Dartmouth Falls Short to No. 8 Cornell on Senior Day, 15-10

Saturday, April 27

Hanover, N.H.

4:00 PM

Dartmouth College

3-10, 0-6Ivy

Cornell

9-4, 5-1Ivy

Cornell

Dartmouth

Photo by: Cayla Fernandes

Dartmouth Falls Short to No. 8 Cornell on Senior Day, 15-10

4/27/2024 8:30:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

The third quarter saw 16 combined saves between the goaltenders

By: Justin Lafleur

HANOVER, N.H. — Junior Mason Morel made 20 saves while fifth-year Mitchell Myers won 15-of-23 faceoffs, but it wasn't enough as the Dartmouth men's lacrosse team dropped a 15-10 final to No. 8 Cornell on Saturday. The Big Green ended the game — and their season — on a 4-0 run, with the final three goals scored by seniors, which was only fitting on Senior Day.

With the win, Cornell improved to 9-4 and 5-1 in the Ivy League, clinching the regular season championship and hosting rights for next weekend's Ivy League Tournament.

Following the game, the Big Green recognized 14 individuals — seniors and fifth-years, who made a tremendous impact on the program.

"It's only appropriate that I take time to thank our fourth years and fifth years for everything they've done for this program, everything they've done for myself and our staff, being so accepting and welcoming of the change and giving us everything for this whole year," said Dartmouth head coach Sean Kirwan. "To see it culminate with Mike Mauricio scoring a goal, along with Tommy Rogan and Henry Bonnie, these guys to have their last memories on Scully with the ball hitting the back of the next. And guys like Jack Cooleen getting time, it's something I will always remember."

Great to see Michael Mauricio score his first-career goal late in today's game on his Senior Day!#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods🌲 pic.twitter.com/HjdSQ4t4lV
— Dartmouth Men's Lacrosse (@DartmouthMLax) April 28, 2024

Offensively, seniors Tommy Rogan and Henry Bonnie, along with junior Brandon Ventarola, all posted three points behind two goals and an assist. Senior Nate Davis dished two assists.

On the defensive end, junior Griffin O'Neil capped off a strong junior season by tying career highs in both groundballs (6) and caused turnovers (3). Sophomore Thomas Goguen also had five groundballs and a caused turnover.

Cornell opened the scoring just 17 seconds in and eventually opened leads of 2-1 and 3-2. Three straight Big Red goals put the Big Green in a 6-2 deficit after one quarter of play.

Cornell with an early 3-1 lead. Dartmouth's goal was scored by Colin McGill.

Watch on @ESPNPlus: https://t.co/dRKOgof76g #GoBigGreen | #TheWoods🌲 pic.twitter.com/2UlpsDKRi9
— Dartmouth Men's Lacrosse (@DartmouthMLax) April 27, 2024

The second quarter saw Cornell hold a slight 4-3 advantage, with Dartmouth goals scored by Rogan, Ventarola and Bonnie. Bonnie's tally with 34 seconds on the clock pulled the Big Green within 10-4 at the half.

The third quarter was dominated by both goaltenders, with only two goals scored in the stanza — both by Cornell. Morel stopped six of eight shots sent his way, which was somehow one-upped by the Big Red's Wyatt Knust, who made 10 saves without allowing a goal.

Dartmouth did find the back of the net five times in the fourth. First-year Elliott Fee began the scoring 38 seconds into the quarter before three consecutive Cornell goals made the score 15-6. The Big Green got goals from Ventarola, senior Michael Mauricio, Rogan and Bonnie (with 4:22, 2:45, 1:55 and 0:03 remaining) to pull within 15-10 at the final horn. Mauricio's goal was on the extra man and marked the first of the senior's career.

"I love how our guys rebounded," said Kirwan. "We challenged them at halftime to come out with a little bit more tenacity. It felt like we were waiting around a little bit and Cornell took it to us, so for our guys to come out with energy and effort in that second half and play tenacious defense and dominate the groundball battle against a really good groundball team is something we are proud of as we build towards the future."

Final shots were 52-50 in favor of Cornell while the Big Green held a 49-30 edge in groundballs. As a team, Dartmouth won 17-of-28 faceoffs, which included winning 14-of-20 over the first three quarters. Morel's 20 saves marked his second 20-save performance of Ivy League play (along with his career-high 21 at Princeton). Knust finished with 18 for the Big Red.

Saturday marked the season finale for Dartmouth. The Big Green made strides in Ivy League play, which included hanging with Ivy contenders for long stretches.