CORNELL WINS 2025 MENS LACROSSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Robb
Casual fan question: I think I can guess MD, but the only WD I know is 40. What’s that about?

Robb

tretiak
What a game. What a team. They went wire to wire as the dominant team this year - what a strange feeling.

I loved Buzcek's emotions at the end. What a coach. WD > MD. Cornell are the fucking champions. LGR!

Yesssssss!!!

Casual fan question: I think I can guess MD, but the only WD I know is 40. What’s that about?

Robb

tretiak
What a game. What a team. They went wire to wire as the dominant team this year - what a strange feeling.

I loved Buzcek's emotions at the end. What a coach. WD > MD. Cornell are the fucking champions. LGR!

Yesssssss!!!

Casual fan question: I think I can guess MD, but the only WD I know is 40. What’s that about?

Robb

tretiak
What a game. What a team. They went wire to wire as the dominant team this year - what a strange feeling.

I loved Buzcek's emotions at the end. What a coach. WD > MD. Cornell are the fucking champions. LGR!

Yesssssss!!!

Casual fan question: I think I can guess MD, but the only WD I know is 40. What’s that about?

Marshall Peters, Cornell lacrosse, 2015

"Ever since I came to Cornell, Jordan has been my mentor and from a personal perspective, he's always there for me, both on the field and off the field. He really cares about people and he really exemplifies the 'well done is better than well said' motto that we have in Cornell lacrosse."

Robb

tretiak
What a game. What a team. They went wire to wire as the dominant team this year - what a strange feeling.

I loved Buzcek's emotions at the end. What a coach. WD > MD. Cornell are the fucking champions. LGR!

Yesssssss!!!

Casual fan question: I think I can guess MD, but the only WD I know is 40. What’s that about?

djk26

Robb

tretiak
What a game. What a team. They went wire to wire as the dominant team this year - what a strange feeling.

I loved Buzcek's emotions at the end. What a coach. WD > MD. Cornell are the fucking champions. LGR!

Yesssssss!!!

Casual fan question: I think I can guess MD, but the only WD I know is 40. What’s that about?

"Well done is better than well said", often shortened to "WD>WS" is Cornell lacrosse's motto. I don't know who originated it for Cornell lacrosse, probably Richie Moran.

I found this article from 2015 where one of Cornell's defensive players was talking about this teammate, Jordan Stevens (who is the current Cornell defensive coach--his group came up HUGE today.)

[www.ncaa.com]

Marshall Peters, Cornell lacrosse, 2015

"Ever since I came to Cornell, Jordan has been my mentor and from a personal perspective, he's always there for me, both on the field and off the field. He really cares about people and he really exemplifies the 'well done is better than well said' motto that we have in Cornell lacrosse."

stereax
holy shit we actually did it

I'm gonna go cry in the corner. And watch the game on demand like 50 times. And cry in the corner.

"CJ Kirst is Hurt" people in fucking SHAMBLES. Jesus Kirst Superstar, how many goals have you scored so far... (Six!!!) Apparently he tied the record for goals in a single season too!

Robb
Dang - didn’t think I was *that* casual of a fan. Can’t believe I’ve missed this for 10+ years. I shall have to redouble my lacrosses fan effort!

scoop85
So, I wonder who’s going home with the Tewaaraton on Thursday

scoop85
The trophy presentation is now available on ESPN+

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

jjanow99

djk26

Jeff Hopkins '82

scoop85

jjanow99
Never thought I’d see another lacrosse championship, now I can stop obsessing over 2009.

My feelings exactly. Poetic justice that we win today at the scene of that crime

I almost wrote "Now 2009 never happened" but held back. Nice to know others feel that way, too

I was not at all surprised when ESPN did the flashback to 2009 with like two minutes remaining in today's game. I turned away so I didn't have to watch it today. Thank you, Cornel 2025 lacrosse, for replacing that memory.

I did the exact same thing! Now I can replace those mental images.

Robb

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Also, no offense to Long, but I want my national champion T-shirt to have #15 on it.....or 21.

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

Weder

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

There are some shirts and a hat up now on the Campus Store's site.

Ken711
Does Connor Buczek get a raise or bonus for coaching his Cornell team to the National Championship?

Weder

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

There are some shirts and a hat up now on the Campus Store's site.

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

There are some shirts and a hat up now on the Campus Store's site.

Those are better. I just ordered one.

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

There are some shirts and a hat up now on the Campus Store's site.

Those are better. I just ordered one.

.

Link?

Jeff Hopkins '82

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

There are some shirts and a hat up now on the Campus Store's site.

Those are better. I just ordered one.

.

Link?

Cornell Store

toddlose

Ken711
Does Connor Buczek get a raise or bonus for coaching his Cornell team to the National Championship?

He will definitely be offered a raise. Hopefully his loyalty prevails. I’m optimistic on it.

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder

toddlose

Jeff Hopkins '82

Weder
If you want some natty merch: [www.shopncaasports.com]

Only one item actually says "Cornell". All the others simply have the nondescript "C" logo. Meh.

I'll wait to see what Cornell comes up with.

Lol. I’m sure it’ll be great!


“Sarcasm”

There are some shirts and a hat up now on the Campus Store's site.

Those are better. I just ordered one.

.

Link?

Cornell Store

Appreciated.

Ken711
Does Connor Buczek get a raise or bonus for coaching his Cornell team to the National Championship?

stereax
Welcome to eLynah. We just won a national championship - the first time since my parents were born, almost - and before the day is done we're already complaining about the merch for the national champions. XD

stereax
Welcome to eLynah. We just won a national championship - the first time since my parents were born, almost - and before the day is done we're already complaining about the merch for the national champions. XD

arugula
That was fantastic. I drove my graduate home today, avoided the score and watched the game tonight. Almost as good as if it were hockey! Added bonus was that at the Government department graduation ceremony the Dean mispronounced Knust. Wyatt wasn’t there of course but a reminder of priorities. I feel very happy for the graduation and the lacrosse just makes it better. I’d love them to win it again so for selfish reasons I can completely focus.

ugarte

arugula
That was fantastic. I drove my graduate home today, avoided the score and watched the game tonight. Almost as good as if it were hockey! Added bonus was that at the Government department graduation ceremony the Dean mispronounced Knust. Wyatt wasn’t there of course but a reminder of priorities. I feel very happy for the graduation and the lacrosse just makes it better. I’d love them to win it again so for selfish reasons I can completely focus.

i didn't have a graduate with me in 2009, i had a kid approaching his first birthday, so i had to watch *that* game on tape delay. glad you had a better experience!

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

Al DeFlorio

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

Right. Just like they were in 2022...but time ran out then.

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

upprdeck
Celebration on campus today around 4:45 the email says. One sad thing about LAX is winning after all the kids for most colleges have gone home.

I suspect we will see recognition at a hockey game perhaps this fall.

JasonN95
Link to an excellent (in my opinion) condensed version of the game: [www.youtube.com]

If you want to watch such for other Cornell games from this season, I recommend checking that channel, Cuse Crease Highlights, first to see if they did a version. There's another YouTube channel, College Lacrosse, that does them and gets a lot more views, but their versions have inferior video quality, an annoying watermark, and I don't think their editing choices are as good (way too many replays of a goal using slo mo, at least in their later efforts). One reason that they probably get more views is that they were exceptionally quick in posting after a game completed where as the Cuse Crease channel could take a day or two.

An interesting, classy postgame press conference by Maryland's Coach Tillman: [www.youtube.com]

Chris H82
For those who weren't there, I've put some photos from the tailgate party and the post-game celebration on a photo-sharing website:
[chris-h-stuff.smugmug.com]

At the tailgate, evidently there is a recent (?) tradition of passing out shots of Fireball (I'm guessing it's that since it's Red) and then a booster/alumni (could be both?) makes a toast to the team and the crowd. It was really cool.

JasonN95
An interesting, classy postgame press conference by Maryland's Coach Tillman: [www.youtube.com]

arugula

ugarte

arugula
That was fantastic. I drove my graduate home today, avoided the score and watched the game tonight. Almost as good as if it were hockey! Added bonus was that at the Government department graduation ceremony the Dean mispronounced Knust. Wyatt wasn’t there of course but a reminder of priorities. I feel very happy for the graduation and the lacrosse just makes it better. I’d love them to win it again so for selfish reasons I can completely focus.

i didn't have a graduate with me in 2009, i had a kid approaching his first birthday, so i had to watch *that* game on tape delay. glad you had a better experience!

To be clear, I was not at the game. My wife and O were bringing our graduate home and we watched the game together at home later.

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

mike1960

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

It felt like CJ got a lot more attention earlier in the game. RG received some double teams as well. Teams have two days to prepare, so they probably have to rely heavily on their base defenses to get the job done. I wonder if part of the problem is that the MD defense was just gassed as the game approached the fourth quarter. Once CJ realized he could get a step on the pole and put him on his back, he started having lots of success. Even the dive attempt, though blocked by the great MD goalie, proved that CJ could get there.

One thing that Tillman noted in his interview was the Cornell substitution game. For those of us living far away and unable to see the games in person, we don't get a chance to see how Cornell puts pressure on defenses using the midline and sub box. Clearly, the Cornell coaches put a lot of thought into this phase of the game and use it effectively.

mike1960

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

It felt like CJ got a lot more attention earlier in the game. RG received some double teams as well. Teams have two days to prepare, so they probably have to rely heavily on their base defenses to get the job done. I wonder if part of the problem is that the MD defense was just gassed as the game approached the fourth quarter. Once CJ realized he could get a step on the pole and put him on his back, he started having lots of success. Even the dive attempt, though blocked by the great MD goalie, proved that CJ could get there.

One thing that Tillman noted in his interview was the Cornell substitution game. For those of us living far away and unable to see the games in person, we don't get a chance to see how Cornell puts pressure on defenses using the midline and sub box. Clearly, the Cornell coaches put a lot of thought into this phase of the game and use it effectively.

dag14

stereax
Welcome to eLynah. We just won a national championship - the first time since my parents were born, almost - and before the day is done we're already complaining about the merch for the national champions. XD

You made me laugh out loud. I also realized at some point today that while I have seen the FOUR Cornell national championship games, my two sons -- class of 2004 and 2009-- were not even alive for the first three. Forty-eight years is literally a lifetime....

ugarte
stereax you are not allowed to tell everyone here that we are older than your parents. it's unseemly.

Chris H82
For those who weren't there, I've put some photos from the tailgate party and the post-game celebration on a photo-sharing website:
[chris-h-stuff.smugmug.com]

At the tailgate, evidently there is a recent (?) tradition of passing out shots of Fireball (I'm guessing it's that since it's Red) and then a booster/alumni (could be both?) makes a toast to the team and the crowd. It was really cool.

marty

mike1960

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

It felt like CJ got a lot more attention earlier in the game. RG received some double teams as well. Teams have two days to prepare, so they probably have to rely heavily on their base defenses to get the job done. I wonder if part of the problem is that the MD defense was just gassed as the game approached the fourth quarter. Once CJ realized he could get a step on the pole and put him on his back, he started having lots of success. Even the dive attempt, though blocked by the great MD goalie, proved that CJ could get there.

One thing that Tillman noted in his interview was the Cornell substitution game. For those of us living far away and unable to see the games in person, we don't get a chance to see how Cornell puts pressure on defenses using the midline and sub box. Clearly, the Cornell coaches put a lot of thought into this phase of the game and use it effectively.

It was nice to see a full field view from the goal at times during the game, but I didn't get a chance to see substitutions during those shots and I have the feeling I'll never get the hang of the dynamics of the game. RPI season tickets for hockey are a no brainer, but U Albany games for lacrosse are only interesting if Cornell makes a visit.

mike1960

marty

mike1960

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

It felt like CJ got a lot more attention earlier in the game. RG received some double teams as well. Teams have two days to prepare, so they probably have to rely heavily on their base defenses to get the job done. I wonder if part of the problem is that the MD defense was just gassed as the game approached the fourth quarter. Once CJ realized he could get a step on the pole and put him on his back, he started having lots of success. Even the dive attempt, though blocked by the great MD goalie, proved that CJ could get there.

One thing that Tillman noted in his interview was the Cornell substitution game. For those of us living far away and unable to see the games in person, we don't get a chance to see how Cornell puts pressure on defenses using the midline and sub box. Clearly, the Cornell coaches put a lot of thought into this phase of the game and use it effectively.

It was nice to see a full field view from the goal at times during the game, but I didn't get a chance to see substitutions during those shots and I have the feeling I'll never get the hang of the dynamics of the game. RPI season tickets for hockey are a no brainer, but U Albany games for lacrosse are only interesting if Cornell makes a visit.

Tillman also mentioned the number of SSDMs Cornell used. Injuries to Bozzi, Hard Hat Box, and Chris Davis left us vulnerable at times this season to getting beat up top. But their injuries also gave other guys playing time and experience when we needed it in the championship run. The SSDM position is hard and thankless for the most part. They played their tails off all championship game to prevent hands free shots from opponents. Also, all season, coaches also used the second line offensive midfield a lot so that there was little if any drop off when they came in. So when crunch time came in the fourth quarter, when it mattered the most, we still had rocket fuel left to push us over the line.

mike1960

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

It felt like CJ got a lot more attention earlier in the game. RG received some double teams as well. Teams have two days to prepare, so they probably have to rely heavily on their base defenses to get the job done. I wonder if part of the problem is that the MD defense was just gassed as the game approached the fourth quarter. Once CJ realized he could get a step on the pole and put him on his back, he started having lots of success. Even the dive attempt, though blocked by the great MD goalie, proved that CJ could get there.

One thing that Tillman noted in his interview was the Cornell substitution game. For those of us living far away and unable to see the games in person, we don't get a chance to see how Cornell puts pressure on defenses using the midline and sub box. Clearly, the Cornell coaches put a lot of thought into this phase of the game and use it effectively.

ugarte

arugula
That was fantastic. I drove my graduate home today, avoided the score and watched the game tonight. Almost as good as if it were hockey! Added bonus was that at the Government department graduation ceremony the Dean mispronounced Knust. Wyatt wasn’t there of course but a reminder of priorities. I feel very happy for the graduation and the lacrosse just makes it better. I’d love them to win it again so for selfish reasons I can completely focus.

i didn't have a graduate with me in 2009, i had a kid approaching his first birthday, so i had to watch *that* game on tape delay. glad you had a better experience!

Chris H82
The other thing we noted was that Coach Buczek made really good use of his timeout calls a couple of times, when we had barely gotten the ball into the offensive side of the field but our player was at risk of losing the ball.

mike1960

marty

mike1960

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

It felt like CJ got a lot more attention earlier in the game. RG received some double teams as well. Teams have two days to prepare, so they probably have to rely heavily on their base defenses to get the job done. I wonder if part of the problem is that the MD defense was just gassed as the game approached the fourth quarter. Once CJ realized he could get a step on the pole and put him on his back, he started having lots of success. Even the dive attempt, though blocked by the great MD goalie, proved that CJ could get there.

One thing that Tillman noted in his interview was the Cornell substitution game. For those of us living far away and unable to see the games in person, we don't get a chance to see how Cornell puts pressure on defenses using the midline and sub box. Clearly, the Cornell coaches put a lot of thought into this phase of the game and use it effectively.

It was nice to see a full field view from the goal at times during the game, but I didn't get a chance to see substitutions during those shots and I have the feeling I'll never get the hang of the dynamics of the game. RPI season tickets for hockey are a no brainer, but U Albany games for lacrosse are only interesting if Cornell makes a visit.

Tillman also mentioned the number of SSDMs Cornell used. Injuries to Bozzi, Hard Hat Box, and Chris Davis left us vulnerable at times this season to getting beat up top. But their injuries also gave other guys playing time and experience when we needed it in the championship run. The SSDM position is hard and thankless for the most part. They played their tails off all championship game to prevent hands free shots from opponents. Also, all season, coaches also used the second line offensive midfield a lot so that there was little if any drop off when they came in. So when crunch time came in the fourth quarter, when it mattered the most, we still had rocket fuel left to push us over the line.

CU77
That timeout was nowhere close to "one of the worst ever"!

In the moment, I agreed with it. Cornell looked to be about to lose the ball, and I felt that early momentum just after halftime in a one-goal game was important (and so, apparently, did Buczek). You are correct that the player on the ground (Gilmartin I think) flipped a great desperation pass that was successful, but Buczek had already called the timeout.

Over the years there have been many lax games where a timeout is called by the coach just as his team is scoring, wiping out the goal.

And just the day before, on the very same field, this happened:

[www.tiktok.com]

LGR14

Agreed. Also, Buczek has been more aggressive about using the timeout since failing to call one in the first Penn State game when Kirst was pinned on the endline while up 1. Every possession counts.

djk26

LGR14

Agreed. Also, Buczek has been more aggressive about using the timeout since failing to call one in the first Penn State game when Kirst was pinned on the endline while up 1. Every possession counts.

That's why that loss to Penn State was the most important (regular season) game of the year. Sure it cost them an undefeated regular season but the lessons learned from that game had a big impact going forward. And if the lesson had to come somwehere, I'm glad it came against Penn State and not, say, Syracuse.

CU77
That timeout was nowhere close to "one of the worst ever"!

In the moment, I agreed with it. Cornell looked to be about to lose the ball, and I felt that early momentum just after halftime in a one-goal game was important (and so, apparently, did Buczek). You are correct that the player on the ground (Gilmartin I think) flipped a great desperation pass that was successful, but Buczek had already called the timeout.

Over the years there have been many lax games where a timeout is called by the coach just as his team is scoring, wiping out the goal.

And just the day before, on the very same field, this happened:

[www.tiktok.com]

ugarte

arugula

ugarte

arugula
That was fantastic. I drove my graduate home today, avoided the score and watched the game tonight. Almost as good as if it were hockey! Added bonus was that at the Government department graduation ceremony the Dean mispronounced Knust. Wyatt wasn’t there of course but a reminder of priorities. I feel very happy for the graduation and the lacrosse just makes it better. I’d love them to win it again so for selfish reasons I can completely focus.

i didn't have a graduate with me in 2009, i had a kid approaching his first birthday, so i had to watch *that* game on tape delay. glad you had a better experience!

To be clear, I was not at the game. My wife and O were bringing our graduate home and we watched the game together at home later.

i know! i was saying i was distracted by a different event and it was worse to watch them fall apart all alone, hours after everyone else had the bad news.

dag14

ugarte

arugula
That was fantastic. I drove my graduate home today, avoided the score and watched the game tonight. Almost as good as if it were hockey! Added bonus was that at the Government department graduation ceremony the Dean mispronounced Knust. Wyatt wasn’t there of course but a reminder of priorities. I feel very happy for the graduation and the lacrosse just makes it better. I’d love them to win it again so for selfish reasons I can completely focus.

i didn't have a graduate with me in 2009, i had a kid approaching his first birthday, so i had to watch *that* game on tape delay. glad you had a better experience!

My younger son was class of '09. We watched the semifinal game at his fraternity and came realllly close to jumping in the car after the graduation ceremony and driving to Gillette. OMG would that have been a horrible drive home.

So let's talk about what Coach Buczek and Coach Stevens have done for this program. Everybody today is talking how close Cornell has come to winning before finally breaking through yesterday. But there is so much more to the story than that.

The Cornell program hit rock bottom in 2017, falling year by year after DeLuca was let go in 2014. Milliman brought to program back quickly in 2018 behind a tremendous offense led by Jeff Teat. After a disappointing 2019 that saw Cornell on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble, the team started 5-0 in 2020 and #2 in the polls behind a dizzying offense that was putting up pinball scores. Then Covid hit and the season ground to a halt.

Nobody knew what the future held - short or long term - for the lax team, the University, or the country as we all remained locked down. Cornell had a hiring and wage freeze and players had to navigate an uncertain future on campus and in the outside world. In late April, Milliman shocked the Cornell community by taking the Hopkins head coach job after Petramala was let go after 20 years. It was a gut punch in uncertain times and left many of Cornell fans feeling helpless and a bit hopeless. After losing Tambroni, DeLuca, and Milliman in the span of a few years, we were shellshocked. The lax world was not friendly towards Cornell and things looked bleak for the future of the program.

A few days or weeks later, Cornell took a gamble and named 26 year old Buczek as head coach and 26 year old Stevens as assistant head coach. Many of us didn't know what to think. Shortly after that, Buczek held a Zoom conference for the Cornell lacrosse community. This "kid" was incredibly impressive, explaining his offense in detail - one that was putting up 19 goals a game in 2020 and was sparkling in 2018 and 2019. He spoke about culture and effort and sounded like a coach who had been doing this for decades. Stevens did the same. Buczek calmed nerves, gave us hope, and made us all feel as if everything was going to be ok.

But there was another major hurdle. The Ivy League canceled sports in 2021 as well. Some key members of the 2020 team graduated, including Teat, who has become the best lacrosse player in the world since then (what might have been in 2020 or 2021!). Remarkably, Buczek held this program together through two seasons of tumult and darkness. He managed to hold on to many of the 2020 and 2021 recruits and still was able to attract talent for 2022 and beyond.

Then, when many were sounding the death knell for Ivy and Cornell lacrosse, he and Stevens led the 2022 team to the brink of a title, beating teams that were playing with 22, 23 and 24 year olds, many of whom left the Ivy League to play with schools in the power conferences. And now, 3 years later, we have the first national championship in 47 seasons. To go from where this program was in 2017 and in 2020-21, to the pinnacle of the sport in 2025 is truly remarkable. Congratulations Coach Buczek and Coach Stevens on a truly momentous accomplishment in the face of long odds and numerous unprecedented hurdles.

CU77
From poster Chousnake at fanlax (not sure if he's present here or not), a useful summary of recent history:

So let's talk about what Coach Buczek and Coach Stevens have done for this program. Everybody today is talking how close Cornell has come to winning before finally breaking through yesterday. But there is so much more to the story than that.

The Cornell program hit rock bottom in 2017, falling year by year after DeLuca was let go in 2014. Milliman brought to program back quickly in 2018 behind a tremendous offense led by Jeff Teat. After a disappointing 2019 that saw Cornell on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble, the team started 5-0 in 2020 and #2 in the polls behind a dizzying offense that was putting up pinball scores. Then Covid hit and the season ground to a halt.

Nobody knew what the future held - short or long term - for the lax team, the University, or the country as we all remained locked down. Cornell had a hiring and wage freeze and players had to navigate an uncertain future on campus and in the outside world. In late April, Milliman shocked the Cornell community by taking the Hopkins head coach job after Petramala was let go after 20 years. It was a gut punch in uncertain times and left many of Cornell fans feeling helpless and a bit hopeless. After losing Tambroni, DeLuca, and Milliman in the span of a few years, we were shellshocked. The lax world was not friendly towards Cornell and things looked bleak for the future of the program.

A few days or weeks later, Cornell took a gamble and named 26 year old Buczek as head coach and 26 year old Stevens as assistant head coach. Many of us didn't know what to think. Shortly after that, Buczek held a Zoom conference for the Cornell lacrosse community. This "kid" was incredibly impressive, explaining his offense in detail - one that was putting up 19 goals a game in 2020 and was sparkling in 2018 and 2019. He spoke about culture and effort and sounded like a coach who had been doing this for decades. Stevens did the same. Buczek calmed nerves, gave us hope, and made us all feel as if everything was going to be ok.

But there was another major hurdle. The Ivy League canceled sports in 2021 as well. Some key members of the 2020 team graduated, including Teat, who has become the best lacrosse player in the world since then (what might have been in 2020 or 2021!). Remarkably, Buczek held this program together through two seasons of tumult and darkness. He managed to hold on to many of the 2020 and 2021 recruits and still was able to attract talent for 2022 and beyond.

Then, when many were sounding the death knell for Ivy and Cornell lacrosse, he and Stevens led the 2022 team to the brink of a title, beating teams that were playing with 22, 23 and 24 year olds, many of whom left the Ivy League to play with schools in the power conferences. And now, 3 years later, we have the first national championship in 47 seasons. To go from where this program was in 2017 and in 2020-21, to the pinnacle of the sport in 2025 is truly remarkable. Congratulations Coach Buczek and Coach Stevens on a truly momentous accomplishment in the face of long odds and numerous unprecedented hurdles.

[fanlax.com]

scoop85

upprdeck
Celebration on campus today around 4:45 the email says. One sad thing about LAX is winning after all the kids for most colleges have gone home.

I suspect we will see recognition at a hockey game perhaps this fall.

I'll be at reunion in a couple of weeks. I hope Connor is around to present a talk about the season.

CU77
[www.tiktok.com]

Al DeFlorio

mike1960

BearLover

mike1960
I just re-watched the 4th quarter. MD kind of self destructed. Highly unusual for a Tillman team. 2 failed clears. An offsides. An offensive hold. That's four possessions lost when they desperately needed them.

I would give Cornell more credit. All year long they’ve had an incredible ride and outlasted teams in the second half. Maryland had trouble with Cornell’s pressure and they were probably exhausted at this point.

I hope that pointing out MD's uncharacteristic errors is not giving our team less credit. I agree that pressure from Cornell was part of the reason for MD's turnovers. And also Cornell was not overwhelmed by the pressure on the biggest stage, the mark of a great championship team. In fact, unlike the PSU game, the team moved the ball quickly and cleanly from the opening whistle. They were ready and they were fearless. I also like what djk26 wrote about unassisted goals. This year, this team won playing beautiful lacrosse, they sometimes won ugly, and on championship day they won out of character. They found a weakness in MD's on ball defense and took advantage. Great teams find a way to win.

No expert, but it seemed to me that Tillman limited slides to force our guys to beat their covers one-on-one rather than find the guy left open by a slide. And CJ and Ryan did. Ergo, few assists.

imafrshmn
As a fan of Classicism, i enjoyed all the ridiculous allusions to Greek mythology that almost effortlessly wrote themselves into our story as presented on the broadcast. Funny how that works.

djk26

imafrshmn
As a fan of Classicism, i enjoyed all the ridiculous allusions to Greek mythology that almost effortlessly wrote themselves into our story as presented on the broadcast. Funny how that works.

Really? I thought the whole about Odysseus finding his way home to Ithaca was a little silly. (I thought the allusion to it on the broadcast was silly, not "The Odyssey" itself.)

stereax
From Kotlikoff:


Cornell University Logo
Dear Cornellians,

Please join us in celebrating Cornell’s men’s lacrosse team for their electrifying NCAA championship victory May 26 over the University of Maryland. Our Big Red players demonstrated grit, determination, leadership and sportsmanship at every step of this historic season.

This victory marks Cornell’s first NCAA team title in any sport since men’s lacrosse won the same championship in 1977. Led by Connor Buczek ’15, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men’s Lacrosse, the team soared in every way, tying a Division I record (18-1), leading the nation in scoring, winning Ivy League titles and producing eight All-American players.

The team’s amazing season embodies the best of Cornell, showcasing our values of hard work and perseverance. Their incredible sense of community and teamwork guided them to this victory.

We invite all on the Ithaca campus to join us in honoring the champions with a campus procession at 4:45 p.m. this afternoon, starting at Tanner Terrace in Schoellkopf Hall, along Campus Road, and ending in the Crescent Parking Lot.

Please join me and Cornell Board of Trustees Chair Kraig Kayser, on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, in congratulating the team members and celebrating their Cornell milestone.

Go Big Red!

Michael I. Kotlikoff
President

Kraig H. Kayser, MBA ’84
Chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees

djk26

imafrshmn
As a fan of Classicism, i enjoyed all the ridiculous allusions to Greek mythology that almost effortlessly wrote themselves into our story as presented on the broadcast. Funny how that works.

Really? I thought the whole about Odysseus finding his way home to Ithaca was a little silly. (I thought the allusion to it on the broadcast was silly, not "The Odyssey" itself.)

George64

stereax
From Kotlikoff:


Cornell University Logo
Dear Cornellians,

Please join us in celebrating Cornell’s men’s lacrosse team for their electrifying NCAA championship victory May 26 over the University of Maryland. Our Big Red players demonstrated grit, determination, leadership and sportsmanship at every step of this historic season.

This victory marks Cornell’s first NCAA team title in any sport since men’s lacrosse won the same championship in 1977. Led by Connor Buczek ’15, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men’s Lacrosse, the team soared in every way, tying a Division I record (18-1), leading the nation in scoring, winning Ivy League titles and producing eight All-American players.

The team’s amazing season embodies the best of Cornell, showcasing our values of hard work and perseverance. Their incredible sense of community and teamwork guided them to this victory.

We invite all on the Ithaca campus to join us in honoring the champions with a campus procession at 4:45 p.m. this afternoon, starting at Tanner Terrace in Schoellkopf Hall, along Campus Road, and ending in the Crescent Parking Lot.

Please join me and Cornell Board of Trustees Chair Kraig Kayser, on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, in congratulating the team members and celebrating their Cornell milestone.

Go Big Red!

Michael I. Kotlikoff
President

Kraig H. Kayser, MBA ’84
Chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees

It would be a nice gesture, if Cornell were to hold a small commencement ceremony for the seniors who helped Cornell win this championship. Several protracted their eligibility when they could have moved on, degree in hand, and made some money. Kudos to them and the rest of the team for their accomplishments.

George64

stereax
From Kotlikoff:


Cornell University Logo
Dear Cornellians,

Please join us in celebrating Cornell’s men’s lacrosse team for their electrifying NCAA championship victory May 26 over the University of Maryland. Our Big Red players demonstrated grit, determination, leadership and sportsmanship at every step of this historic season.

This victory marks Cornell’s first NCAA team title in any sport since men’s lacrosse won the same championship in 1977. Led by Connor Buczek ’15, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men’s Lacrosse, the team soared in every way, tying a Division I record (18-1), leading the nation in scoring, winning Ivy League titles and producing eight All-American players.

The team’s amazing season embodies the best of Cornell, showcasing our values of hard work and perseverance. Their incredible sense of community and teamwork guided them to this victory.

We invite all on the Ithaca campus to join us in honoring the champions with a campus procession at 4:45 p.m. this afternoon, starting at Tanner Terrace in Schoellkopf Hall, along Campus Road, and ending in the Crescent Parking Lot.

Please join me and Cornell Board of Trustees Chair Kraig Kayser, on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, in congratulating the team members and celebrating their Cornell milestone.

Go Big Red!

Michael I. Kotlikoff
President

Kraig H. Kayser, MBA ’84
Chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees

It would be a nice gesture, if Cornell were to hold a small commencement ceremony for the seniors who helped Cornell win this championship. Several protracted their eligibility when they could have moved on, degree in hand, and made some money. Kudos to them and the rest of the team for their accomplishments.