ITHACA, N.Y. – A closely contested battle between No. 10 Harvard and No. 6 Cornell came down the wire on Saturday afternoon. A late rally from the Big Red (10-3, 5-1 Ivy) helped the team pull away and secure an 11-9 win over the Crimson (9-4, 3-3 Ivy).
John Aurandt IV led the offense with three goals and
Graham Stevens made 16 saves to backstop the effort in cage.
With the regular season now in the rear view, Harvard now sets its sights on the 2026 Ivy League Tournament, which will be played back in Ithaca next weekend. The Crimson, the four-seed in the tournament, will take on Cornell again in the rematch next Friday.
Harvard Highlights
How it Happened
- The Crimson made the trip out to Central New York to take on the No. 6 Cornell Big Red in a critical Ivy League matchup. The regular season finale for both squads, the teams were battling for seeding in the Ivy League Tournament next weekend.
- Harvard went to work early in the contest. First, the team turned an opening faceoff win from Matt Barraco into a goal by Teddy Malone. On the next possession, Logan Turley dodged down the left alley and scored his first goal of the game to build an early 2-0 advantage for the Crimson.
- The Crimson had to battle through a ruthless Cornell ride in the first quarter. The Big Red got its first goal of the game of a turnover in the midfield, but Harvard restored its early two-goal advantage after a Cornell turnover led to a fast break strike from John Aurandt IV.
- The Harvard defense dug in after the Cornell goal – the Big Red's only tally of the opening frame – to start a string of nine straight empty possessions for the Big Red. Graham Stevens made five saves and Cornell committed five turnovers in the quarter as Harvard opened the game with a 3-1 lead.
- Another Cornell turnover on the first possession of the second quarter led into Harvard's fourth goal of the day by Francisco Cortes, giving Harvard a 4-1 lead.
- Cornell fought back, scoring four goals in four minutes to take its first lead of the game at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter. The score would stay until halftime, with Cornell taking a 5-4 lead into the break.
- The Big Red goalkeeper heated up in the third quarter, allowing just one goal while making seven saves to hold off the surging Crimson. Andrew Perry had the Harvard tally on a slick dodge and jump shot at the top of the zone.
- Stevens and the Crimson defense kept the game close with a series of strong plays in the third quarter. Stevens made a trio of saves and the defense held Cornell to just two goals on seven shots, one of which was a man-up goal.
- Aurandt IV scored his second goal of the game late in the quarter to shrink the Big Red lead to 7-6. Harvard had two chances to tie the game late in the frame but the score would hold heading into the final quarter.
- Sean Jordan made one of the biggest plays of the day on the opening faceoff of the fourth quarter, using his crafty stick skills to win a faceoff ground ball and head off in transition. On his run, Jordan avoided contact and got a pass off, finding Speidell on the crease, who potted a goal to tie the game at seven just nine seconds into the final quarter. Speidell caused a turnover on Cornell's next possession, setting up a Harvard play that led to a go-ahead goal by Nathan Cobery, making the score 8-7 in favor of Harvard.
- Cornell did not shy away, coming back with two quick goals to retake the lead, 9-8, at the 9:48 point of the fourth quarter. Then it was Harvard's turn to counter as Aurandt IV converted for his third goal of the day to tie the score at 9-9 with just four minutes to go.
- The Big Red strung together back-to-back goals after a pair of faceoff wins to retake the lead and solidify an 11-9 win over Harvard.
Up Next
The Crimson will get another crack at Cornell next weekend in the semifinals of the 2026 Ivy League Tournament. Harvard will be the four-seed in the tournament and will take on the top-seed and host, Cornell, in a rematch next Friday (May 1) in Ithaca. More details on the semifinal matchup between Harvard and Cornell will be announced early next week.
