Cornell women’s lacrosse opened the 2026 season with a late comeback effort but fell to Colorado, 8-5, on Sunday afternoon at Kittredge Field.
The Big Red trailed 5-1 at halftime after Colorado built an early advantage, but Cornell showed resilience in the second half, scoring four of the game’s final seven goals to narrow the margin. Emily Iacobellis put Cornell on the board in the second quarter off an assist from Lexie Tully, while Lilly Whaling added an early third-quarter tally to trim the deficit to 5-2.
Cornell mounted its strongest push in the fourth quarter. Ellie Bergin opened the period with a goal off a Whaling assist, and Tully followed just over a minute later to bring the Big Red within two at 6-4. After Colorado answered with another goal, Kathleen Michaud scored with 1:12 remaining to cap Cornell’s comeback attempt and account for the 8-5 final.
Goalkeeper Maren Clark recorded seven saves over 60 minutes, helping keep Cornell within reach despite Colorado holding a 26-12 advantage in shots and forcing 21 turnovers. The Big Red performed well in transition, successfully clearing 17 of 19 attempts while winning nine draws.
Cornell returns to action Tuesday in a neutral-site matchup against UC Davis, with the opening draw scheduled for 1 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].