornell will provide a final chance to improve its record outside the Big East. This will also be the last game the seniors play at home, although Senior Night took place Saturday.

Last year, Syracuse traveled to Cornell and won 7-6, thanks to a save by goalie Liz Hogan as time expired. Going into that game, Syracuse had a record of 9-4 while Cornell was just 7-5.

So this year, SU looks at the matchup with Cornell as only a rivalry game once again. It goes beyond numbers, meaning the Big Red’s subpar season doesn’t mean a thing.

‘Regardless of what either team’s records say, it’s going to be a good game, a hard-fought game,’ Hogan said. ‘We’re going to need to come out strong and play them well.’

alguggen@syr.edu