Takeaways from Cornell, Maryland Fall Ball Scrimmage

WILMINGTON, Del. — Cornell and Maryland have played a fall ball game every year since at least 2018.

When they met Saturday at Salesianum School, it came nearly five months to the day that Cornell defeated the Terps 13-10 for its first NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse title since 1977.

“We were pretty adamant about this is not about revenge and rematch,” Maryland coach John Tillman said. “That game’s gone and over and whether we won or lost it, it’s really about this year’s team.”

Especially not with it being a fall scrimmage and with so much turnover between the two teams’ rosters from last spring. There was a heavy emphasis on teaching and developing chemistry and roles over any focus on Xs and Os.

“I think with the amount of turnover and great leadership that walked out the door, guys are feeling the new roles and some of the pressure that come with that,” Cornell coach Connor Buczek said. “And so for us, we’re just trying to be our own team. We’re trying to be the ‘26 version of Cornell lacrosse and not get caught up trying to be the ‘25 version. A lot of the same principles, a lot of the same thoughts, but for us, it’s just about being the best version of ourselves every day.”

Total everything up, and the fall game was a 17-15 win for 2026 preseason favorite Maryland. (Patrick Stevens named the Terps his No. 1 team for 2026 in our Way-Early rankings this summer.) The teams played five “quarters” and reset the score after each. The Terps won three of the five.

“I don’t think anybody remembers in the spring the score of scrimmages,” Tillman said. “But if you can continue to get better and improve and maybe kind of figure out, ‘Hey, these are some things we did well, so maybe we'll build on those.’ And then what didn’t we do well, and it’s like, ‘OK, let’s focus on that to try to get better.’ Good teams like Cornell, they’ll show you where you need to get better.”

While Maryland scrimmaged Navy the weekend earlier, it was the one and only scrimmage for Cornell, which has some restrictions on practice and play set by the Ivy League. The Big Red graduated a generational player in CJ Kirst along with a great class of leaders, and so Maryland was an opportunity to test themselves.

“It’s the only time we get to play against a different jersey,” Cornell’s Ryan Goldstein said. “So, it’s definitely a test for us to see where we’re at right now. And then from here, we’ll readjust and kind of attack that until we play in February.”

The junior attackman was last seen running circles around Maryland for four goals in the perfect complement to Kirst. He scored the first goal of the fall scrimmage and fed Matthew Perfetto for a 2-1 Cornell lead. Maryland, though, got a pair of goals apiece from Johnny Gardiner and Elijah Stobaugh on its way to winning the first quarter 5-3, with Brian Ruppel making a pair of nice saves to keep the Maryland edge.

“Guys are really hungry this year, putting a lot into it,” Ruppel said. “All you can ask for is just trying to get better every day. That’s what guys are doing, so it’s good.”

Ruppel is a familiar face set to take over in goal. The senior goalie started as a freshman, then backed up Logan McNaney the last two seasons. Ruppel started and looked good playing through the first three quarters of the scrimmage.

“We were all right,” he said. “A lot of room to improve. Obviously, it’s not going to be great in the fall, but that’s what it’s all about with the film. We’ll get better. That’s the goal, just kind of get better each day. And that’s what we’re going to do, get back to film and keep getting better.”

Ruppel is looking forward to being back in goal every game. The scrimmage was a chance to see live shots from another team, and it’s another chance to prepare for his increased role.

“I’m super excited,” Ruppel said. “Obviously, you gotta earn your role. So, just trying to be my best every day, be the best player, person I could be, teammate I could be out there. Logan’s gone, so it’s a little different. It’s a little weird not having him and being the oldest guy here, but I’m excited about just trying to get better every day, help my team.”

Ruppel is working to become a vocal leader for the Terps defense. He has been biding his time to return to being the everyday starter. Sophomore goalie Tyler Coryea and freshman Aiden Seibel played a quarter apiece.

“You have to give a lot of credit in this day and age where there are a lot of guys if they don’t get what they want, they chase that,” Tillman said. “And that’s a real easy thing to do. And I give Brian a lot of credit. I think there’s immense respect for him, who he is as a person, as a competitor, the way he does his business. So, I have a ton of confidence in him, and I know our whole team does, too. We wouldn't trade our goalie room for anybody. We love our guys.”

Cornell won the second quarter 3-1. The Big Red will also have a new starting goalie, and junior Matthew Tully left a good first impression with his play. Ryan Waldman scored twice while Salesianum graduate Rowyn Nurry scored the first of his three goals on his former turf, giving the Big Red a look at some of the scoring options they will have to replace graduates like Kirst, Michael Long, Hugh Kelleher and Andrew Dalton, who amassed 160 goals together.

“It’s definitely really tough,” Goldstein said. “We like to say we’re not resetting, we’re just reloading. We’ve got trust in a lot of our guys. They might be in different roles this year, but we got a lot of trust in those guys that they’re going to make the right play, and we’re going to be the best team we can.”

The third quarter was another 5-3 Maryland win, highlighted by a trio of Terp transfers. Cornell took a 3-2 lead on Bowie Horsman’s goal that followed a pair of goals from Canadian U20 gold medalist Luke Robinson, but the Terps trifecta answered with three of their own.

New faceoff ace Henry Dodge, a transfer from Vermont, tied the quarter up, then Yale transfer Chris Lyons muscled in a goal for a 4-3 lead. Fellow Yale transfer Leo Johnson whistled in an insurance goal.

“All signs are positive,” Tillman said. “The new guys are all super unselfish. They’re all just trying to help us win, and it’s all about the team. So, that’s been awesome. I think our guys have welcomed them like they have every year.”

Both teams went deeper into their rosters in the fourth and fifth quarters, playing many of their younger players. The fourth quarter ended with some hometown product flair. Maryland had a 4-2 lead when Nurry scored his second and third goals of the scrimmage to knot up the quarter. Maryland took the quarter, 5-4, with 1:10 left on a goal from its own Salesianum product, freshman Luca Pompeii.

“It’s just always good to get out here, play against a really good squad, defending national champions,” Ruppel said. “We’re super excited to see what we have, see what we have on the field. And again, there’s lots still to go, but it’s good to get guys out here and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Goals from Jaden Ciappara and Peyton Booth gave Cornell a 2-1 edge in the fifth quarter. It was a positive end to the only scrimmage for the Big Red. They continue to focus on not getting too far ahead and thinking of that ultimate prize they won last spring.

“It’s a new challenge, trying to stay focused on the task at hand and the day-to-day, I think, certainly takes a little time and effort,” Buczek said. “And I think we’ve caught ourselves falling into it at times, but I think that’s part of the territory now. It’s understanding that it’s a new chapter, and we’ve got to start from scratch again.”

It means that players like Goldstein, Willem Firth, Jack Cascadden and Brendan Staub have to take on more commanding roles as leaders.

“That’s the biggest thing, guys finding their voice, guys finding their time and the way that they want to authentically lead this team,” Buczek said. “So, we have a lot of new guys stepping up and doing a good job, but certainly room for growth. And that’s what the fall is for, that trial and error process of figuring out who you are, what you’re about. And there’s no doubt there’s a lot of ways we’re going to be different, but in not necessarily a bad way.”

Maryland has a similar take. The Terps have lofty expectations but need their transfers to blend in well with veterans like Ruppel, who gets another chance to prove himself, and standouts like attackman Eric Spanos, who along with SSDM Eric Kolar, did not play in the scrimmage due to some soreness, along with proven scorers like Braden Erksa and Zach Whittier – both of whom had goals in the scrimmage.

The Terps might be some prognosticators’ favorites to be national champions, but they know better than to look that far down the road.

“We’re just trying to get a little bit better each week and look at what we need to do differently this year with this group, because each group is unique,” Tillman said. “And I don’t think we have all the answers yet, but each of these scrimmages provide a little bit more info on maybe some things we can do. And as we keep going, maybe they gel a little bit more.”