Cornell To Continue Strong NCAA Lacrosse Season Start With Win Over Denver

Henry Shepherd
By , Updated on: Feb 19, 2025 12:00 AM
NCAA Lacrosse Betting Picks Denver v Cornell 02-22-25

Denver Lacrosse Team will hit the road for the first time in 2025 on Saturday as the Pioneers travel to face nationally-ranked Cornell. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. MT. Denver picked up a crucial 10-8 victory last time out while Cornell secured a convincing 18-10 win. Let’s analyze the two teams and delve into the betting odds.

  • What? NCAA Lacrosse: Denver vs. Cornell
  • Where? Schoellkopf Field, Ithaca
  • When? Saturday, February 22, 2025

Below are the odds for the match from three of the best sports betting sites.

NCAA LacrosseBovadaBetOnlineSportsbetting
Denver+400+400+400
Cornell-650-650-650
Denver +4.5-115-115-115
Cornell -4.5-115-115-115
Over 24.5-115-115-115
Under 24.5-115-115-115

Denver

The University of Denver men's lacrosse team battled back from an early 3-0 deficit in the opening two minutes to secure a crucial 10-8 victory over Utah on Saturday at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, despite heavy snowfall.

Redshirt sophomore Cody Malawsky delivered a standout performance, racking up a game-high seven points with five goals and two assists. He also contributed five ground balls and forced a turnover that set up an empty-net goal. Malawsky did most of his damage in the second half, accounting for six of his seven points, including all five goals.

Joshua Carlson was the only other Pioneer to record multiple points, finishing with a goal and an assist.

Making just his second career appearance—and his first extended action—Grayson Manning entered the game with Denver trailing 3-0 and made an immediate impact. The goalie stopped 16 of the 21 shots he faced, posting an impressive 76.2% save percentage. Eleven of his saves came during the second and third quarters, helping Denver turn the game around.

On defense, Preseason All-American Jimmy Freehill led the way with three caused turnovers, while fellow close defender Chris Caldwell recorded a team-best six ground balls.

Cornell

The third-ranked Cornell men’s lacrosse team shook off the offseason rust in dominant fashion, securing an 18-10 win over Lehigh on Saturday afternoon at the Ulrich Sports Complex. With the victory, the Big Red opened their season at 1-0, while the Mountain Hawks dropped to 0-3.

Seniors Michael Long and CJ Kirst led the offensive charge, combining for 11 points. Long tallied three goals and four assists, while Kirst found the net six times. Long’s performance also moved him into Cornell’s all-time top 10 in career points, tying Jon Levine ’76 for ninth place with 175. The Big Red showcased their depth with seven players recording multiple points and assisted on 15 of their 18 goals.

Cornell controlled the game in all aspects, outshooting Lehigh 54-40, winning the ground ball battle 37-23, and securing 20 of 32 face-offs. The defense stepped up as well, forcing seven turnovers, while goalie Wyatt Knust registered 14 saves. The Big Red also capitalized on all three extra-man opportunities, with Willem Firth scoring twice on the man advantage as part of his four-goal outing. Ryan Goldstein chipped in with a goal and four assists to round out a well-balanced offensive effort.

NCAA Lacrosse Prediction and Betting Picks

Cornell holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, though this will mark the first meeting between the two teams in Ithaca.

Denver came out on top in their most recent clash, mounting a fourth-quarter comeback to secure a 17-16 win last February. Meanwhile, Cornell claimed victories in their previous two matchups, winning at neutral sites in 2008 and 2012, with the latter contest decided in overtime.

I expect this to be a comfortable win for Cornell to continue their strong start to the Lacrosse season.

Cornell -4.5 To beat Denver
Bovada
-115

Bovada is one of the bets options for Lacrosse Betting. You can read our Bovada sportsbook review for much more information about this betting site.

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Meet the author

Henry Shepherd

Henry started his career in the betting industry before moving in to writing. He specializes in soccer, golf and darts but covers a multitude of sports from all over the world. After finishing University with a BA Honors degree in Business and Management, Henry work...

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