Cornell men’s lacrosse defense delivers vs. Duke
For the third straight year, Cornell men’s lacrosse ventured to Long Island for a massive non-conference clash. In 2024, the Big Red went toe-to-toe with the top-ranked team in the country and the eventual national champions Notre Dame but ultimately fell 18-17 in an instant classic. Last year, #1 Cornell took down #4 Syracuse 17-12 en route to its national title run. This year pitted the Big Red against another nationally-ranked opponent in #12 Duke, and the matchup did not disappoint.
Neither team led by more than two goals throughout Saturday afternoon in Brookville. The Big Red and Blue Devils exchanged one-goal leads in the second quarter, but it was Duke who held a slight 5-4 advantage heading into the halftime break. A flurry of three goals in a matter of just 91 seconds put Cornell up 7-5, a lead that it would not relinquish as it came out victorious 9-7.
The defense was clearly the star of the show for the Big Red. But what made that unit’s performance even more impressive was that it limited a Blue Devils offense that led the nation with 16.2 goals per game to their lowest tally of the campaign. The backbone of its defense is Matthew Tully in net, and the junior excelled once again with 12 saves. He had big shoes to fill with Wyatt Knust graduating, and he continues to flourish as the lights grew brighter.
It also helps to have a strong pair of short stick defensive midfielders (SSDM). The Big Red has quite the duo in juniors Luke Gilmartin and TJ Lamb. They combined for four caused turnovers in the win over Duke, three of which were forced by Gilmartin. Head coach Connor Buczek spoke last Wednesday during his weekly media availability about his defense, and while he knows it takes a full seven-man effort, the work the SSDMs have done has been a key piece to their success on that end of the field.
“The urgency with which we are approaching the ball allows us to be buttoned up behind the ball,” Buczek said. “If we’re able to be aggressive and able to be fundamental, we can direct the ball, and therefore our support decisions get a little easier. Our ability to support and be cohesive in those moments gets a little easier. Our ability to show our goalie the shots that we want to see starts to play in your favor when you can do things like that with your short sticks.”
Buczek also talked about how Penn and Duke were similar from an attacking standpoint in terms of their schematics as well as their size and strength. Given that Cornell battled the Quakers the week prior and held their high-octane offense to eight goals, the Big Red was more than prepared to do more of the same against a more unfamiliar opponent on a neutral site. With Cornell’s ticket punched to the Ivy League Tournament, there’s a strong chance it can successfully defend its Ancient Eight title if its defense keeps up what it’s accomplished over the past two weeks.
It’s quite the quick turnaround for the 7-3 Big Red. Cornell is back home this afternoon to battle High Point for a 12 p.m. faceoff. Speaking of faceoffs, Jack Cascadden surpassed 500 career faceoffs on Saturday, becoming the third player in program history to reach that remarkable feat and is only the seventh active Division I player with over 500 faceoff wins.
Ithaca College men’s lacrosse statement win vs. RIT
Cornell wasn’t the only team in the area to make some noise this past week in the college lacrosse world. On Wednesday night, Ithaca welcomed #6 RIT to Higgins Stadium for its biggest test of the year. The Tigers had the Bombers’ numbers last year, taking them down in the regular season 9-4 and sweeping them aside 17-6 in the Liberty League semifinals before going on to win the conference title and make it all the way to the national semifinals. Ithaca certainly didn’t forget those shortcomings and used it as a bit of fuel this time around to pull off a stunner.
In the first half, the Bombers overcame two-goal deficits twice, including a 3-0 run to head into the break up 6-5. But the Tigers answered with a three-goal spurt of their own to take an 8-6 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Bombers would not be deterred and gave the Tigers a taste of their own medicine with a 3-0 blanking in the final stanza to win it 9-8.
Like the Big Red, the Bombers’ defense was the driving force. RIT entered the contest averaging 16 goals per game to its lowest mark of the year. In fact, the Tigers had never scored in the single digits before their matchup at Ithaca. A big part of that stinginess was the play of Andrew Minard. The senior goalie made 13 saves to thwart a Tigers team that plays a different style than other college lacrosse teams as they recruit many Canadians. Minard joined “Between The Lines” following the win over RIT and explained how he was able to solve a defensive problem that the Tigers’ other opponents couldn’t figure out.
“They have a different kind of technique when it comes to finishing the ball,” Minard said. “They use a lot of deception in the shots and stuff like that. So I knew I just needed to see the ball out of the stick and not watch the shooter’s hands or the shooter’s shoulders, because they’re always trying to manipulate you to get you going one way and put it the other.”
The Bombers have also been well-prepared for tough battles like the one they faced against the Tigers. The week prior, they outlasted Union 9-8, another example of how they’re starting to find ways to win close games. It’s a stark contrast to last season where four of their nine losses were by just one goal.
Ithaca had yet another tight victory on Saturday against RPI, eking past the Engineers 11-10 thanks to Will Kleine’s game-winning goal with 24 seconds remaining. There’s always the fear of a letdown following a huge win, but the Bombers once again remained strong to improve their record to 9-4 and extend their winning streak to four games.
Up next? Just the small task of taking down rivals Cortland. The Red Dragons venture to South Hill Wednesday night for a high-anticipated showdown. Cortland also comes in on a four-game winning streak, but look at the final scores of those contests: 34-2, 21-4, 23-6 and 20-7. But it’s safe to say we won’t see that lopsided of an outcome in a few night’s time.
Schuyler Storm softball perfection x2
It’s rare enough to throw a perfect game in either baseball or softball. It’s almost unheard of to have perfect games on back-to-back games. But what the Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour softball team accomplished last week is something that we might not see again for a very long time.
Starting on Wednesday, Paige Ells tossed a perfect game in the Storm’s 14-0 win over Whitney Point. That in itself wasn’t a surprise given that Ells threw a no-hitter last year as only a freshman. She one-upped herself as only a sophomore by retiring all 15 batters faced, nine of which by a strikeout. Ells also supported her own cause with a fittingly flawless outing at the plate, batting 4-4 with six runs driven in and four runs scored and was one home run shy of the cycle.
The following day against Trumansburg, up stepped younger sister and eighth grader Keira Ells to the circle, and she too achieved perfection. 15 batters faced, 15 outs, and a 15-0 win against the Blue Raiders. Even crazier? All but two of her outs ended with a K (forwards or backwards).
Section4softball.com has kept track of all of the no-hitters in, well, Section IV softball since 2017. In the past decade, this was the only time a team threw perfect games in consecutive days. It very well might be the only time possibly ever that it was achieved by a sibling duo. The odds of that happening are simply incalculable.
The good times kept rolling on Saturday for the Storm with a 5-0 blanking of Palmyra-Macedon. Paige Ells stepped back in the circle and delivered another masterclass with a complete-game two-hitter with 12 strikeouts while escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning. The Storm have maintained its perfect start to the season at 5-0 and have a real chance of winning an IAC divisional title, something that hasn’t been achieved in Schuyler County softball since 1997. They’ll have some stiff competition from powerhouse Thomas A. Edison, but if the Ells sisters can keep working their magic on the rubber and continue to get production from their lineup with key hitters like Amy Field and Olivia King, the sky’s the limit for a still-young Storm squad.
Other things that caught my eye
- I am admittedly not the biggest follower of golf, but I couldn’t help but be enamored by the charm of the Masters. The breathtaking Augusta background. The rich history and traditions. The iconic green jacket. And of course, the dulcet tones of Jim Nantz painting the word picture as elegantly as ever. From the limited knowledge of the sport that I possess, I knew two things when it comes to the Masters: It is incredibly difficult to repeat as champion, and Rory McIlroy has had a penchant for coming up short. While the Northern Irishman finally broke that trend last year, he certainly has a flare for the dramatics. This go-around, his six-stroke lead was reduced to just one, but it was enough to successfully defend his title, becoming only the fourth golfer to do so alongside Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. Not too shabby of company.
- Since we’re only two-plus weeks into the baseball season, here is your obligatory reminder that it is wayyyy too early to press the panic button on any team. That being said, it is tempting to smash that big red button if you’re a Yankees and Mets fan. For the former, it’s now a five-game losing streak after getting swept by the Rays. Everyone in the lineup except for Ben Rice has suddenly forgotten to hit, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. seemingly forgot how the double-play rule worked in Saturday’s extra innings loss. The Mets are also on a five-game skid, and the well has also dried up for them at the plate after being on the wrong side of two shutouts against the Athletics. At least they have the excuse of Juan Soto being injured but certainly not ideal. As a reminder, there are still nearly 150 games left in the season. Let’s all take a deep breath, keep calm, and carry on.
- With the college basketball season coming to a close with the Big Ten sweeping the championship honors (UCLA women and Michigan men), another great part of the sports calendar begins. The NBA and NHL playoffs begin later this week. While the NBA begins with the play-in tournament on Tuesday, the Knicks easily avoided the tourney and will get set for a first-round matchup with the Hawks beginning on Saturday. Sadly for Knicks fans, there’s no Trae Young to vociferously boo this time around. The NHL regular season wraps up on Thursday while the postseason begins on Saturday. The Sabres’ 14-year playoff drought will come to a close, but who they will face first remains up in the air.
- The Big Ten dominance would not carry over to the ice, at least for men’s hockey. Denver has done it again, folks. The Pioneers win their third title in five years with a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin in Las Vegas despite being outshot 30-15. Their 4-3 overtime win over Michigan in the semifinals played out in a similar fashion as the Wolverines also had double the Pioneers’ shot totals, 52-26. But Denver has a propensity for finding ways to win. Cornell can say they were knocked out by the eventual national champions, and there’s no shame in that at all.
- It’s never too early to talk college football. While the Division III season doesn’t kick off until September, Ithaca College released their schedule last week. At first glance, nothing jumps off the page as they play the exact same opponents as last year. But two things stand out. There’s the obvious case of the Cortaca Jug being played at Yankee Stadium once again, though that’s old news. But we now know when the first-ever night game at Butterfield Stadium will take place. Circle your calendars for September 12 against Alfred at 6 p.m. for the Bombers’ inaugural edition of ‘Saturday Night Lights.’
