ITHACA, N.Y. -- No. 9 Cornell scored the first seven goals of the second quarter after being shut out in the first and remained unbeaten with a 14-11 victory over No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red improved to 4-0, while the Buckeyes fell to 4-1.

Cornell dominated possession over much of the final three quarters, winning 16-of-29 face-offs against the nation's best face-off unit and forcing seven failed clears on the ride. It limited Jack Myers, the nation's leading scorer at 7.5 points per game, to a lone goal. The offense assisted on eight of its 14 scores and Chayse Ierlan made 11 saves at the back end of the defense to seal the win. CJ Kirst had four goals and an assist, John Piatelli found the back of the net four times and Billy Coyle notched two goals and two assists.

It was the effort at the face-off circle by Angelo Petrakis that allowed the Big Red to keep pace after falling behind the Buckeyes 3-0 after 15 minutes. The junior won the first two restarts against Ohio State's Justin Inacio, who led the nation with a .776 face-off percentage entering the contest. He won a majority of them cleanly, winning 12 ground balls. 


The first 15 minutes didn't give much of a glimpse of what was to come. The Big Red dominated possession, won the first two face-offs and still found itself trailing 2-0. It was 3-0 Ohio State after 15 minutes, and turnovers were endemic.

But the second quarter came, and just like Tuesday against Hobart, the BIg Red flipped the switch. Three goals in the span of 3:31 tied the game. Then four consecutive over a different 3:17 span made it a seven-goal run. A late Ohio State goal cut the deficit back to 7-4 entering halftime.

The second half  alternately saw the Big Red pull away and Ohio State narrow the gap. Four consecutive OSU scores tied it up at 9-9, and after trading goals spanning the third and fourth quarter, again at 10-10. The first tie came after Ohio State scored twice in a five-second span after Jason Knox scored the game's lone extra-man goal, followed by a face-off win and goal by Justin Inacio. Ohio State looked to take a lead at 11-10, but it was waved off with a player in the crease. Cornell took full advantage.

Kirst's third goal of the night, this one with 9:11 remaining, gave the Big Red its lead for good and was the first of four scored in the fourth. Matt Licciardi and Michael Long assisted on consecutive impressive goals, one by Hugh Kelleher and another from the stick of John Piatelli. Kirst wrapped up the scoring with just under four minutes to play, making it 14-10. The Buckeyes tacked on a late goal, but it was too little, too late.
 

UP NEXT

• Cornell will square off with Penn State on Saturday, March 12 at noon at Panzer Stadium in University Park, Pa.
• The series is tied 22-22 all-time, with Cornell winning the last meeting 18-17 on March 8, 2020 in Charlotte, N.C.
• The last three meetings between the teams have been played at neutral sites, with the Big Red winning two of three.