After a season characterized by narrow margins and near misses, No. 4 men’s lacrosse saw its home opener with No. 12 Denver as an opportunity for redemption. On Feb. 25 2024, the Pioneers carried away a 17-16 win during a back-and-forth bout that left the Red restless for a rematch.
Cornell (2-0) wasn’t going to let the Pioneers get the last word. With Denver (2-2) once again slated as the team’s second match of the season – this time its home opener – the Red came out on top in a 15-5 victory in a sunny Saturday match at Schoellkopf Field.
“We had this game circled when we saw we were going to play Denver,” said senior attackman CJ Kirst. “For the guys who were returning, we wanted to make a statement. And we found a way to do that today.”
The first five minutes of play yielded no results for either team, with back-and-forth clears ending in missed shots. The Red broke the seal at 9:51, when a feed from Kirst set senior midfielder Hugh Kelleher up for the goal. A minute later, sophomore attackman Ryan Waldman accepted a pass from sophomore attackman Ryan Goldstein close to the crease and netted Cornell’s second score — a minute after that, Kirst netted his first of six for the day to put the Red up 3-0.
Denver answered with an unassisted goal by Andrew Atchinson that squeaked past senior goalkeeper Wyatt Knust — its only goal of the first two periods — but Cornell quickly took back the reins to go on a six-goal streak that lasted through the rest of the half.
“We played as a unit,” head coach Connor Buczek ’15 said. “The offense was sharing the ball, and everybody was doing their part. Whoever was at the end of the rainbow was fortunate for the other five guys’ work.”
The barrage from the Red chased the Pioneers’ starting goalkeeper Malcolm Kleban from the game less than halfway through the first quarter. Sophomore attackman Willem Firth welcomed Grayson Manning to the net by fighting through a double team and ripping a low to high shot for an unassisted goal. Junior faceoff Jack Cascadden added to the damage just six seconds later, winning a faceoff and going straight to the cage to put the Red up 5-1.
Four more goals from Cornell in the second period forced the second goalie change of the half for the Pioneers, putting Kleban back behind the crease.
By the end of the first half, Cornell was up 10-1, sinking 10 of 13 shots on goal while Denver only managed to finish one of six.
The third quarter tested Cornell’s security, when Luke Shinofield opened the half with a shot right down the middle. Senior attackman Michael Long retaliated off a pass from behind the net by Goldstein, but the Pioneers closed the third quarter by shutting down the Cornell offense and rattling off four straight goals, cutting the Cornell lead to 11-5.
“They’re a great team,” Buczek said. “Well coached, talented, and we knew their counter punch was coming. It was a matter of time, and we had to weather that storm. The group rallied around the opportunity to dig in and change that momentum.”
During the third period, senior midfielder Alex Holmes went down on an injury. The loss of a longtime teammate also reinvigorated the Red, adding a personal edge to the already hard-fought game.
“Everybody in the locker room loves [Holmes],” Buczek said. “He’s a senior that has done a ton for us, and we wanted to put it on the field for him.”
It was Kirst who would break Denver’s run, scoring four minutes into the final period and beginning a four-goal run for the Red that would last until final time, securing a 15-5 victory for Cornell.
Leading the Red in points was Kirst with six goals and two assists, followed closely by Goldstein with one goal and five assists. The pair have already established themselves as a dynamic duo, with the Goldstein-Kirst one-two punch accounting for two goals in the team’s opening win against Lehigh and one against Denver.
“[Goldstein’s] a special player,” Kirst said. “He’s a pass-first kind of guy. When the ball is going through his stick, we’re always able to find lanes and shooting opportunities. It was always an easy shot today, and all credit goes to him.”
Cascadden, returning off an injury from the 2024 season, took five ground balls to lead the game, but earned 9-19 faceoffs for a 47 winning percentage at the X.
“[Cascadden] was making game changing plays,” Buzcek said. “I was a little shocked looking at the [faceoff] stats, but he was making plays even when we didn’t win the draw.”
Knust finished the day with 13 saves on 18 shots on goal, good for 72 percent. Knust widely outperformed the Denver goalkeepers, who combined for a meager 35 percent save percentage.
A quick turnaround for the Red gives it little time to bask in its victory, as it next travels to Geneva to take on Hobart College at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Coverage will be available on ESPN+.
