Penn State Men’s Lacrosse Falls to No. 1 Cornell in NCAA Tournament Semifinals

Penn State men’s lacrosse will wait another year to compete for its first national championship appearance in program history. The No. 5-seeded Nittany Lions’ promising 2025 campaign concluded with a 11-9 loss to No. 1 Cornell in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in Boston on Saturday.

Liam Matthews scored four goals, including two behind-the-back finishes, as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Matt Traynor scored twice in the defeat. Traynor’s second goal made it a one-point game with 9:35 to play. Big Red midfielder Hugh Kelleher followed by completing a hat trick to all but polish off a close victory.

Cornell will play the winner of No. 2 Maryland and No. 6 Syracuse in the national title game at 1 p.m. ET on Monday.

Penn State led by as much as two in the second period, and entered halftime with a one-score advantage. That was before the Big Red scored five unanswered goals to conclude the third period, a run that provided a necessary advantage to send the Nittany Lions packing in their second Final Four appearance in three seasons.

Ethan Long, Kyle Lehman and Will Peden also scored for Penn State in the loss. Cornell’s victory came without CJ Kirst, a Tewaaraton Award finalist and the No. 1 overall selection in the PLL draft, registering a single goal or assist.