TOWSON, Md. — During Cornell’s 19-goal barrage against Albany last weekend, there was a notable name missing from the scoring ledger: Michael Long. 
 
The freshman attackman from Mendham, N.J., who finished his career at Delbarton as the school’s all-time points leader, found his footing on this cold afternoon outside of Baltimore that felt more like Ithaca. The 2019 US Lacrosse New Jersey Player of the Year scored four goals and added an assist as the Big Red, ranked 11th in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20, topped Towson 17-10 and handed the Tigers their third consecutive loss. 

“It really just takes time to figure out what your strengths are and where you can get your confidence,” Cornell coach Peter Milliman said of Long. “Last game was his first college game ever, and he was a little hesitant. This week, he was a little bit more assertive and realized he’s finding some more success from that.”

Long’s performance was indicative of Cornell’s balanced and unselfish approach. If you had told the Tigers before the game that Jeff Teat would have four turnovers and only register one goal and a single assist, they’d probably be elated. Shadowed most of the game by USILA second-team All-American Koby Smith, Teat had limited opportunities.

The Big Red, however, found plenty of other openings. 

“Everyone is so unselfish because everybody knows if they’re open, they’ll have a chance to score,” junior midfielder Jonathan Donville said. 

Eight players found the back of the net. Junior attackman John Piatelli scored four goals, including a hat trick in the third quarter. Senior midfielder Cooper Telesco had two goals and Connor Fletcher registered three goals and an assist. 

“When people talk about Cornell lacrosse, they talk about Jeff, and deservedly so,” said Donville, who followed a five-goal outing against Albany with one goal and three assists. “He’s one of the best players I’ve seen, but we’re starting to show there are a lot of other guys who can play with how balanced we are. The work ethic was great across the board.”

Heading into this matchup last year in Charlotte, N.C., Towson was ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in the program’s 40-year Division I history. But after dropping their first two games of this season to John Hopkins and Mount St. Mary’s, last year’s CAA champs have shown flashes of potential, but lacked a complete performance.

“Our struggles continue to be our inconsistency,” Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen said earlier this week in an interview with Lax Sports Network. “We’ve allowed teams to go on runs and not find a way to stop their runs before they stretch into four- and five-goal spurts.” 
 

Those struggles persisted Friday. As the sun set on Johnny Unitas Stadium, so did the Tigers’ chances to enter the win column. Cornell reeled off a six-goal run spanning the second and third quarters.

Towson junior midfielder Greg Ey scored to tie the game at 6 early in the second quarter, before Long ignited the Big Red breakthrough three goals in a span of 3 minutes, 1 second. He showcased his dodging ability more than once when he beat his defender top side and scored with a wrap around shot. On the next possession, the defense’s attention centered on Teat, so Long crept around the far side. Teat dodged to the middle of the field, then delivered a pinpoint pass.

After Long capped his hat trick, Donville found Teat in a rare position: unguarded near the crease. Teat scored his only of the game to put Cornell up 10-6 with 2:16 remaining in the second quarter. They didn’t look back. 

“Realistically, as long as we’re playing and working hard, I don’t know if there is much of a focus on who scores,” Milliman said. 

Towson goalie Shane Brennan, who made 13 saves in his first career start after being sidelined the first two games due to a lower body injury, was under pressure most of the game. Cornell outshot the Tigers 48-34. They also won the ground-ball battle 40-28. It was the first time in more than five years that Towson allowed more than 15 goals at home. 

Cornell’s success at the faceoff dot (21-for-31) helped it dominate possession and prevent a comeback. Senior Paul Rasimowicz went 8-for-14, winning the first six faceoffs of the game. He also added a goal in the first quarter. Freshman Angelo Petrakis from Massapequa, N.Y., went 13-for-17. 

“That was great,” Milliman said, staring at the stat sheet while standing outside the visitor’s locker room. “Both of them have been really pushing each other lately — a senior and a freshman who have some different capabilities and provide us some really good matchup opportunities.”

The other freshman standout, of course, was Long. His last goal of the evening might have been his most impressive. He caught a pass over the middle from Billy Coyle, absorbed a hard check, then fired home a high shot. 

“He’s a great kid and great player,” Donville said. “He’s got a few things to learn based on last week, and he showed that he learned them really fast. I’m really excited for the year he’s going to have.”

Cornell (2-0) will remain in the Baltimore area to play High Point at Calvert Hall on Sunday.