Cornell star attackman CJ Kirst was held scoreless in the Big Red's NCAA men's lacrosse semifinal win over Penn State, the first scoreless outing of his four-year Cornell tenure.
Kirst refused to be shut out again.
On the sport's biggest stage, the NCAA's all-time leading goal scorer added a final masterpiece to his storied career, scoring six goals and one assist as the Big Red outlasted Maryland 13-10 at Gillette Stadium on Monday, May 26, en route to a national championship -- the program's first title since 1977.
"He is the best player in the country and it's not always the points, it's not always the goals, it's not always the assists," Cornell coach Connor Buczek said of Kirst. "It's how he competes."
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Left side, right side, falling to the ground, charging straight at the net -- it didn't matter. Kirst was the best player on the field on Monday, and all 32,512 fans in attendance knew it.
Kirst made some of the most acrobatic shots look routine. For him, it was.
"When he gets going, we're a different team," Buczek said. "He found it in the biggest moment at the biggest time and pushed us over the hump and earned this national championship for our team."
Maryland was hounding Kirst in the first half, preventing him from ripping any quality shots at Terps goalie Logan McNaney. With 1:49 left in the half, however, the Cornell star found the back of the net to break a five-quarter scoreless streak -- the longest of his career.
Maryland's tactic to play heavily on Kirst opened up the field for the rest of the Big Red attack, leading to five different players scoring goals before halftime.
The Terps were forced to respect the entire Cornell attack in the second half, opening up the field for Kirst. And Kirst took advantage.
The Big Red star scored a hat trick in the third quarter, helping Cornell take a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
"Coach Buczek pulled me aside before the second quarter and was like, 'Play your game. Have some confidence,'" Kirst said. "With that little word of wisdom, I was able to do it."
Kirst then found senior sophomore Ryan Goldstein to open the fourth quarter, Goldstein's third goal of the game, extending the Big Red lead to three goals.
If Kirst was Batman, Goldstein was his Robin.
The sophomore ended the game with four goals, the last a bullet past McNaney with four minutes left to give Cornell a three-goal lead.
"I've said this before, but he's just a fearless competitor," Kirst said of Goldstein. "He brings everything he has every single day. He's the biggest lax rat I know."
Even though he now has a national championship to his name, Kirst believes Goldstein's career is just getting started.
"Having the opportunity to play with (Goldstein) for two years has been incredible," Kirst said. "I know he's going to be a player of the year. I know he's going to have it all, and he's got two years to go prove it."
With the win, Kirst's collegiate career is over. But, he gets to say he won a national championship before he left.
"It's a special program," Kirst said. "My four years here and being able to put the jersey on for the last time today, I'm super proud of what I've been able to experience."
Kirst is taking his talents to the Premier Lacrosse League after being selected first overall by the Philadelphia Waterdogs earlier this month, but he will always identify as part of the Big Red family.
"Being a Cornell man is going to continue for the rest of my life," Kirst said. "I'm so happy we were able to bring it home for all the alumni who have taught us everything."