HARTFORD -- In a bracket that started with the Ivy League receiving a nation-best six berths into the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament, it was two Ivies — No. 5 Princeton and No. 7 Cornell — that made it all the way to Championship Weekend.
Cornell was dominant all afternoon over No. 6 Rutgers, even enduring a 3 hour and 41 minute rain delay, to punch its ticket into Monday's National Championship game. Princeton went down early to top-ranked and undefeated Maryland, trailing 5-1 at the end of the first quarter but came within striking distance multiple times throughout the remainder of the game before falling 13-8 to the Terrapins.
Cornell will make the Ivy League's 18th appearance all-time in the national championship. The league is 10-7 all-time, the latest title coming from Yale in 2018.
In the first game, Cornell jumped out to an 8-3 halftime lead before the rain delay halted play. After Rutgers opened the second half scoring, the Big Red ended the third quarter on a 6-1 run and never looked back.
John Piatelli netted five goals and added one assist for the Big Red.
Michael Long added another four goals — along with four groundballs — while
CJ Kirst and
Hugh Kelleher each picked up three apiece for the balanced Cornell attack.
Chayse Ierlan was fantastic in goal with 15 saves on the afternoon.
In the nightcap, Princeton fell behind early and, despite several runs and chances, was not able to overcome No. 1 Maryland.
Alexander Vardaro led the Tigers with two goals while goalie
Erik Peters had 13 saves. Princeton finishes 11-5 overall after earning its first berth in Championship Weekend since 2004.
Monday's National Championship game between Cornell and Maryland is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Hartford. The game will be televised live on ESPN.