FOXBOROUGH — Back in 2018, the last time the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship came to Gillette Stadium, Sudbury’s Matt Dooley marveled from the stands and fantasized about playing on that stage himself. Seven years later, Dooley has actualized that dream, emerging as a catalyst for powerhouse Cornell. With the 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pound junior defender as a steady starter, the top-seeded Big Red (17-1) are one win away from capturing their first national title since 1977. When they meet second-seeded Maryland (14-3) Monday at 1 p.m., in a rematch of the 2022 title game the Terrapins won 9-7 in East Hartford, they’ll continue to lean on Dooley as a vocal leader, energizer, and stabilizing force. “He’s the glue guy,” Cornell coach Connor Buczek said. “He does things that people don’t necessarily recognize to the naked eye, but we see it every single day. He brings energy, he brings juice.” Dooley has attempted just four shots this season, doesn’t have an assist, and has 12 caused turnovers. As his former Lincoln-Sudbury coach Brian Vona endearingly puts it, his “feet aren’t great” and he “doesn’t have great quickness or speed.” But Dooley has a contagious competitive spirit and consistently “wills himself” into the right spot every time. He has 25 groundballs and has a knack for making timely, gritty plays. “He’s a fiery competitor,” Vona said. “One of the things I told the coaches when they were recruiting him is that he doesn’t like to lose in checkers. It’s just the way he is.” Dooley started lacrosse in second grade and ended up quitting after his first year. He decided to give it another shot in fifth grade and hasn’t stopped since, carving out a niche as a physical and cerebral defender. He helped the Warriors capture a state title in 2019 and emerged as a captain and US Lacrosse All-American his senior year in 2021. “I’m L-S through and through,” Dooley said. “They prepared me for Cornell and in the future, so I’m just very fortunate.” When the Cornell coach recruiting Dooley spoke with Vona, he told Vona that Dooley would likely be the fourth defenseman in the class. “I said, ‘That’s great, but make sure you do me one favor,”’ Vona said. “He said, ‘What’s that?’ I said, ‘Tell him you said that.’ I said, ‘I know he’s going to start for you.’” Sure enough, after a postgraduate year at Salisbury School in Connecticut, Dooley ended up starting an NCAA Tournament game against Michigan his freshman year. A heartbreaking overtime loss to the Wolverines didn’t sit right and fueled Dooley and his teammates. His sophomore season yielded some gems, including a winning goal off a feed from former Lincoln-Sudbury teammate Kyle Smith with 1.6 seconds left against Princeton. An Ivy League semifinal loss to Penn, however, sullied a promising campaign and left the Big Red craving more. This season has been different from the jump, and Dooley’s reliability is a major reason why. Goalie Wyatt Knust said Dooley is the loudest person on the defense and is always talking. “His communication is unmatched,” Knust said. “That doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it makes a huge impact on the field.” Much of that mentality stems from how he’s wired, but having three younger brothers also plays a significant role. All four Dooleys play lacrosse, and the eldest Dooley is a natural nurturer who embraces inspiring the next wave of talent. At a celebration of life for longtime Lincoln-Sudbury trainer Yoshitaka Ando every year after Thanksgiving, Dooley mentors young kids one minute, then flips the switch and gives maximum effort in the alumni games moments later. “In that setting, you see both sides of Matt,” Vona said. “You see his competition level, but you also see his compassion.” Dooley considers himself incredibly fortunate to play in front of dozens of family members and friends this weekend. His mother is one of five, and his father one of seven, so there’s no shortage of support in the stands. Vona described Dooley as someone who “doesn’t forget where he came from.” As he takes the field at Gillette one more time, alongside fellow Sudbury products Smith and Zack Goorno of Maryland, he’ll continue to lean on his roots as a source of motivation. With the Big Red one win away from history 48 years in the making, he can’t help but feel an immense sense of gratitude. “It would be a dream come true,” Dooley said. “Especially in Massachusetts at the home turf, Gillette Stadium.”
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