University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
5-0
Cornell
3-1
Creo’s Clutch Goal Sends Richmond Past Defending Champs Cornell
02/28/2026 | Men's Lacrosse
Ithaca, N.Y. – Junior midfielder Gavin Creo scored the go-ahead goal with 64 seconds remaining to lift the No. 3 University of Richmond men's lacrosse team to an 8–7 road win over defending national champion and fifth-ranked Cornell Saturday, improving the Spiders to 5–0 for the best start in program history.
Richmond opened the scoring at 13:09 of the first quarter on a Lucas Littlejohn goal off a Jack Ricciardi assist, but Cornell answered with back-to-back goals from Willem Firth to take a 2–1 lead. Littlejohn struck again at 2:38 to send the teams tied 2–2 into the second. Cornell controlled the second quarter with goals from Luke Gilmartin and Matthew Perfetto, building a 4–2 halftime advantage.
Richmond outscored the Big Red 6–3 after the break. Joe Sheridan began the Spiders' comeback with a goal at 9:36 of the third before Cornell responded with consecutive scores from Ryan Goldstein to push the margin to 6–3. Richmond closed the third quarter with goals from Creo and Daniel Picart to cut the deficit to one. In the fourth, Ryan Waldman extended Cornell's lead to 7–5 before Richmond answered with three straight—Lucas Littlejohn at 10:03, Sheridan at 4:43 and Creo's game-winner at 1:04—to secure the victory.
The matchup was a defensive battle throughout as Richmond goalie Connor Knight recorded 10 saves. The Spiders' defense was active in the ride and in settled sets, finishing with eight caused turnovers—more than the seven goals they allowed. Michael Farrell led Richmond with two caused turnovers, while six additional Spiders recorded one apiece.
Cornell goalie Matthew Tully kept the Big Red in front for much of the afternoon with 16 saves, helping hold Richmond scoreless for the entire second quarter and for more than 20 minutes of game time spanning the second and third periods.
Faceoff play favored Richmond, as freshman Vincent Gaylord went 10-of-16 at the X to provide key extra possessions during the second-half push. Cornell entered the contest as the nation's best faceoff team, winning over 70 percent of their draws. On Saturday, though, the Spiders held them to just 39 percent.
The victory also marked the Spiders' first road win of the season and their highest-ranked road triumph ever, taking down the No. 2 team in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll. With the win, Richmond matched its previous highest-ranked victory, a 17–13 win over No. 2 Virginia in 2022, while extending its current run to 14 wins in 15 games.
The Spiders return home next week, aiming to continue their historic start and unbeaten streak when they host No. 12 Georgetown at noon.
