Cornell men’s lacrosse erased a fourth-quarter deficit with six unanswered goals to defeat No. 17 Denver 13-9 on Saturday at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Trailing 9-7 with less than 13 minutes remaining, the Big Red responded quickly after a Denver man-up goal extended the Pioneers’ lead. Jack Cascadden scored just 21 seconds later to spark the comeback, and Brian Luzzi tied the game on an extra-man opportunity midway through the quarter. Eight seconds after the equalizer, Willem Firth scored off a Ryan Goldstein assist to give Cornell the lead for good.
Rowyn Nurry added a goal before Goldstein scored twice late to cap the decisive run that turned a two-goal deficit into a four-goal victory.
Firth led the offense with three goals and four assists, while Goldstein recorded two goals and five assists as the duo combined for 14 points. Freshman Rowyn Nurry and sophomore Luke Robinson each scored their first collegiate goals.
Cornell built a 6-3 lead after the first quarter before Denver rallied to trail 7-6 at halftime. The Pioneers briefly took control in the third quarter, highlighted by two quick goals from Marek Tzagournis, who finished with three goals.
Goalkeeper Matthew Tully made 10 saves, and Cornell controlled possession at the faceoff X. Cascadden won 15-of-21 faceoffs, while Michael Melkonian went 4-for-5 to help the Big Red hold a 19-7 advantage.
Cornell opens its home schedule Tuesday, February 24, hosting Hobart at Schoellkopf Field for a 5 p.m. faceoff.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].