On the Run: Week 2 NCAA Lacrosse Blog
Welcome to On the Run. Here's what happened in college lacrosse this weekend, plus some little things that I loved. Quick and easy to read while...
The NCAA season is starting up in less than three months! I’m hoping to publish one college team preview per week leading up to the start of the season in early February.
First team up - the Cornell Big Red, my personal favorite to win it all in 2025.
Yes, Notre Dame is back to back champs and maintains a talented roster plus an excellent freshman class, but I think the losses of Liam Entenmann, Pat Kavanagh and Eric Dobson will hit the Fighting Irish harder than people think.
For this reason, the 2025 season feels as wide open as it ever has. While Notre Dame is (deservingly so) the favorites, the gap doesn't feel as big as in 2024 with teams like Syracuse, Virginia, Princeton, Cornell, Duke, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins positioned nicely for a run at the title.
If I had to pick my final four right now, I would go with Notre Dame, Syracuse, Princeton, and like I mentioned earlier - Cornell.
I know this is a (very) early, but I really really like @CornellLacrosse to win it all in 2025. pic.twitter.com/8mRsRdzJEG
— Adam Lamberti (@atlamberti) October 15, 2024
Cornell’s attack line might be the best in the nation.
It starts with CJ Kirst. He’s a frontrunner to win the Tewaaraton award in 2025, and is just so dynamic and so fun to watch. He’ll likely wind up being the #1 pick in the PLL draft.
CJ Kirst scoring four different ways from the same spot on the field. pic.twitter.com/rsBQLDzb92
— Adam Lamberti (@atlamberti) August 29, 2024
Sophomore Ryan Goldstein may have been my favorite freshman to watch last season. In his first ever game, he had 5 points against Princeton, all in pretty impressive fashion.
Kinda wild this was Ryan Goldstein's first ever college lacrosse action for @CornellLacrosse.
— Adam Lamberti (@atlamberti) October 15, 2024
He's already a star and can't wait to see what he does in 2025. pic.twitter.com/kpN22EjlYr
I can’t get over how confident he was last season as a freshman and how many plays he made in crucial moments. He’ll continue to build upon a strong start to his Cornell career.
Rounding out the unit is Michael Long, who has been a starter since 2020 and has racked 168 points. Long is the perfect complement to Goldstein and Kirst as a balanced feeder and scorer. He’s as consistent as they come (he had multiple points in every game in 2024) and does the little things really well.
It’s kind of crazy to consider he might be the third option on this line, but that’s just a testament to how good Goldstein and Kirst are. And don’t forget about senior Danny Caddigan, who started the season when Goldstein was injured and racked up 13 points (10G, 3A) through the first five games. He’s a terrific right-handed shooter.finisher and will continue to be a threat on Cornell's EMO unit in 2025.
At the midfield, a starting line of Hugh Kelleher, Willem Firth, and AJ Nikolic is just as balanced as the starting attack.
Kelleher, at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, is a bruiser of a right-handed dodger who has one of the prettiest step down shots in the nation.
We love watching Hugh Kelleher shoot it with his feet set 🔥
— First Class Lacrosse (@firstclasslax_) April 27, 2024
The last 5 goals for the @CornellLacrosse midfielder? All right-handed stepdowns 💪#Lacrosse #FirstClassLacrosse pic.twitter.com/Gl9pQPDx5H
Firth is a slick lefty Canadian that can create his own shot and feed with equal success. He was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2024. And Nikolic is a prototypical two-handed alley dodger who had success in the pick game with the attackmen last season.
Expect Nikolic and Firth, both freshmen last season, to elevate their games in 2025.
.@CornellLacrosse's Willem Firth is going to be so good pic.twitter.com/kNYierOW7e
— Adam Lamberti (@atlamberti) February 26, 2024
Defensively, I really like Cornell’s SSDM unit when healthy. Christopher Davis only played 5 games last season due to injury, but he’s very underrated. Kyle Smith, Michael Bozzi, Charlie Box, and Luke Gilmartin are proven players at the position that can bring goal scoring pop in transition.
2024 1st Team All-Ivy defender Jayson Singer returns to lead the close defense with Brendan Staub and Matt Dooley likely to join him - a very solid unit.
The return of faceoff man Jack Cascadden is huge. He went 75% and scored a goal in his sole game in 2024 before suffering a season ending injury. He’s one of the top faceoff men in the nation when healthy.
Win Faceoff ✅
— Cornell Big Red (@CornellSports) February 17, 2024
Score ✅
Jack Cascadden takes the faceoff win and puts it in the back of the net. Cornell is cruising with a 8-3 lead with 9:30 to go in the second quarter. #YellCornell pic.twitter.com/gUxpXfBSKk
Wyatt Knust and Matthew Tully battled all season long for the starting spot. Now, Cornell adds another top recruit in the mix in Tim Piacentini. I’m not worried about the talent in the cage, but someone needs to step up and become the everyday starter early in the season to stabilize this team.
The Big Red’s second midfield line last year was Ryan Sheehan, Andrew Dalton, and Alex Holmes. While the three seniors all return in 2025, they all need to step up. They’ve had glimpses, but I want to see some more consistency and production from this unit.
Staub is likely to move down low to join returning starters Singer and Dooley after operating as one of the Big Red’s primary LSM’s.
At LSM, Eddie Rayhill and Walker Wallace return, but I’d like to see another player step up in this spot. Freshman Cooper Simpson or Michael Marshall could provide potential depth at close, allowing Staub to move back to LSM (which I would prefer if I were the Big Red).
Cornell’s top offensive threats are some of the best in the country and they are likely to be strong at the faceoff and in between the pipes.
Defensively, I like their top guys as well.
The biggest question on both sides of the ball - can unproven players step up and provide production and consistency? If the answer is yes, then I like Cornell’s chances to go all the way in 2025.
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Welcome to On the Run. Here's what happened in college lacrosse this weekend, plus some little things that I loved. Quick and easy to read while...
Welcome to On the Run. Here's what happened in college lacrosse this weekend, plus some little things that I loved. Quick and easy to read while...
Welcome to On the Run. Here's what happened in college lacrosse this weekend, plus some little things that I loved. Quick and easy to read while...