ITHACA, N.Y. – The top two seeds of the Ivy League men’s lacrosse tournament advanced to Sunday’s tournament final as No. 1 Cornell and No. 2 Princeton earned semifinal victories at Schoellkopf Field on Friday evening.
 
Semifinal 1: No. 1 Cornell 17, No. 4 Harvard 8
Cornell set the tone early and maintained control throughout, building a 10-4 lead in the opening half before adding seven more goals after the break. Harvard struck first, but the Big Red responded with five-straight goals to take control and never relinquished the lead. The Crimson trimmed the deficit to 6-4, but Cornell answered with a 6-0 run to extend its advantage to 12-4.

Cornell also controlled possession at the faceoff X, winning 20 of 28 draws, while adding a 31-27 edge in ground balls. Defensively, the Big Red forced 17 Harvard turnovers.

Ivy League Attackman of the Year Willem Firth led the way with six goals and two assists for eight points. AJ Nikolic and Ryan Goldstein each added two goals, while 10 different Cornell players found the back of the net.

Semifinal 2: No. 2 Princeton 12, Yale 10
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the nightcap, with Connor Gately scoring three goals during the early run. Princeton responded with seven-straight goals, closing the second half with three and opening the third with four to flip the game to a 9-6 advantage.

Yale hung tough and kept the game within three the rest of the way, but Princeton sealed the win with a goal with 1:26 remaining.

Chad Palumbo recorded five points for Princeton on three goals and two assists, while Ryan Croddick made 10 saves for the Tigers.

The Ivy League Tournament final, featuring No. 1 Cornell and No. 2 Princeton, is a rematch of last year’s championship. Earlier this season, Cornell defeated Princeton, 13-11. The game is set to be a top-four matchup, with Princeton ranked No. 2 nationally and Cornell No. 4 according to Inside Lacrosse.