Cornell men’s lacrosse surrendered a second-half lead as No. 3 Richmond scored five of the final six goals to defeat the No. 5 Big Red 8-7 on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.
Cornell held a 7-5 advantage early in the fourth quarter following Ryan Waldman’s goal, but Richmond quickly shifted momentum. Lucas Littlejohn scored less than two minutes later before Joe Sheridan tied the game with 4:43 remaining. Gavin Creo netted the go-ahead goal with 1:04 left to complete the comeback, and Cornell was unable to convert on two late scoring chances.
Littlejohn led all scorers with three goals, while Sheridan and Creo each added two goals during Richmond’s decisive fourth-quarter surge.
Ryan Goldstein and Willem Firth paced Cornell offensively with two goals apiece and combined for two assists. Matthew Perfetto contributed one goal and two assists as the Big Red generated consistent scoring opportunities throughout the contest.
Goalkeeper Matthew Tully recorded a career-high 16 saves for Cornell against Richmond’s 24 shots on goal. Faceoffs proved critical late, as the Spiders won 11 of 18 draws, including three of five in the fourth quarter, helping maintain possession during the comeback.
The loss marked Cornell’s first defeat since March 2025 and Richmond’s first win in three all-time meetings between the programs.
Cornell returns to action Saturday, March 7, traveling to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face Penn State at 1 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].