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ITHACA, N.Y. – For the first time since 2015, the Cornell lacrosse team will be right back where it belongs – in the NCAA Tournament. After clinching an automatic bid to the championships with an Ivy League Tournament title win over No. 1 Yale earlier on Sunday, the Big Red found out it will face No. 8 seed Syracuse in the first round on Sunday, May 13 at 7:15 p.m. on ESPNU.
The Big Red will be making its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance and will be in search of its fourth national title (1971, 1976, 1977) when the tournament begins next weekend. Only five programs (Johns Hopkins, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse and Virginia) have earned more spots in the tourney. The Big Red has posted a 32-24 record with 13 Final Four appearances, the last coming in 2013.
Cornell is 12-4 on the season and was the regular season runner-up in the Ivy League. The Big Red, under interim head coach
Peter Milliman, has won nine of its last 10 contests. One of the most explosive offenses in the country, Cornell ranks among the national leaders in goals per game (14.13) and assists per game (9.81) behind All-America candidate
Jeff Teat (96 points). The Big Red defense rolled through Brown and No. 1 ranked Yale at the Ivy Tournament behind the play of
Christian Knight (9.48 GAA, .581 save percentage), allowing just 12 goals with Knight collecting a record 35 stops in the two contests.
The Orange, under longtime head coach John Desko, are 8-6 on the season and went unbeaten during the ACC regular season (4-0).
The two teams met earlier in the season with the Big Red earning a 13-8 win over the Orange at Schoellkopf Field on April 10 behind 14 saves from backup goalkeeper
Caelahn Bullen and six points (two goals, four assists) from Teat.
Syracuse leads the all-time series 65-39-1 in the third-most contested series in Division I men's lacrosse history. This will be the first matchup between the Central New York rivals in the NCAA Tournament since the Orange rallied to steal the 2009 NCAA title away from the Big Red with a furious rally, winning 10-9 in overtime in Foxborough, Mass. Since 2000, Syracuse's lead is 12-8 and the teams have played seven one-goal games and with two others being decided by two goals.
Ticket information will be made available on Monday.
