ITHACA, N.Y. — No. 5 Cornell led No. 3 Richmond by three goals in the second half Saturday before the Spiders rallied for five of the final six goals to take an 8-7 decision at Schoellkopf Field.
 
The turning point came early in the fourth. Ryan Waldman's goal at 11:59 pushed Cornell's advantage to 7-5, but Richmond answered less than two minutes later when Lucas Littlejohn converted off a Joe Sheridan assist to cut it to 7-6.
 
Sheridan then tied the game himself at 4:43, and Gavin Creo delivered the go-ahead goal with 1:04 remaining to complete the comeback. Cornell had two opportunities to answer in the final minute but could not convert.
 
Sheridan and Creo each finished with two goals to pace Richmond's fourth-quarter surge, while Littlejohn led all scorers with three goals on the day.
 
Cornell junior Matthew Tully made 16 saves, a significant workload against Richmond's 24-shot attack. Junior attackmen Ryan Goldstein and Willem Firth each scored twice and combined for two assists, while senior Matthew Perfetto added a goal and two assists to lead Cornell's offense.
 
Richmond's faceoff dominance became a decisive factor as the game wore on. The Spiders won 11 of 18 faceoffs, including three of five in the fourth quarter, allowing them to control possession during their late run.
 
Game Notes
• Saturday marked the third meeting all-time between Cornell and Richmond, with the Spiders earning their first win in the series.
• For Cornell, it is the programs first loss since dropping an overtime contest to Penn State (13-12) on March 8, 2025.
• Junior Matthew Tully made a career-high 16 saves, surpassing his previous career-best of 13, set earlier this season.
• Perfetto's was the second of the senior's career and first since his freshman campaign.
 
Next Up
Cornell will travel to University Park, Pa., to take on Penn State on Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m. Penn State leads the all-time series, 25-24.