HANOVER, N.H. -- In a defensive war, the Cornell men's lacrosse team got the final stop and the Big Red escaped with an 8-7 win over Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon at Scully-Fahey Field. The Big Red improved to 8-1 (2-1 Ivy), while the Big Green slipped to 4-4 (0-2 Ivy).

Chayse Ierlan's save with seven seconds left allowed the Big Red to run out the clock in a game that could have gone either way. The defense in front of Ierlan, who made eight saves in picking up the win, caused 11 turnovers and stood strong against a Dartmouth team that outshot the Big Red 44-38 and controlled possession thanks to an 11-of-18 afternoon at the faceoff "X". Gavin Adler caused four turnovers and scooped up five ground balls, with Piatelli caused a pair himself on the ride and Joseph Bartolotto 

Billy Coyle and John Piatelli each had two goals and an assist, with Coyle netting the game winner with 3:08 remaining. It was one of the few shots that got past Dartmouth's Daniel Hincks. The Big Green goalkeeper made 16 saves, including several spectacular stops that kept the Big Red from extending its lead.

Dartmouth won the opening face-off and scored 37 seconds in, ultimately jumping out to a 4-1 lead and setting the tone for what was to come. Three straight goals by Cornell tied it at 4-4, part of a 6-1 Big Red run that saw the visitors go up 7-5 in the fourth. The Big Green responded just 19 seconds later, shaking off a scoreless streak of 29:30 when it tallied with 11 minutes remaining. It then knotted the game at 7-7 with 6:23 to play. 

Ierlan made two huge saves in the final four minutes of the contest, the first leading to the Big Red's go-ahead possession and the second to seal the win. He surpassed 300 career saves in picking up the win, improving to 20-5 all-time in goal for the Big Red.

Hinck's 15 saves in the first three quarters and the Dartmouth special teams that limited Cornell to 0-for-5 on the man-up kept Cornell's explosive offense at bay, but that didn't keep the Big Red from making the big plays late. The win was Cornell's third one-goal win in its last five contests.

The win improved Cornell's record to 4-1 on the road and extended its win streak over Dartmouth to 10 games. 
 

UP NEXT

• The Big Red returns home to face nationally-ranked Harvard on Saturday, April 9 at 3 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field.
• The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• Cornell leads the all-time series 67-26 with the Big Red winning three straight and 19 of the last 22 meetings.