ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell jumped out to a 10-1 halftime lead and never took its foot off the gas, blitzing 13th-ranked Denver 15-5 on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red improved to 2-0, while the Pioneers slipped to 2-2.

CJ Kirst buried the visitors with a six-goal, two-assist day in an otherwise balanced offensive attack. Ryan Goldstein spread the ball around, assisting on five goals and scoring one of his own as the Big Red had eight different players find the back of the net. It was the defense that made all the difference, as Jayson Singer and crew held Denver's leading scorer, Cody Malawski, off the scoresheet. 

The numbers were far more even than the score, as the Pioneers held a narrow edge in shots (40-34) and face-offs (12-10), but the Big Red seemingly won every key ground balls and got 13 big saves from Wyatt Knust in goal. Jack Cascadden was 9-for-19 at face-offs, but won three back on caused turnovers, scooped up five ground balls and scored himself in a strong effort.
 
Cornell put three on the board before Denver solved the Big Red defense, but the home team answered with seven in a row to close the half. In all Cornell held Denver scoreless for a stretch of 24:32 that included the entire second quarter. Andrew Dalton's last-second goal to close the half was a perfect example of Cornell's hard-nosed play that got them the lead. With time running out, a loose ball was surrounded by a pair of Denver defenders, but senior midfielder Hugh Kelleher blew it up and won the possession, found Kirst who whipped it over to Dalton for the dunk and a 10-1 lead. That came after a pair of highlight saves by Knust denied the Pioneers any momentum.

Though Denver went on an extended 3-0 run in the third, Cornell shut Denver out again in the fourth, scoring four times - three times off the stick of Kirst. By the end of the night, the senior moved within 14 goals of Mike French's nearly 50-year-old school record of 191. He now has 12 in two games. His eight points bump his total to 244 - just six points shy of becoming the fifth Big Red player to hit 250 for a career.

UP NEXT
• The longest running rivalry in college lacrosse will be renewed when the Big Red visits Hobart on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.
• The contest will be broadcast live on Hobart All-Access.
• It will be the 142nd meeting (Cornell leads 90-47-4) dating back to 1896.
• The Big Red has won five straight meetings and 17 of 18 contests since 2004.