Evan Begner and Kyle Jussila have both surpassed school records as Cornell men’s lacrosse defeated Northland College at home, 10-2, moving to 3-0 in MLC play.
Begner continued to be reliable in the net as he saved twelve shots today, setting the new school mark for saves in a season at 170. Jussila had his hand in 70% of the goals tonight as he dished out seven total assists, setting the new school mark for assists in a game and in a career.
Only one goal was scored in the first half, leading to some tension towards the end of the second quarter that found five players receiving penalties after a short scuffle occurred.
The Rams (6-7, 3-0 MLC) took advantage of three extra-man opportunities in the third quarter that sparked seven goals in a row to take a 7-1 lead. John Linderman scored three of those goals and went on to score five total in the game.
Northland (5-5, 1-2 MLC) tried to make a push — but Cornell’s defense wouldn’t allow it. Demarius Pittman and Justin Howe combined for 14 ground balls, while Pittman also added an assist.
Luke Baldwin did his share on the offensive and defensive side, scoring two goals and grabbing three ground balls.
Begner played the full 60 minutes this afternoon, moving to 6-5 on the season after this win.
Earlier in the week, the Rams took an 18-0 win against North Central.
Freshman Jackson Kinart netted a career-high six goals in the contest.
The Rams put this game away early, scoring 10 goals in the opening quarter and taking a 14-0 advantage into intermission. Cornell’s second straight victory moved it to 5-7 overall, 2-0 in the MLC.
Kinart finished with eight points in the contest and was among four Rams to post multiple goals against North Central (0-4, 0-2 MLC). Linderman also had a big night with four goals and three assists.
Jussila scored three times and pulled even with A.J. Fisher (2016-18) for most career goals by a Cornell player with 93. Baldwin added three goals, while Ethan Kupka distributed four assists.
Begner made 10 saves in the complete-game shutout. It marked Cornell’s first shutout since blanking Concordia Chicago, 12-0, during the 2018 season.
Ash Hoelscher won 11-of-17 faceoffs and led the team with five ground balls.
The Rams more than doubled up the home team in total shots, 31-15, and held a 31-18 advantage in ground balls.
The Rams will continue MLC player next Saturday, April 16, as they will host Lake Forest at Van Metre Field at Ash Park at 4 p.m.