UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Senior
CJ Kirst (eight) and sophomore
Ryan Goldstein (seven) combined for 15 points and the top-ranked Cornell men's lacrosse team used gritty play all over the field to top No. 4 Syracuse 17-12 on Saturday afternoon at Mitchel Field. The Big Red improved to 10-1, while the Orange slipped to 8-3.
The Big Red earned a second top-five win of the season by at least five goals by jumping out to a six-goal lead early and answering back a number of SU runs to lead from wire-to-wire.
The win had every signature of Cornell lacrosse - a full-field effort on the ground (38-36 edge in ground balls), strong faceoff play against one of the nation's top units, successful extra-man opportunities (4-of-7) and overall offensive execution (17 goals on 40 shots). Add in a strong day in goal from
Wyatt Knust, who had 14 saves with eight in the decisive first period, and the Big Red earned its third straight victory over its Central New York rival.
Kirst finished the day with five goals and three assists, moving with five goals of matching Payton Cormier's NCAA Division I goal-scoring record of 224. He became just the 24th player in Division I history to surpass 300 career points (304) in the process. Goldstein, meanwhile, had three goals and four assists in the win.
Rory Graham netted a pair of extra-man goals, while
Michael Long had a goal and two helpers. In all, 10 different players scored at least one goal.
Jack Cascadden won 16-of-31 faceoffs with 10 ground ball wins against All-America candidate John Mullen, while
Matt Dooley caused a pair of turnovers and won five ground balls. The Big Red defense limited Syracuse to three goals below its average and held All-American Joey Spallina to one goal.
The Orange got four goals and two assists from Owen Hiltz, while Luke Rhoa had three goals and an assist and Michael Leo notched two goals and two assists. Mullen was 16-of-29 on faceoffs with 11 ground balls.
Knust had eight saves, many of the highlight variety, as Cornell took a 5-2 lead after the first quarter. Kirst's third goal put the Big Red up 8-2 midway through the second to close out a 6-0 Big Red run. SU got three straight goals, but Kirst scored again to put the Big Red into the lead 9-5 at the break.
Kirst had four goals and two assists, while Goldstein posted a goal and three assists to spark the Big Red offense. Cascadden kept Cornell ahead at the faceoff X, winning 9-of-16 with seven ground balls. Cornell led despite struggling in the clearing game, turning the ball over four times in 10 opportunities, but won the battle on the ground (20-19) and got 10 saves to just four for the Orange.
Syracuse answered the bell after halftime with two quick goals, but Cornell again widened its lead with four straight to go up 13-7 with just over six minutes to play in the half. The Orange answered in a big way scoring four times over the final 5:33 to make it a two-goal goal entering the fourth (13-11).
Cornell was in complete control in the final quarter, as Goldstein scored twice in the span of 58 seconds. The Big Red defense kept the Orange off the board in the final 10 minutes of the contest and widened the lead out in the final two minutes as the Orange were desperately trying to get the ball back.
NEXT UP
• Cornell completes its regular season road schedule when it visits top 10 foe Harvard on Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. at Jordan Field.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• Cornell holds a 69-27 lead in the all-time series, including 24-15 in Cambridge, Mass.
• The Big Red has won five of the past six meetings between the teams, including last season's 15-8 triumph at Schoellkopf Field on the strength of nine different goal scorers.
