One year ago, when Cornell fell to Syracuse in the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse National Championship, the team walked out of Gillette stadium upset and unclear about exactly what had just happened. Over time, the team grew to accept the loss and recognize that new opportunities would present themselves. The Big Red had that chance today when they squared off against Notre Dame in the semifinal game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The results, sadly, were no less disappointing. Though Cornell drew first blood with a score from Roy Lang in the first two minutes, who deftly took up a position right at the top of the crease and poked the ball in off of a pass from David Lau, it was Notre Dame who took control for the remainder of the game. Neal Hicks had four goals and Zach Brenneman had three to lead the Fighting Irish to a 12-7 victory over Cornell. Steve Mock earned three goals and Ryan Hurley picked up two for the Big Red, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome a solid defensive effort on the part of Notre Dame. “They had a great slide package and a team system [on defense]” remarked Hurley. “We didn’t hit some of our shots and things just never started to get going.” For Cornell, it was difficult to find room to score, while the story was very different for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame used its athleticism and quickness to beat the Big Red defense consistently, managing to wrap around defenders and find the net 12 times against freshman goaltender AJ Fiore.

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“Offensively, we were very opportunistic,” explained Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan. “We didn’t necessarily play well offensively, but we made good offense.” The opportunities the Irish found on offense were just enough, and with a consistent defense that virtually shut down Cornell attack leaders Ryan Hurley and Rob Pannell, it was smooth sailing to victory. For the Big Red, another championship weekend loss makes for a rough outcome, but Coach Jeff Tambroni is optimistic for the future of the team. With a starting lineup that featured 4 freshmen this year, Cornell certainly has room to grow and make similar playoff runs in the coming years. For the time being, however, the team will be thinking about the season that could it could have been. “I’d be lying if I said they weren’t hurting,” Tambroni said of the team. “But someday, they’ll hopefully be able to look back and realize what kind of season it was.” The Big Red wrap up the season at 12-6, while the Fighting Irish improve to 10-6 and make their first ever NCAA lacrosse championship appearance against Duke on Monday.