Eight months after winning their fourth NCAA Championship, the Cornell men’s lacrosse team is preparing for the 2026 season with a mix of new players and established expectations. Head Coach Connor Buczek addressed the changes, stating, “New faces, new team realistically. We graduated a great group and did some special things, and now we’re rebuilding the foundation, making sure that our leadership is strong, trying to fit new faces into new roles, and really looking for returners to take that next step in both leadership and their ability to execute on the field.”
Cornell enters the season ranked No. 4 nationally in preseason polls and was selected second in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll. The team’s first game will be against UAlbany on Saturday, February 15.
A key area of continuity for Cornell is at faceoff X. Senior Jack Cascadden returns after setting school records last year with 275 faceoff wins and 154 ground balls. He will be joined by sophomore Michael Melkonian for added depth at this critical position. Coach Buczek emphasized its importance: “Possession is the game, and that can be a massive change in games. To have that stability, have that experience, is really important for us. And hopefully will allow some time for those other areas to settle.”
On defense, Brendan Staub and Matt Dooley bring experience from last season; Staub had 57 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers while Dooley started all games with notable defensive stats as well. Several players are competing for spots across defense and midfield positions.
The offense features junior Ryan Goldstein (93 points last year) and junior Willem Firth (49 points), both named to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List. They are joined by senior Matt Perfetto and freshman Rowyn Nurry vying for another attack position.
Midfield contributors include Brian Luzzi, Ryan Waldman, AJ Nikolic—an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention—and others such as Bowie Horsman and Anthony Bartolotto.
In goalkeeping duties, junior Matthew Tully steps up as starter after serving as backup previously: “I think Matty Tully is ready to step up,” said Buczek. “He’s started games for us in the past and waited his turn… I think we’ve got a lot of talent there and a lot of guys that are working really hard.”
Freshmen expected to contribute early include Nurry (attack), Riordan (midfield), Taylor (midfield), Box (defensive midfield), and Blake Cascadden (LSM). Buczek described them as “a mature group” who are adapting quickly.
When asked about this year’s team identity, Buczek responded with one word: “Growth.” He elaborated on developing less experienced players throughout the season: “Starting with a group with less game experience regardless of age… it’s going to come down to how we develop…”
Reflecting on lessons learned from last year’s championship run he said: “A lot of what I learned is just the joy in the journey… If you enjoy the process of getting there, that makes the outcome that much sweeter.”
Buczek also commented on preseason rankings: “We try not to spend too much time focused on the rankings… Our hope is to just keep being the best team that we can be day in and day out…”
Looking ahead at defending their title he stated: “I don’t think Cornell lacrosse has been, and what we strive to be, has changed in a very long time… So the hope is we’ve got the foundation of who we are based on that tradition…”
Cornell begins its title defense Saturday against UAlbany in Albany.
