Fifth-Seeded Men's Lacrosse Returns to NCAA Final Four

HISTORY

• Penn State leads the all-time series 25-23 with its most recent win coming earlier this season on March 8.
• The Nittany Lions have won the most recent three meetings dating back to 2023 including a 20-9 dominating victory in Happy Valley in 2024.
• Penn State is 1-2 in games played at neutral sites against the Big Red. The teams squared off in 2019 and 2020 in Charlotte, N.C. for the Crown Classic. In 2018, the teams played at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Md.
• The first overtime game in the series history came this season.

SCOUTING CORNELL

• The Cornell Big Red have been the number one team in the nation since March 17.
• The Big Red’s only loss this season is at the hands of Penn State.
• CJ Kirst is the quarterback for Cornell, ranking at the top in the country in most statistical offensive categories. He is a Tewaaraton Top 5 Finalist, a USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse first team All-American, Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year and was the no. 1 overall pick in the 2025 PLL Draft to the Philly Waterdogs.
• The Big Red are 16-1 this season and 6-0 in Ivy League play as the regular season and tournament champions.
• Willem Firth, Ryan Goldstein, Hugh Kelleher, Jack Cascadden, Michael Long and Jayson Singer were all named Inside Lacrosse All-Americans along with Kirst.
• Cornell has defeated Albany in the first round and Richmond in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament thus far.
• Head coach Jeff Tambroni spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Cornell from 2001 to 2010. He took the Big Red to eight NCAA Tournaments including seven in consecutive years. Three of his Cornell teams made it to championship weekend and one finished as the National Runner-Up in 2009.

LAST TIME VS. CORNELL

• In the game on March 8 this year, The Nittany Lions battled back from a four-gaol deficit with just two and a half minutes in the game.
• PSU scored four-straight goals to send the game to overtime. Jack Aimone scored the game-tying goal, Penn State’s third man-up goal during a three-minute non-releasable penalty assessed to Cornell. Ethan Long had the game-winning goal off a pass from Hunter Aquino to seal the top five victory on the road.
•  Liam Matthews had three goals and one assist in the game, Luke Walstrum and Aimone each had two. Aquino led the squad in points with one goal and four assists.
• Alex Ross notched his first career goal in a man-down situation. Colby Baldwin went 15-25 from the faceoff x with 10 ground balls.

LAST TIME OUT

• Penn State did the unimaginable and erased as six-goal deficit in the last 20 minutes to comeback and topple two-time reigning national champions Notre Dame 14-12. The Nittany Lions were down by six goals with five minutes left in the third quarter when they engaged in a 8-0 scoring run over the next 10 minutes of game action.
• Senior captain Matt Traynor had another exceptional performance, totaling six goals, one assist, two ground balls and one caused turnover.
• Ethan Long and Kyle Lehman each notched hat tricks with Long also contributing an assist and two ground balls.
• Alex Ross was a key contributor on the Penn State defense, collecting three ground balls and causing two turnovers.
• As the netminder, Jack Fracyon made nine saves and scooped three ground balls.
• Reid Gills contributed 11 faceoff wins out of 26 attempts while collecting three ground balls and recording a personal best two caused turnovers.
• Penn State earns its third trip to the NCAA Final Four and second in the last three years.

WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN

• This would be Penn State’s 13th win of the season, marking the second 13-win season in program history, both of which would come under head coach Jeff Tambroni and first since 2019.
• A win would advance PSU to the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.
• It would be PSU’s 26th win in program history over Cornell and second this season. The Nittany Lions would be the only team to have beaten Cornell this season, also defeating the Big Red earlier this year on March 8.

POSTSEASON AWARDS

• Matt Traynor was named the Big Ten Offensive Player, marking PSU’s third consecutive year claiming this award. He was also named to first team All-Big Ten.
• Hunter Aquino is the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, marking PSU’s first time having a player win this honor. He also landed on the All-Freshman team.
• Alex Ross earned second team All-Big Ten and Liam Matthews joined Aquino on the All-Freshman team.
• Richie Hughson took home Penn State’s Sportsmanship Award.
• Traynor was named a second team USA Lacrosse All-American while Ross landed on third team. Aquino and Kevin Parnham were tabbed honorable mentions.
• The same crew of four earned Inside Lacrosse All-American status with Aquino on second team and Traynor, Parnham and Ross named honorable mentions.
• The third and final group of All-Americans consist of Traynor and Aquino who made third team USILA All-American and Ross earned honorable mention.