Cornell headed into its 2024 match with Penn State looking to prove a point against the Nittany Lions, who had snagged a low-scoring win the year before.
Instead, Penn State took a 20-9 victory over the Red, extending Cornell’s drought in the series to three consecutive losses. An offensive explosion from Penn State in the first half put them up 11-4 before halftime, and Cornell couldn’t make a comeback.
In its first top-10 matchup of the 2025 season, No. 3 Cornell (4-0) is seeking to make a mark on the national stage — and a decisive conclusion against No. 9/8 Penn State (4-1) could substantiate the Red’s claim to a top-three rank.
“Every game is important for setting the tone for the rest of the season,” said head coach Connor Buczek ’15. “You don’t want to look past anybody; you don’t want to think about what it does for you in the future. It’s about us getting better every single day.”
It’s hard to imagine how much better the Red can get, as it currently boasts the second-highest scoring offense in D1 men’s lacrosse with 16.75 goals per game. Senior attackman CJ Kirst is the nation’s highest-scoring attackman with 5.25 goals per game, and with an average of 14.75 saves, senior goalkeeper Wyatt Knust ranks fourth in the nation at the position.
Kirst and Knust’s outstanding performances earned the pair recognitions as Ivy League Player of the Week, offensive and defensive respectively.
“[Knust] is making the saves that we need to make and stealing a few more,” Buczek said. “He’s been through ups and downs throughout the course of his career and has settled in.”
Now just five goals short of Cornell’s all-time career record of 191 goals, set almost 50 years ago by Mike French ’76, Kirst teeters on the precipice of history. Kirst isn’t alone in his offensive prowess, however — sophomore attackman Ryan Goldstein has racked up 13 assists in the first four games of the season, which combines with his seven goals for a whopping 20 points.
Senior attackman Michael Long and senior midfield Hugh Kelleher have also been bringing veteran leadership from the front lines. During last week’s bout with Richmond, Long’s late-game goal rallied the team to take a narrow 12-11 victory over the Spiders.
Though it took a few games to develop, junior faceoff and midfielder Jack Cascadden’s prowess shone as he took 16-23 faceoffs against Richmond. Cascadden will need to be in top shape against Penn State’s Colby Baldwin, who has taken 74 of 116 faceoffs for a 63.8 percent success rate.
“[Cascadden] gives our offense a chance,” Buczek said. “We think the world of Colby Baldwin, and it’s going to be a great battle. If we hold our own, and Jack [Cascadden] has a great day, that would help us buoy the rest of the group and give us more possessions on the offensive end.”
Penn State last traveled to Yale, where the Ivy League competitor fell at a 15-9 margin. The Nittany Lions’ only loss of the season so far was No. 4 Princeton, when the Tigers beat out Penn State in overtime on Feb. 15.
Like the Red, the Nittany Lions also earned two league distinctions last week, with Hunter Aquino taking the nod for standout freshman and Baldwin for specialist.
In the face of stiff competition, Cornell will look to its solid class of seniors to pave the way to a stronger first quarter and, if needed, a comeback that it couldn’t achieve in 2024.
“A sting like what we felt getting on the bus in Happy Valley last year is a tough memory to shake,” Buczek said. “It’s definitely at the top of the mind for this group, and they know that we’ve got to bring our best.”
The game begins a tough stretch of opponents, including No. 4 Princeton on March 15, Yale on March 22, and No. 18/19 University of Pennsylvania on March 29.
But first, the Nittany Lions will face the Red at Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, March 8. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Alexis Rogers is the sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She is in the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences, and she can be reached at arogers@cornellsun.com.
