FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a thrilling, heartbreaking finish, the Cornell men's lacrosse team lost in overtime to Syracuse University at the NCAA championship game in Foxborough, Mass., 10-9, May 25.

Before 41,935 spectators at Gillette Stadium, the No. 5 Big Red fell short one goal to the No. 2 Syracuse Orange, the defending national champions, in the central New York matchup. The loss continued Cornell's 32-year drought of NCAA championships. Its last championship was in 1977, and its last runner-up finish had been in 1988.

Despite the crushing disappointment, head coach Jeff Tambroni said he "could not be more proud" of his team, who "didn't seem to get a whole lot of credit coming here."

"[They] battled through two pretty tough lacrosse games and almost pulled this one off," Tambroni said after the game. Two days earlier, Cornell had dismantled the No. 1-ranked University of Virginia, 15-6, in the semifinals.

The Memorial Day final electrified the crowd from start to finish, with Orange and Red trading rapid successions of goals in the first half. Cornell led 6-4 by halftime, and with 5:31 left in the game, the Big Red had increased the lead to three goals, 9-6. But Syracuse charged back, tying the game 9-9 with just four seconds left in regulation. A quick goal in sudden-death overtime for the Orange sealed the Big Red's fate. They finished their season with a record of 13-4.

The Big Red's leading scorer was John Glynn, with three goals; Max Seibald had two, and Ryan Hurley, Rob Pannell, Rocco Romero and Roy Lang each chipped in one. Glynn also had two assists, as did Hurley; and Pannell added one assist.

Seibald, who has received numerous individual honors including Outstanding Midfielder of the Year and Outstanding Division I Player of the Year, let his voice waver a little during the post-game press conference, saying he was proud of his teammates.

"I wouldn't trade this group of guys for a national championship," Seibald said.

He and fellow senior John Glynn also graciously credited the Syracuse team for battling back late in the game.

The Cornell fan contingent was out in full force for the game. Gillette Stadium, near its capacity of 68,756,was dotted with plenty of red, and the Big Red pep band kept the crowd rocking with "Give My Regards to Davy" and other familiar Cornell tunes.

Under picture-perfect blue skies, boisterous Cornell supporters in red T-shirts and jerseys milled under a large tent just outside the stadium for pregame tailgating. The No. 21 jersey of George Boiardi, the lacrosse player who died on the field in 2004 during a game against Binghamton, appeared over and over among the crowd.

Old friends back-slapped and reminisced about their time at Cornell. Members of championship teams from 1976 and 1977 made the trip to Foxborough to support this year's team.

"You see hundreds and hundreds of people from Cornell here that just love this sport," said Mike French '76, a member of the undefeated championship team from that year.

Buck Briggs '76 remembered piling into a car with friends the day after his commencement to watch the men's lacrosse team beat the University of Maryland in Providence, R.I., for the national championship.

"There is nowhere else on the planet I would rather be than right here today," Briggs said before the game.

Emma Loughman '09 and Sarah Mannix '09 climbed aboard a fan bus at 4 this morning, a day after graduating, to cheer on the Big Red.

"It's a good way to end our senior year and Cornell career," Loughman said.