Another Top-20 Matchup for Men's Lacrosse Comes at Penn State

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• Cornell takes on a Penn State team ranking on the cusp of the top 10 on Saturday, March 9 in State College, Pa. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m. at Panzer Stadium, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+.
• Cornell, which entered the preseason polls ranked seventh, finds itself as the consensus No. 8 in the major men's lacrosse polls (USILA Coaches Poll, Inside Lacrosse Media Poll).
• Cornell boasts Division I's sixth-best opponent clear percentage allowing successful clears on 79.7 percent of attempts.
• The Big Red also ranks second in scoring offense and third in points per game. Cornell averages 17.75 goals per game and 27.25 points per game so far this season.
• Penn State enters the contest on a four-game winning streak after dropping the season opener to Colgate. The most recent win came over #9/#10 Yale last weekend when after trailing 9-2 at halftime, the Nittany Lions stormed back in the second half to force overtime, eventually earning the 15-14 win over the Bulldogs.
• Cornell concluded the 2023 season ranked seventh nationally in scoring offense, tallying 14.80 goals per game. The Big Red also ranked sixth in groundballs per game, averaging 36.67, and 14th nationally in caused turnovers per game (9.40). Cornell had the nation's 10th-best scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 3.53 goals per game.
• The Big Red boasts four preseason All-Americans; CJ Kirst, Jack Follows, Hugh Kelleher, and Christopher Davis.
• Cornell returns the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and 2023 Ivy Player of the Year, CJ Kirst. The now-senior notched 65 goals and 84 points for the Big Red last year. The goal total was good for the most by a junior in Big Red history.

THE SERIES 
Overall: The series is tied, 23-23
In State College, Pa.: 10-9
Current Streak: Penn State, one game
Last Meeting: Penn State won, 10-6 on March 11, 2023, in Ithaca, N.Y.
Buczek vs. Penn State: 1-1
Series Notes: 

• Head Coach of the Nittany Lions, Jeff Tambroni, is a former Cornell men's lacrosse coach. Tambroni was at the helm of the Big Red from 2001-10, where he led the team to a 109-40 record and eight NCAA tournament appearances including back-to-back final fours in 2009 and 2010.
• All-time against Buczek and Stevens, the Nittany Lions hold a narrow 4-3 edge. While never competing against Penn State as players, the duo has matched up against the Nittany Lions seven times.
• Not only is the all-time series between the two foes tied but the last 10 meetings are split at five apiece. Neither team has won more than two games straight since four consecutive by Cornell from 1952-1955.

A WIN OVER PENN STATE WOULD ... 
• Improve Cornell's record to 4-1 on the season.
• Extend Cornell's lead in the series to 24-23.
• Mark the third win for the Big Red in the past four meetings.
• Be the 803rd win in program history (802-496-27 in 128 seasons, .615).

LAST TIME OUT: Cornell 15, Ohio State 11
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I HIGHLIGHTS
• Senior attackman CJ Kirst matched his career-high single-game goal total by burying seven to help Cornell to a 15-11 victory over Ohio State on a rainy Saturday afternoon on Schoellkopf Field.
• With the win, The Big Red improved to 3-1 on the season while the Buckeyes fell to 4-2.
• In addition to his seven goals, Kirst tallied an assist to total a game-best eight points.
• Michael Long followed with his second game tallying seven points this season, this time off of three goals and four assists.
• Hugh Kelleher and Willem Firth rounded out multi-point scorers for the Big Red with a goal and an assist each.
• Sophomore Charlie Box caused two turnovers. Wyatt Knust made 13 saves for a .542 save percentage.
• Blake Eiland led the Ohio State attack with two goals and two assists for four points.
• Alex Marinier and Jack McKenna followed with three points apiece. Marinier got his on a hat trick, while McKenna accounted for a goal and two assists. 
• Ben Mayer wrapped up double-digit point scorers with two goals. Tommy Burke went 13-of-20 along with Jack Oldman's 5-of-10 faceoff wins for an 18-of-30 night at the center X for Ohio State. Caleb Fyock let in the most goals of his career against the Big Red and had his first career game with a save percentage below .500.
• Head Coach Connor Buczek and Associate Head Coach Jordan Steven remained perfect all-time against the Buckeyes (6-0), dating back to the duo's playing days on Schoellkopf Field.

Photos by Dave Burbank, Madison Epperson, Eldon Lindsay, and Darl Zehr.