Cornell beats Maryland 13-10 to win first NCAA lacrosse title since 1977

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — CJ Kirst scored six goals, Ryan Goldstein added four and Cornell, the first NCAA lacrosse champion, ended a 48-year drought with a 13-10 win over Maryland on Monday for the Big Red’s fourth national championship.

Kirst scored the final goal into an empty net with 50 seconds to go. It was his 82nd of the season, allowing the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer (247) to tie the single season record of 82.

“We knew if (No.) 15 got going we were going home with hardware and by god if he didn’t find it and find it in a big way,” said coach Connor Buczek, a former Big Red All-American. “He pulls the best out of everyone around him.”

This was Cornell’s first championship since 1977 when the Big Red defeated Johns Hopkins 16-8. The game, a matchup of the teams from the first NCAA championship the Big Red won 12-6 in 1971, was tight throughout. Second-seeded Maryland (14-4) never led, but top-seeded Cornell (18-1) was never ahead by more than three goals.

Kirst, who was scoreless for the first time in his career in the semifinals, didn’t connect until inside the two-minute mark of the first half, which ended with the Big Red on top 6-5. He had a hat trick in the third period.

“Just playing off my teammates,” Kirst said. “Semifinal game I didn’t have my best performance, but man did my teammates step up. That’s what this year’s been all about. … And Ryan Goldstein didn’t have too bad of day, too, huh?”

Maryland, now 4-14 in title games, went down 10-7 early in the fourth quarter, but the Terps scored consecutive goals for the first time. Brandon Erksa and Elijah Stobaugh made it a one-goal game with 9:23 to play.

Two unforced turnovers at midfield led to Kirst and Goldstein goals to regain the three-goal lead at 12-9 with 4:08 left.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports