Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/4/25 – From Press Release
Sophomore Ryan Goldstein (Radnor) collected three goals and four assists as top-ranked Cornell used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from No. 2 Princeton, claiming a 20-15 victory and its third Ivy League Tournament Championship and first since 2018, Sunday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
The Big Red (14-1) completed a season sweep of the Tigers (12-3) and extended their winning streak to 10 games heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Senior CJ Kirst continued to rewrite the record books, leading Cornell with four goals and two assists while surpassing former teammate John Piatelli’s 2022 mark of 66 for the program’s single-season goals record. He also moved into seventh all-time in single-season points with 98.
Goldstein had eight goals and seven assists for the tournament to earn all-tourney honors, while senior Michael Long contributed four goals and four assists for the Big Red who set a program record for the most goals in an Ivy Tournament championship game.
Senior Wyatt Knust made 12 saves to earn his 13th win of the season in the cage.
The Tigers led 9-8 at halftime, and built that lead to 14-10 with 10:25 remaining in the third. However, Cornell would storm its way back, scoring three-straight to end the quarter and trim the Princeton lead to one, 14-13. Cornell’s attack wouldn’t slow down in the fourth, tying the game 22-seconds into the final stanza and scoring six more unanswered goals to take a commanding 20-14 lead over Princeton.
The Tigers (12-3) were led by attack Nate Kabiri and Chad Palumbo, who each scored four goals, while Colin Burns and Braedon Saeris added two. Goalie Ryan Croddick finished with 15 saves in defeat.
Junior Jack Cascadden dominated faceoffs for Cornell, winning 15-of-38 draws to help the Big Red control possession for much of the game. Cornell also held advantages in shots (45-41), ground balls (30-25), and went a perfect 18-for-18 on clear attempts.
The victory marks the third time Cornell won the Ivy Tournament Championship after a perfect Ivy regular season.
Kirst was named Tournament MVP, while Goldstein, Long, senior Christopher Davis, and senior Jayson Singer were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The NCAA selection show will be held Sunday at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU, where the 18-team field will be announced.
