NCAA Men's Lacrosse: Penn State's Rally Falls Short in Loss to Cornell

This time, Penn State's comeback fell short. The Penn State men's lacrosse team grinded back against top-ranked Cornell but ultimately fell 11-9 in the semifinals of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships.

Penn State lost in the NCAA semifinals for the second time in three years, following the bitter overtime defeat against Duke in 2023. On Saturday at Gillette Stadium, the Nittany Lions fell behind Cornell 10-6 after a difficult third quarter but began their comeback in the fourth.

Penn State scored three unanswered goals, cutting Cornell's lead to 10-9 and mirroring its rally against Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals. In that game, Penn State held Notre Dame scoreless over the final quarter, turning an eight-goal rally into victory.

But Cornell, the nation's No. 1 team with the highest-scoring offense, didn't succumb. The Big Red answered Penn State's run with a huge goal at the 5:49 mark and held the Nittany Lions scoreless thereafter.

With the win, Cornell avenged its only loss of the season, a 13-12 overtime game in March that Penn State won with a comeback. The Big Red gave up four goals in the final three minutes, including three in a 95-second span, in a non-conference home loss. Cornell has won 13 straight games since.

Penn State played an up-and-down against Cornell this time. The Nittany Lions held Cornell's CJ Kirst, the most prolific scorer in college lacrosse, without a point for the first time in his career. Kirst, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 Premier League Lacrosse draft, entered the game as the active points leader (338) in the NCAA. But he did not register a goal or assist against Penn State, taking seven shots in the game.

However, Cornell got scoring elsewhere and a huge start from goalkeeper Wyatt Knust. Cornell's Hugh Kelleher scored three goals, including one to begin his team's 5-0 run in the third quarter. And Knust held Penn State scoreless during a critical first quarter, stopping all six of the Nittany Lions' shots on goal.

The Nittany Lions found their way, though, taking a 5-4 halftime lead behind Liam Matthews, who scored two of his four goals in a critical first-half stretch. Matthews played a phenomenal game, leading all scorers with two goals, including two on behind-the-back shots. His second bit of wizardry cut Cornell's lead to 10-8 in the fourth.