No. 11 Cornell Starts Ivy League Play with 18-9 Victory Over Brown

3/14/2026 5:10:00 PM | By: Shawn Gillen, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

ITHACA, N.Y. — The 11th-ranked Cornell men's lacrosse converted seven man-up opportunities and got five goals and three assists from junior Willem Firth to open Ivy League play with an 18-9 victory over Brown on Saturday at Schoellkopf Field, improving the Big Red to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in conference.

Cornell built a commanding 12-1 halftime lead and never looked back, with the Big Red scoring in bunches across the first two quarters behind a relentless attack that peppered Brown goalkeeper Connor Foley with 30 shots over the first 30 minutes. Firth was at the center of everything, scoring twice in the first quarter and adding another in the second, to go with three assists in the frame, before capping his afternoon with Cornell's 16th-goal in the fourth.

Ryan Goldstein matched Firth's playmaking with three goals and three assists of his own, while Seamus Riordan had a breakout day with three goals — all with the man advantage. Ryan Waldman added three goals and Matthew Perfetto chipped in two as nine different Cornell players found the back of the net.

Michael Melkonian was dominant at the faceoff X, winning 14 of 21 draws to give Cornell consistent possession and dictate the game's tempo throughout. Matt Tully made 10 saves before giving way to Tim Piacentini in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand.

Brown's Jameson Steele and Jeremy Hopsicker each finished with three goals to lead the visitors, with Brown outscoring Cornell 8-6 over the final two quarters after the outcome had been decided.

Game Notes
• Cornell moved to 43-22 all-time against Brown, winning its fourth-straight over the Bears.
• The Big Red has now won nine-straight Ivy League regular season games, and 10-straight games against Ivy League foes (including playoffs).
• As a team, Cornell recorded a season-high 45 shots, including 27 on goal. The Big Red also had a season-best 39 ground balls.
• Four members of the Big Red notched three or more goals, led by Firth who notched his eighth career game with three or more goals.
• Firth became the first Cornellian to score five or more goals in a game since CJ Kirst '25 did it in the 2025 National Championship against #2 Maryland.

Next Up
Cornell will travel to the Garden State on Saturday, March 21 to take on Ivy League preseason favorite Princeton at noon.

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