No. 5 Penn State men’s lacrosse (12-5) fell to No. 1 Cornell (17-1) 11-9 in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals on Saturday.

It was an evenly matched game to begin, with both teams struggling to find that extra momentum. The first quarter was a low-scoring affair, with only one goal hitting the scoreboard through Cornell before the half ended with the Big Red leading 5-4. The game was constantly tied before Cornell controlled the faceoffs and had five unanswered goals to lead 10-6. Penn State had hopes of a comeback, but ultimately fell just short of a trip to the finals.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening faceoff, running straight towards the goal and grabbing the ball back after a collision, including a broken stick. It had a wide shot and lost possession with Cornell going on the attack, foiled with a save by netminder Jack Fracyon.

The Nittany Lions won a loose ball after a scramble, slowing down the tempo and allowing Kyle Lehman to get a shot off that went wide. They denied the Big Red and put pressure on goalkeeper Wyatt Knust, getting off a slew of shots.

With nine minutes down, neither team found a breakthrough with nine shots denied.

Cornell had a strong change with three minutes to play, with the shot just going over the crossbar. It got another shot off before Penn State pushed it off the ball and went on the attack, hoping to get on the scoreboard before the end of the quarter.

Matt Traynor ran at the goal, being tripped right before the crease and getting hit while down, giving Penn State a man-up advantage for one minute. It passed the ball around with Lehman getting off a hard shot from far out, going just high. Ethan Long got two quick shots off, with the second being denied by Knust, and Cornell returning to full strength.

The Big Red maintained possession, getting on the scoreboard with just under 10 seconds left in the first quarter. They ran around the circle, finding Willem Firth who cut right in front of Fracyon, grabbing the first goal of the game.

Reid Gills won the faceoff for the Nittany Lions, finding Traynor, whose quick shot was saved to end the first quarter with Cornell in the lead, 1-0. Knust ended the quarter with six saves, more than he had in Cornell’s entire quarterfinal match against Richmond.

Penn State wasted no time joining the scoreboard in the second quarter, adding a goal of its own after 46 seconds. Jack Aimone found Liam Matthews cutting across goal, who sent a rocket no-look behind-the-back shot into the back of the net.

ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!

Liam Matthews of @PennStateMLAX scores with this behind-the-back beauty.#NCAAMLAX x ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/lVEx6Iv1op

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 24, 2025

Under two minutes later, it found its second goal as Will Peden ran up to the crease, hitting a diving shot above Knust’s head. The Nittany Lions’ lead didn’t last long with Cornell scoring an equalizer just seven seconds later with 12:38 to play in the half.

Matthews reclaimed the lead for Penn State with 8:27 to play, as Luke Walstrum ran up to the crease, sending it back out to Matthews, who was wide open around the fifteen. He juked his defender, switching hands, and slotted it into the top of the net.

The Big Red got a shot off that was deflected by Penn State and easily fell to Fracyon, who cleared it back to the offensive half. Lehman added to Penn State’s lead as he circled the crease, coming in at the near side of the net and leaving his defender on the floor as he smashes his shot in.

Gills won another faceoff for Penn State as it continued to control possession in this semifinal game. Jack Aimone had a shot go wide, and the Big Red went back on the attack, sneaking the ball into the net right above Fracyon’s head to put the game within one, with under three minutes to play in the first half.

Cornell tied the game around 30 seconds later, making it 4-4 with 2:28 to go. A sloppy turnover gave the ball back to the Nittany Lions. They ran around X, giving the ball to Traynor, who ran around the crease, sending a diving shot into the far corner as the defense pushed him into the crease.

The Big Red called a timeout to end the first half with Penn State leading, 5-4.

The third quarter started in chaos, with the ball constantly switching back and forth. Cornell got off a fast shot, before a slew of turnovers and a dog pile, with it coming out on top, running down and tying the game through Brendan Staub.

The Nittany Lions went a man down after Kyle Aldridge retaliated after a strong hit by x Goldstein. Cornell scored halfway through the advantage, but it was called off for a crease violation, maintaining the tie.

Matthews grabbed a hat trick for the day with 9:22 to play in the third, giving Penn State the lead again. Alex Ross caused a turnover for Penn State, finding Matthews, who grabbed his third through a quick slash shot on the far side of the goal.

Cornell jumped to score an absolute sniper and tie it all up again for the fifth time, 6-6 with 8:48 to play in the quarter. It won seven faceoffs in a row to start reclaiming possession and grow its momentum in the semifinal matchup. It got another strong shot off that was hit by Fracyon, resetting the shot clock and keeping the ball with Cornell.

The Big Red got off a slew of shots, continuing to reset the shot clock as Penn State switched to a zone defense. They found their breakthrough through Ryan Waldman as he snuck the ball past Fracyon, as Penn State’s defense was caught sleeping.

The Big Red won the next faceoff again to make it eight straight, running straight down to score another goal and increase their lead.

Chase Mullins came up big with a huge faceoff win for Penn State to try to switch the momentum back. It slowed play down, and Traynor got off a strong chance, but his shot hit the side of the net and Cornell got the ball back.

Cornell extended its run to 5-1, adding another goal to make it 9-6.

Penn State won the next faceoff, running down the show clock. Matthews got a shot off, but it lacked the extra power and fell straight to Knust’s stick. Cornell used its momentum to score its fifth unanswered goal with an absolute rocket past Fracyon.

The Nittany Lions called a timeout with 2:08 left in the quarter to try to turn the tide back in their favor. They lost the faceoff to return to play and could not get any chances as the third quarter ended with Cornell leading 10-6.

The Big Red won another faceoff to open the fourth quarter, immediately getting a shot off, but Fracyon gets a piece to push it away from goal and save the next shot, clearing it upfield.

Long grabbed a goal back for Penn State, running past the pick set by Lehman and whipping around to score a rocket and put it within three.

Cornell’s shot went wide and gave the ball back to the Nittany Lions as it picked its momentum back up. Matthews scored an insane goal, cutting in front of the goal and scoring another no-look, behind-the-back bounce shot to get Gillette Stadium rocking.

Mullins won the next faceoff for Penn State, and Traynor put the game within one, whipping the ball into the net.

With 5:49 to play, Cornell pulled one back, setting its lead back to two, 11-9. It won the next faceoff but picked up a shot clock violation as Penn State went on offense with four minutes left in the game.

Traynor’s shot was blocked, and Penn State went on defense. Fracyon posted a huge save, but it turned it over on offense and Cornell stormed back. The Big Red scored on an empty net, but a timeout was called before the ball hit the back of the net, and the goal didn’t count.

Cornell got a shot off with Fracyon out of the net, but the shot hit the post and went out of bounds. It got the ball back, with the shot clock staying at 30 seconds. Fracyon grabbed the ball back for the Nittany Lions, but the team turned it over, and Cornell ran down the clock.

The Big Red proved why they are the No. 1 seed, beating Penn State 11-9 and moving on to the NCAA Tournament finals.

Takeaways

• Cornell made Matt Traynor a lot quieter today than his showing against Notre Dame. Despite Traynor being held to only two goals, Penn State’s offense was able to share the wealth. Long and Lehman added a goal each while Matthews had four on the day.
• Faceoffs are always the core of a team’s momentum. Once Cornell dominated faceoffs, it also dominated the game and ran away with it. Penn State’s hope of a comeback came with a better faceoff game, and it will be an area it will want to dominate next year.
• Matthews had a day worthy of a highlight reel. He led the team with four goals and had two insane behind-the-back, no-look shots that left fans in shock.
• The Nittany Lions shut down Cornell’s quarterback CJ Kirst today. The No. 1 pick in the PLL and NCAA’s all-time goalscorer was held to zero goals or assists in a good showing from the defense, despite the loss.

What’s Next?

Penn State’s season is now over. It reached the NCAA semifinals for the third time in program history, falling short of its first appearance in the finals. The Nittany Lions will hit the field again next winter.