It’s not every day that the top two teams in the country have the chance to square off before the final dance.
In the Ivy League Championship on Sunday, No. 1 men’s lacrosse and No. 2 Princeton defended their statuses at the top of the polls with a dramatic back-and-forth contest. The game was broadly considered a play-in for the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, with Cornell and Princeton entering Sunday with the nation’s highest RPIs.
Earlier in the season, then-No. 4/3 Cornell hosted then-No. 6 Princeton for a thrilling Ivy League opener that saw the Red jump ahead to a 15-10 win. It was only fitting that the teams would come together one last time to end Ivy League play, with Cornell (13-1, 6-0 Ivy) running away with a 20-15 victory against Princeton (12-2, 5-1).
Not only was it a milestone for the team, but one player made his mark in the record books once again. During the first Princeton game, senior attackman CJ Kirst beat the school’s all-time scoring record. During the second, he broke the single-season scoring record of 66 goals set by John Piatelli ’22.
“[Piatelli] was a guy I looked up to, a guy I idolized,” Kirst said. “Fortunately, he was able to be here this weekend, so I was able to talk to him. To have that success … is pretty cool and pretty special.”
The Red began the game with high energy, with senior midfielder Andrew Dalton scoring a flashy behind-the-back goal. Cornell then won the ball back on the ride and sophomore midfielder Ryan Waldman added on.
A couple of crucial saves from senior goalkeeper Wyatt Knust led to a goal by senior attackman Michael Long, and Long was followed by senior midfielder Hugh Kelleher to bring the Red to a 4-0 lead.
“Last year set the tone,” said head coach Connor Buczek ’15 MBA ’17. “Missing the dance, feeling like we had a good season. … If you let up and you’re playing a good team, they’re going to beat you.”
Princeton found its footing and made it onto the board with rapid-fire goals from Nate Kabiri and Chad Palumbo. A hit to the head by senior long stick midfielder Duke Reeder after Palumbo‘s goal gave the Tigers a two-minute non-releasable man-up opportunity, which they quickly cashed in. Reeder has seen action in just four games this season but collected penalties in back-to-back games in the Ivy League tournament.
The Red killed off the remaining penalty time but failed to settle back into its early-game momentum. Princeton’s Colin Burns buried the equalizing goal with a minute left in the opening quarter, sending the teams into the first break tied 4-4.
“Heading into the game, we knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle,” Kirst said. “We were prepared mentally to be down.”
It was Kirst who broke the Princeton run, putting the Red back on top. Senior midfielder Ryan Sheehan followed with a laser of a shot. Long then threaded a pass through the defense to junior midfielder Brian Luzzi, who scored, making it seven different goal scorers for Cornell’s first seven goals.
Princeton found a three-goal run of their own before Kirst answered, tying the Cornell single-season goal-scoring record. Princeton fired back with two goals before the half, sending Cornell into halftime behind for the first time since the Richmond game on March 2.
Princeton fired first after halftime, scoring three in the first two minutes of the second half to put them on top 12-8. Sophomore attackman Ryan Goldstein stopped the run and was followed by a bounce shot from Kelleher.
Princeton immediately nullified this run, scoring twice in ten seconds. Goldstein collected his third assist of the game on a Dalton goal, and Cornell found another from sophomore midfielder Willem Firth on the man-up.
“It’s all about the next one,” Buczek said. “Doesn’t matter if you’re up five or down five, the next goal makes the situation a heck of a lot better."
Kelleher completed his hat trick to cut the Princeton lead to one, ending the third quarter with a score of 14-13. It was Kelleher again to open the fourth and tie the game. Princeton then earned its own two-minute non-releasable penalty where Goldstein scored, bringing the Red into the lead.
Goldstein lost his defender behind the net and scored again for the hat trick. Then he fed Firth, who was followed by Kirst scoring twice, adding another accolade to his season by breaking the Cornell single-season goal-scoring record. He then assisted Long to cap off a 10-0 run for the Red.
“I don't think there's anyone in this lacrosse world more deserving of every accolade he's getting, and I think there's a ton more to come,” Long said.
Princeton got one last goal to boost morale before the game ended 20-15.
With the victory, Cornell officially secured the Ivy League title and the concurrent automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Princeton will rely on an at-large selection during the selection show beginning at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“That's the moment we've been working for since the second last season ended,” Long said. “I’m just proud of our guys.”
Knust finished the game with 15 saves on 29 shots on goal, a 52 percent save percentage. Princeton’s Ryan Croddick, who won the Ivy League Goaltender of the Year and averages a 60.4 percent save percentage, saved 12 of 32 shots on goal.
Junior faceoff Jack Cascadden won 21 of 34 faceoffs, a 62 percent win percentage. Cascadden has been tremendous down the stretch, winning more than half of his faceoffs in each of the last 10 games.
The Red, who received the top seed in the NCAA tournament, will host its first playoff game at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Schoellkopf Field. Its opponent will be the winner of a play-in game between the University at Albany (America East champion) and Siena College (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Coverage of the 2025 NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament will be available 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.
