ITHACA, N.Y. - No. 1 Cornell won the 2025 Ivy League Men’s Lacrosse Tournament championship on Sunday with a 20-15 victory over No. 2 Princeton on at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red, who have taken four consecutive regular season league titles, claimed the tournament crown for the first time since 2018 and the third time in program history, with the other coming in 2011. Cornell earned the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Big Red struck first just over a minute into the game. First Team All-Ivy performer
Jack Cascadden won the opening faceoff. On the ensuing possession,
Andrew Dalton slotted in his 15th goal of the season to break the seal. Cornell extended its advantage with two goals in the next three minutes, one by
Ryan Waldman and the other by
Michael Long, with the latter coming on a transition opportunity created by a
Wyatt Knust save.
Less than two minutes later, Cornell made it 4-0 courtesy of senior
High Kelleher’s 18th tally of the season, and the first unassisted score of the day. Princeton, meanwhile, put each of its first three shots on goal, but they were all turned aside by Knust. The Tigers found the back of the net on their fourth try, with
Nate Kabiri, a Second Team All-Ivy selection, picking up his 23rd of the year.
The Tigers racked up two more within the next 65 seconds.
Chad Palumbo made it a 4-2 game, and a Cornell penalty on the goal gave Princeton a man-up opportunity, which
Braedon Saeris took advantage of just 20 seconds later to bring the Tigers to within one. The three goal run became four when
Colin Burns tied the game at four with 1:20 to go in the first quarter.
Cornell’s
CJ Kirst, the Ivy League Attackman of the Year and NCAA scoring leader, put his team back ahead with his 65th goal of the year and first of the day just seven seconds into the second frame.
Ryan Sheehan and
Brian Luzzi made it a 3-0 Big Red run, extending their lead to 7-4. Princeton then followed with a 3-0 run of its own to knot the score again, courtesy of Burns, Palumbo and
John Dunphey.
Kirst and Palumbo then traded goals and, 30 seconds before halftime, Saeris became the third Tiger with multiple tallies, handing Princeton its first advantage and sending the Tigers into the locker room ahead 9-8.
Three straight Princeton goals from First Team All-Ivy Leaguer
Coulter Mackesy,
Tucker Wade and Kabiri at the start of the third quarter ballooned its lead to 12-8. Cornell then answered with two by
Ryan Goldstein and Kelleher to snap the Tigers’ 5-0 run.
Princeton grew its advantage back to four with tallies by Palumbo, his season high-tying fourth of the contest, and Kabiri’s third of the day to make it 14-10. Cornell’s offense then took off, closing the third quarter on a 3-0 run thanks to goals by Dalton, Willem Firth and Kelleher to close the score to 14-13.
The Big Red, who had trailed by as many as four goals in the third quarter, tied the game in the first minute of the fourth when Kelleher slung home his fourth tally of the day, drawing even at 14. Goldsetin took advantage of a man-up opportunity two minutes later, scoring his second goal of the day and earning Cornell a 15-14 lead, its first advantage of the second half. Goldsetin’s third goal, Firth’s second and Kirst’s third and fourth extended the Big Red’s lead to 19-14 and their run to 9-0.
Long finished off the scoring for Cornell and Kabiri added one to Princeton’s count with 12 seconds to play. The Big Red ended the game on a 10-1 run across the final 35:25 of game time to win 20-15. After trailing 9-8 at halftime, Cornell outscored Princeton 12-6 in the second half.
Goldstein led the way for the Big Red with seven points (three goals and four assists), while Long (2 goals and four assists) and Kirst (four goals and two assists) added six points. Knust made 15 saves.
Palumbo paced the Tigers with six points (four goals and two assists). Kabiri followed with five points (four goals and one assist).
Ryan Croddick, the Ivy League Goaltender of the Year, stopped 12 shots.
Kirst’s four goals gave the senior 68 on the year and set Cornell’s single-season program record, surpassing
John Piatelli’s 66 in 2022.
Cornell improved its mark to 14-1 overall and 8-0 against Ivy League opponents. Princeton dropped to 12-3 and 6-2 versus Ivy League foes, its only two defeats coming at the hands of the Big Red.
Both teams await their NCAA fate tonight on the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse selection show at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
CJ Kirst, Cornell (Most Outstanding Player)
Jayson Singer, Cornell
Christopher Davis, Cornell
Michael Long, Cornell
Ryan Goldstein, Cornell
Andrew McMeekin, Princeton
Nate Kabiri, Princeton
Chad Palumbo, Princeton
Graham Stevens, Harvard
Max Krevsky, Yale