M. Lacrosse Trounced By Ivy Foe Cornell

At least they didn’t get their hearts broken this time.

The Harvard men’s lacrosse team was dominated by No. 9 Cornell Saturday, dropping a 16-6 decision in Ithaca.

The Crimson’s two previous losses this season were each by a single goal. In addition, while the result was the same, the game was markedly different from the last two contests between these two teams, both of which Harvard (4-3, 1-1 Ivy) lost by just one goal to the Big Red (5-2, 3-0).

This year, Cornell left little doubt as to which team deserved to leave the field victorious.

“It was incredible how [pumped] they were,” freshman attackman Zach Widbin said. “It’s always a big game for them, and they had a lot of fans out there and a lot of support from their bench.”

After a contested first quarter that ended with the Crimson trailing by a score of 3-1 thanks to a late goal by tri-captain attackman Mike McBride, the Big Red seized control of the game in the second quarter.

Despite firing just eight shots in the quarter, Cornell managed to tally five unanswered goals, making the score 8-1 at halftime.

“They got a couple of goals early, and it just snowballed,” Widbin said. “We didn’t really respond.”

Harvard made one final push to get back into the game immediately after the half, with goals by Widbin and sophomore midfielder Brian Mahler that cut the deficit to five, but the Big Red scored the next three goals to end the Crimson’s upset bid.

With the game out of reach, sophomore midfielder Adam Mahfouda, sophomore midfielder Evan Calvert, and junior midfielder Tom Boylan each scored goals to bring Harvard’s total to six.

As has rarely been the case this season, it was the defense that let the Crimson down Saturday. The group—which entered the game ranked eighth in the nation—allowed an opponent to score double-digit goals for the first time all season.

“[Cornell] rode very well, and we had a difficult time clearing the ball,” McBride said.

Despite outshooting Harvard 36-21, Cornell also registered the most saves in the game, as Big Red sophomore goalie Matt McMonagle stopped seven shots—one more than his Crimson counterpart, freshman goalie Evan O’Donnell. Four of O’Donnell’s six saves came in the first quarter.

Harvard was also done in by its nine penalties—including three offsides penalties and one for delay of game—leading to nine extra-man opportunities for Cornell to just one for the Crimson. The Big Red scored on four of the nine chances.

“We were definitely sloppy between the lines,” McBride said. “We got a lot of dumb penalties and lost a lot of momentum.”

Finally, Cornell benefitted from fantastic games from its two senior attackmen, Sean Greenhalgh and Kevin Nee, who combined for nine goals and 13 points between them.

With the victory, the Big Red moves into sole possession of first place in the Ivy League, while Harvard drops back into a third-place tie with surprisingly slumping Princeton. History has shown that there is little room for error in the race for the Ivy League title, so every remaining league game is essentially a must-win for the Crimson.

“We have our backs against the wall, which is very motivational,” McBride said. “We’re just going to take it one game at a time.”

Harvard is back in action tomorrow when it faces No.16 Brown on Jordan Field at 7 p.m.

“It’s going to be another big Ivy League game, as they all are,” Widbin said. “We’re not out of it by any means.”

—Staff writer Jonathan P. Hay can be reached at hay@fas.harvard.edu.