Maryland falls short again as Cornell wins first NCAA lacrosse title since 1977

Maryland felt championship heartbreak again on Monday, falling in the NCAA lacrosse championship game for the second straight year as Cornell won 13-10, to secure its first national crown since 1977.

After losing to Notre Dame in last year’s championship game, Maryland coach John Tillman said he’d have trouble sleeping. Almost a full year later, his insomnia is likely to return. 

C.J. Kirst, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, led the charge with six goals for Cornell. Fellow attackman Ryan Goldstein added four goals of his own for the Big Red.

“We knew if [Kirst] got going we were going home with hardware, and by god if he didn’t find it and find it in a big way,” Big Red coach Connor Buczek said through tears. “He pulls the best out of everyone around him.”=

Tillman, a Cornell alumnus, is now 2-7 in title games at Maryland. While the Terrapins have become Final Four staples, their struggles have intensified on Memorial Day — the traditional date for the national championship. 

“It’s hard to get here every year — I don’t ever take it for granted. You just never know if you’ll make it. But these guys believed,” Tillman said, referring to the reserved preseason expectation for his squad. “It will hurt for a while. We’ll go away, and then next year we’ll come back and we’ll try to do it all over again.”

Cornell struck first, but a methodical start seemed to favor the defensive-minded squad from Maryland. Kirst and the lightning-quick Big Red led the nation in goals per game. The Terrapins ranked second in goals allowed per game.

A 2-1 deficit at the end of the first quarter seemed far from insurmountable for Maryland. 

The Terrapins knotted things up 11 seconds into the second quarter thanks to a Daniel Kelly shot that found the bottom corner of the net.

The back-and-forth affair continued through the second quarter, with neither team able to find a clear ede as Cornell took a 6-5 lead into halftime.

Then Kirst took over. After notching his first career scoreless game in the semifinal against Penn State, he scored the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth goals of the game for Cornell. 

The record-setting attackman didn’t require an assist on any of his first four goals of the game.

“He’s a fantastic player, and they do a really good job playing complementary to him, whether it’s to get him going or he’s getting other guys going,” Maryland defenseman Will Schaller said. “You have to tip your cap to them, and they rode that wave today.”

It was the last game of Kirst’s storied career. The first overall pick in the Premier Lacrosse League draft will begin his professional career with the Philadelphia Waterdogs this weekend.

A goal by Maryland attackman Braden Erksa narrowed Cornell’s lead to 8-6. But the Terrapins aren’t built to play from behind. Kirst’s offensive explosion allowed the Big Red to take a 9-7 lead into the final frame.

Maryland kept fighting, with midfielder Zach Whittier scoring the final goal of the third quarter to open a 3-1 scoring run for the Terrapins that cut Cornell’s lead to one.

The Terrapins couldn’t stop Kirst. He scored his fifth goal of the game with less than seven minutes remaining to give Cornell an 11-9 advantage.

Goldstein’s fourth goal of the day sucked the life out of the Maryland sideline.

“I was surprised; our guys got to within one. [With a] period of time left, we had a shot. We didn’t get it,” Tillman said, pointing out uncharacteristic turnovers by his squad late in the game. “It seemed like they always answered, and then just some self-inflicted wounds.”

An empty-net goal by Kirst — his record-tying 82nd of the season — sealed the victory with 50 seconds remaining.

“You just wish there’s more you could have done. But game’s over, and frankly, they played the better game today,” Maryland midfielder Eric Kolar said. “It’s just tough that it’s over. We love each other so much. There’s so much pride in that locker room. Nobody is going to go out with their head down.”

Heartbreak for Maryland meant elation for Kirst and his Cornell comrades. 

“It means everything … ” a grinning Kirst said after the game. “Incredible feeling.”