MOUNT VERNON – Tied with less than 10 minutes to go, freshman Aron Rodriguez delivered back-to-back goals and propelled Cornell's men's lacrosse team to a 13-10 victory over Centenary (La.) Thursday at Van Metre Field at Ash Park.
 
The back-and-forth battle witnessed six ties and saw the Rams (2-1) pull ahead 10-6 with four unanswered scores to start the second half. Centenary (2-2) responded with four straight goals of its own, knotting the game at 10-10 early in the fourth period.
 
Rodriguez put Cornell ahead to stay with an assisted goal from Xavier Higgins with 9:22 remaining. Rodriguez struck again with 7:52 left for his third goal of the day. Cornell's Tyler Foster added insurance with his fourth goal of the game and 6:04 remaining to complete the scoring.
 
The Rams owned a decisive 70-31 advantage in total shots, led by a single-game school record 24 attempts by sophomore Charley Kobets. Kobets broke the previous record of 23 shots, set by A.J. Fisher in a 2016 game against Concordia Chicago.
 
Cornell goalie Thomas Cook logged all 60 minutes in net for the win. He recorded 10 of his 12 saves after intermission.
 
Ash Hoelscher set the tone for Cornell, winning 18-of-22 faceoffs and tallying a team-high seven ground balls. Foster add six ground balls.
 
Brandon Warnke and Matt Norwood finished with two goals apiece, while Kaden Weaver and Kobets both scored once. Kobets handed out three assists, followed by Higgins with two and Warnke and Weaver each with one.  
 
The game was tied 3-3 after one quarter, 6-6 at the half. The Rams took a 10-9 lead into the fourth period.
 
Coming up – Cornell is back home Saturday for a scheduled 4 p.m. matchup with Clarke (1-1).