The Red were poised for success. Ranked at the top of the Ivy League, boasting a 5-1 conference record and remaining undefeated at home, 2024 men’s lacrosse seemed unstoppable.
Unstoppable, that was, until the Ivy League semifinal, where the University of Pennsylvania proved to be Cornell’s kryptonite. After a shocking 13-9 defeat, the nationally-ranked Red saw its season stopped short before the NCAA tournament.
A loss like that isn’t easily forgotten. For head coach Connor Buczek ’15, the key is to keep moving forward.
“New year, new team,” Buczek said. “We kind of squandered [one game] against [Penn] last year. We like where we’re sitting [now], and our eyes are trained forward, but obviously having them end our season last year sits in everyone’s memory.”
Recently crowned as best in the nation, No. 1 Cornell (6-1, 2-0 Ivy) welcomes Penn (4-5, 1-1 Ivy) back to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday. After taking a win over Yale last weekend and beating Princeton the week before, the Red has high expectations to meet.
Just over halfway through the season, Cornell has already topped the charts. The question is: can the Red stay there?
“They don’t give out any trophies in March,” Buczek said. “It’s certainly cool to be in that spot, but it’s meaningless if we don’t take care of business on Saturday.”
Penn is a worthy contender for a team looking to prove its mettle, with a defense capable of shutting down the opponent and a star between the posts.
Penn goaltender Emmett Carroll, already named Ivy Defender of the Week twice this season, is currently tied with Princeton’s Ryan Croddick for most saves in the Ivy League. He averages just 8.89 goals-against per game.
Luckily, the Red has the offensive depth to take on a strong defense. Not only does Cornell average over 16 goals per game, but it leads the country with 10.57 assists per game as well.
Standout senior attackman CJ Kirst has made headlines for his record-setting performances this season, while support from players such as sophomore attackman Ryan Goldstein, sophomore attackman Willem Firth and senior attackman Michael Long round out the group.
It’s still unclear whether Long, who went down during last week’s match with Yale and had to leave the game, will be able to take the field this weekend.
“He’s day-to-day right now, but trending in the right direction,” Buczek said. “Fortunately, we’ve got an incredible training staff that gets these guys ready to go and makes sure that they’re safe and healthy.”
Long has an embattled history with injury, having missed half of his senior season in 2023 and facing uncertainty during last year due to recurring issues. The sixth-year scored 13 goals and earned 22 points in the first seven matches of 2025.
The Tuesday after Penn, Cornell will face University of Albany (2-7, 0-2 America East), its only non-Ivy League opponent for the remainder of the season. Despite not impacting the team’s postseason standing, the out-of-conference addition to the schedule requires as much focus and effort as those within the league.
“Within the league, it holds a little bit of weight in terms of the postseason and Ivy tournament,” Buczek said. “However, we don’t approach games any different in conference or out of conference. Our goal is to test ourselves against the best teams in the country.”
Though the Great Danes were projected as a top-20 contender, they have dropped their last three games and struggled to gain purchase this season. The New York rivals are still a match the Red must take seriously — notably, UAlbany is the only team left in the nation that has not allowed a goal while shorthanded.
The turnaround may be quick, but Cornell has the advantages of home turf, no need to travel and a break in classes for spring vacation. The action begins on Saturday, when the Red face off against the Quakers at 12:00 p.m. On Tuesday, UAlbany steps up to the plate, with the game set to start at 3:00 p.m. Both games will be streamed live 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.
