No. 4 Syracuse’s 6-game win streak ends in 17-12 defeat to No. 1 Cornell
Despite coming within two goals in the second half, No. 4 Syracuse couldn't complete the comeback to defeat No. 1 Cornell on Long Island Saturday. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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UNIONDALE, N.Y. — When Syracuse and Cornell clash in lacrosse, expect razor-thin margins and wild momentum swings. Three of their last seven meetings have gone to overtime; four were decided by one goal.
The Orange have ended on the wrong end of the last two — both epic collapses. In 2022, SU led then-No. 5 Cornell 11-6 at halftime, only for the Big Red to erase the deficit. Michael Long tied it with 24 seconds left, and Cornell sealed a 16-15 overtime win in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Last season, on April 2, it happened again. Then-No. 4 Syracuse blitzed then-No. 13 Cornell with a 7-0 start and led 16-10 in the third quarter. But the Big Red roared back with their own 7-0 run. SU midfielder Sam English forced overtime with a buzzer-beater, but Cornell prevailed 18-17 in double overtime.
It was more of the same Saturday at Mitchel Field on Long Island. No. 4 Syracuse (9-3, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) again fell to No. 1 Cornell (10-1, 4-0 Ivy League) 17-12. This time, it was the Big Red that gained an early lead, and despite efforts from the Orange, they didn’t relinquish it. Cornell was led by the inimitable CJ Kirst, who entered leading the nation with 4.90 goals per game and poured in five tallies alongside three assists Saturday to snap SU’s six-game winning run.
After falling behind 8-2 midway through the second quarter, the Orange got within two goals of the Big Red twice, including 13-11 entering the fourth quarter. But Syracuse couldn’t complete the comeback like Cornell had in the past.
“Proud of our guys for never giving up,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said postgame. “Even when they were stringing plays together, we refused to go away, fought back, kept going to get close. Unfortunately, we didn’t find the opportunities we needed and came up with a loss.”
Coming off scoring four straight goals to close the third quarter, Syracuse looked to make it five straight. English directed an effort that struck the underside of the crossbar, but the ball stayed out.
The Orange were left to rue their miss when Ryan Goldstein, who totaled eight points on three goals and five assists, scored two straight for the Big Red in just under a minute. SU defender Riley Figueiras forced a turnover on Goldstein, but Cornell fought back to regain the ball. On the ensuing possession, Goldstein wrapped around the goal and blasted one high with his left hand.
After a Jack Cascadden faceoff win, Cornell calmly worked the ball around before Goldstein buried a running shot down the left alley to give Cornell a 15-11 lead with 10:48 left.
Postgame, Cornell head coach Connor Buczek credited his team’s execution amid Syracuse’s runs to narrow the scoreline, praising his defense for its clears, its offense for finishing sets with goals and his team for snagging ground balls.
“Those are the execution plays that win you top-5 games,” Buczek said. “Whether we’re up six, whether we’re up two, I don’t think the mentality ever changed.”
Midfielder Luke Rhoa briefly steadied SU, but momentum slipped away. Christopher Davis sealed it for Cornell with two minutes left, and after a late scuffle, Walker Wallace added a final blow.
“We had chances to get within one a couple times, and we just didn’t make the plays,” Gait said.
Last year, SU scored on its first three shots against Cornell. It took six minutes for either team to break the deadlock Saturday. Kirst lashed home a feed from X at the 8:51 mark to open the scoring. Forty-three seconds later, Brendan Staub made it 2-0 for the Big Red.
Then, it became a shooting gallery. The Orange rallied with their own two-goal run in 40 seconds. Rhoa pasted one into the top left corner, and Owen Hiltz was left unmarked for a step-down rocket. Cornell regained its lead, though, as Goldstein touched one home from close and Kirst blasted an effort past a hapless Jimmy McCool, who recorded a season-worst .304 save percentage.
In the other net, the Big Red’s goalie Wyatt Knust recorded eight first-quarter saves and 14 total stops on a .538 save percentage. Knust continued to haunt the Orange as he came off the bench in Cornell’s previous comeback efforts.
“(Knust) was seeing the ball well, he was making good stops and making good decisions in the clear,” Buczek said.
As Knust stood strong, Cornell scored six straight — two for Kirst and Rory Graham and one for Ryan Sheehan and Goldstein – forcing SU to call timeout, trailing 8-2 without scoring for 15 minutes at the 6:27 mark of the second quarter.
“We wanted them to earn it,” Buczek said of slowing SU’s offense early. “The biggest thing was making sure you’re not giving away easy ones.”
Hiltz sparked a 3-0 Orange run to regain their bearings, netting two goals in 41 seconds to halve the deficit. Joey Spallina unleashed a rippling shot from an acute angle on the left wing to continue Syracuse’s momentum. Though that was Spallina’s only goal on the day. Cornell’s Jayson Singer held him in check.
Kirst couldn’t be stopped. He found space at X and wrapped around to beat McCool for his fourth goal of the day to create a four-goal halftime cushion. Then, he snapped a two-goal SU run by assisting Andrew Dalton. The senior’s eye for goal would make a Cyclops jealous, and he stretched the Big Red’s advantage to 12-7 with his fifth goal. And Long converted to make it a six-goal lead on a two-man advantage, part of Cornell’s 4-for-7 clip on man-ups Saturday.
The see-sawing continued. In a blink, Syracuse rattled off three quick goals, capped by Michael Leo’s finish to the right corner. Cornell began to unravel, and things worsened when Buczek was flagged for arguing a Michael Bozzi push.
Syracuse couldn’t convert the initial six-on-four. But after a turnover, Long was stripped, and Hiltz pounced and buried a shot top shelf to make it 13-11 with 19 seconds left in the third. The Orange fans erupted.
But the pandemonium didn’t last. Cornell rebounded and served up another defeat to Syracuse. The Big Red didn’t need to come back this time around. Instead, they were dealing out the pain, even when Syracuse got within two goals entering the final quarter, spurred by their unwavering mentality.
“We’re not protecting anything,” Buczek said. “We’re aggressive. We’re going after it. If you build yourself a nice lead, you get the next one. All we were thinking about is what’s the next opportunity to make a play.”
