Yale 2024

[faircornell]

Tough one today. Cornell is chock full of fantastic offensive talents and Yale just couldn't get a stop in the fourth when Cornell put them away with a five-goal run to turn a 12-11 lead into a 17-11 lead. Although it's hard to tell, it felt like a couple of turning points in the game were (a) in the first half, when Yale couldn't score on the two minute non-releasable penalty, and (b) early in the second half when there was a two goal swing in the third period with the illegal stick -- goal taken off the board for Yale and Cornell scored on the man up so that a potential 8-7 lead became an 8-7 deficit. "Special teams" still a concern -- Cornell was 3 for 5 on man up goals -- but at least Yale did get one goal on EMO. One bright note: it looks like Jack Stuzin is back. And my overall take is that the guys played hard and lost to a great team on their home turf.

Next up after a quick turn-around is a game against Coach Shay's alma mater, Le Moyne, then a road matchup against a Brown team feeling a lot better about life after notching their first win and looking to keep it going against Villanova on Monday. Four more Ivy League games to go!

Congratulations to Yale for a hard fought game, Orfling! I was there, and I agree that the stick check penalty took some of the Wind out of Yale's sails. While I don't recall the exact stats, Yale mounted a very strong comeback late in the fourth quarter. Brandau was especially impressive. Cornell's offense had a remarkably good day. They were playing at truly an "unstoppable" level. If these two teams meet again in the Ivy Tournament, it's anyone's game.

[Lax3]

For the third year in a row, Yale gives up goals in bunches. Recognizing that they have some injuries on that side of the ball, they still play very loose, sloppy defense. Poor Gaudette sees so many shots from right in front of his face. It is unclear why the offense, which is missing arguably three of its top four scorers, can continue to light up the scoreboard but the defense, missing maybe one starter, cannot play at an equal level. Until the coaching staff figures this out, this team won't go anywhere.

[The Orfling]

Tough one today. Cornell is chock full of fantastic offensive talents and Yale just couldn't get a stop in the fourth when Cornell put them away with a five-goal run to turn a 12-11 lead into a 17-11 lead. Although it's hard to tell, it felt like a couple of turning points in the game were (a) in the first half, when Yale couldn't score on the two minute non-releasable penalty, and (b) early in the second half when there was a two goal swing in the third period with the illegal stick -- goal taken off the board for Yale and Cornell scored on the man up so that a potential 8-7 lead became an 8-7 deficit. "Special teams" still a concern -- Cornell was 3 for 5 on man up goals -- but at least Yale did get one goal on EMO. One bright note: it looks like Jack Stuzin is back. And my overall take is that the guys played hard and lost to a great team on their home turf.

Next up after a quick turn-around is a game against Coach Shay's alma mater, Le Moyne, then a road matchup against a Brown team feeling a lot better about life after notching their first win and looking to keep it going against Villanova on Monday. Four more Ivy League games to go!

Congratulations to Yale for a hard fought game, Orfling! I was there, and I agree that the stick check penalty took some of the Wind out of Yale's sails. While I don't recall the exact stats, Yale mounted a very strong comeback late in the fourth quarter. Brandau was especially impressive. Cornell's offense had a remarkably good day. They were playing at truly an "unstoppable" level. If these two teams meet again in the Ivy Tournament, it's anyone's game.

Great that you were able to get out to see the game in person. I had feared the weather conditions would be like they were for Penn-Dartmouth but while I'm sure it was plenty cold, the skill level of the players on both teams came through.

[The Orfling]

Yale got a bit of a breather tonight, handling Le Moyne fairly easily after a bit of a slow first period. Nice to see some additional faces out on the field, including Brody Coleman, whom I think has had to battle some injuries, and there was a fair amount of second-half time for first-years Matt Harding, Tristan Ghosh, Hunter Bowen, Roman Buono, Cole Jackson, and Anthony Annunziata at the X (5 for 8).

A couple of players scored their first career goals, I believe: congratulations to Sean Kuttin and Tristan Ghosh.

[FannOLax]

Yale got a bit of a breather tonight, handling Le Moyne fairly easily after a bit of a slow first period. Nice to see some additional faces out on the field, including Brody Coleman, whom I think has had to battle some injuries, and there was a fair amount of second-half time for first-years Matt Harding, Tristan Ghosh, Hunter Bowen, Roman Buono, Cole Jackson, and Anthony Annunziata at the X (5 for 8).

A couple of players scored their first career goals, I believe: congratulations to Sean Kuttin and Tristan Ghosh.

Thank you for your take, Orfling. I didn't see any of the game. Glad that youngsters got to play, with Coleman back from injury (injury kept him out of fall-ball day). No doubt, Brown at 2 PM Saturday in Providence will be a tougher challenge for Yale. I expect full effort from a Bruno squad trying to turn around what has been a disappointing year for the Bears. Hopefully the Eli defense will clamp down on a Brown offense that has been struggling this season.

[The Orfling]

For the third year in a row, Yale gives up goals in bunches. Recognizing that they have some injuries on that side of the ball, they still play very loose, sloppy defense. Poor Paquette sees so many shots from right in front of his face. It is unclear why the offense, which is missing arguably three of its top four scorers, can continue to light up the scoreboard but the defense, missing maybe one starter, cannot play at an equal level. Until the coaching staff figures this out, this team won't go anywhere.

Can't disagree -- Yale is coming into this weekend after seven games at #60 in scoring defense under the NCAA rankings and #67 in defensive efficiency per LaxReference (the bright side of course is that Yale is #2 in scoring offense/#5 in offensive efficiency). They are missing a few guys (X. Martin from D, Miklaszewski at LSM, Stuzin at LSM some, hopefully he is back) but there is a sense still to me that when it comes to the defensive side of things, the 'whole is less than the sum of the parts.' Yale also ranks #61 currently in man down defense. In terms of roster composition, it's been since 2019 (to be fair, that's only 2.5 seasons since then) that Yale had any shorties who have received all-Ivy recognition at the 1st/2nd/HM level.

I've never been an X's and O's person so I cannot diagnose what they could/should be doing differently and my only real specific complaint is that they don't seem particularly willing to ever experiment with throwing a different defensive look at a team. For example, when Cornell threw an unexpected zone at Princeton on Princeton's last possession in their recent game, the change of pace seemed to lead to the caused turnover that led to Cornell's win. I don't see Yale as really being willing to mix up looks that way.

Ultimately, I think we are where we've been -- a team that plays hard (they are really good on ground balls, always a good indicator of intensity), is a ton of fun to watch, and has a puncher's chance in most games given the offensive firepower/strength at the X. But also a team that probably is not destined for a deep run into May. Given all the offensive injuries and the large total of injuries overall, I would still say that if the season stays on its current trajectory (projecting a trip to the Ivy League tournament and maybe a shot at an NCAA bid) I'd see it as a very successful season.

[FannOLax]

FOGO Mac Rodriguez was just added to the Tewaaraton Watch List. Well deserved!

Of course, if TD Ierlan didn't win the Tewy in 2019, the probablity of Rodri winning it can be assumed to be essentially 0%.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ists/62957

[The Orfling]

FOGO Mac Rodriguez was just added to the Tewaaraton Watch List. Well deserved!

Of course, if TD Ierlan didn't win the Tewy in 2019, the probablity of Rodri winning it can be assumed to be essentially 0%.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ists/62957

Awesome recognition for Mac.

[FannOLax]

Congatulations to Matt Brandau on becoming Yale's all-time leading goalscorer. Brandau is currently on 177 goals, surpassing Ben Reeves's 174 goals. With Leo and Lyons missing this season through injury, Brandau has stepped up admirably, always dishing out plenty of assists. Today, he had 4 goals and 2 assists in Yale's 16-10 win at Brown. Mac Rodriguez was 17 for 21 on face-offs and scored 2 goals; Nicholas Ramsey was 8 for 8 at the dot. Jared Pacquette made 15 saves. Penn now looks like the top team in the Ivy, and the Quakers visit Reese next Saturday. Let's go Yale!

[The Orfling]

Congatulations to Matt Brandau on becoming Yale's all-time leading goalscorer. Brandau is currently on 177 goals, surpassing Ben Reeves's 174 goals. With Leo and Lyons missing this season through injury, Brandau has stepped up admirably, always dishing out plenty of assists. Today, he had 4 goals and 2 assists in Yale's 16-10 win at Brown. Mac Rodriguez was 17 for 21 on face-offs and scored 2 goals; Nicholas Ramsey was 8 for 8 at the dot. Jared Pacquette made 15 saves. Penn now looks like the top team in the Ivy, and the Quakers visit Reese next Saturday. Let's go Yale!

Happy Easter! And I join in the congratulations to Matt Brandau -- terrific career and he's not done yet. I'm glad his record-breaking day came during an Ivy League win. Absolutely phenomenal job by the face-off crew; kudos to both Mac Rodriguez and Nicholas Ramsey. During the early part of the game when Yale had more turnovers than usual, the safety blanket of knowing the likelihood of possessions off the face-off was nice to have. The entire team really pulled together in the second and third periods to play a much crisper, cleaner game as well -- Yale was perfect in the clearing game for the latter three periods after three failed clears in the first period. It was also nice to have the scoring come from a variety of sources -- attack with 8 (Brandau with 4 and Anderson and Kuhl with 2 apiece); midfield with 4 (Hackler with 2 and Soelberg and Krevsky with 1 apiece); FOGO (Mac's 2); and defensive transition game (Stuzin and C. Johnson both with nice goals). Yale played a pretty disciplined game, receiving only one penalty and surrendering no man down goals, and got one EMO goal and the EMO looked a little smoother? Big game next week against a Penn team playing very well. Go Bulldogs!

[Lax3]

A beautiful day in Brunoville after a long stretch of bad weather up this way. Made the ride up from NYC and Yale might it worth the trip. By far the most complete game of the season, with the defense looking more disciplined and cohesive than they have all season. I attribute part of that to Yale and part of it, frankly, to this version of a Brown team being one of the weakest I have seen in 20 years. Gotta believe the Brown coaching staff is on notice. Yale's offense continues to click despite losing three of its top four scorers from last year to injury. Brandau is, as one announcer noted, a chameleon out there. You don't notice anything fancy and then look up and he has 4/2 for the game. A top three Yale offensive player of all time, without doubt. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to make up for the losses of Sharp, Johnson and Lyons against one of the best defenses in the country in Penn. So far the team's depth has overcome the injuries. All in all, a nice, peaceful win for a change!

[FannOLax]

A beautiful day in Brunoville after a long stretch of bad weather up this way. Made the ride up from NYC and Yale might it worth the trip. By far the most complete game of the season, with the defense looking more disciplined and cohesive than they have all season. I attribute part of that to Yale and part of it, frankly, to this version of a Brown team being one of the weakest I have seen in 20 years. Gotta believe the Brown coaching staff is on notice. Yale's offense continues to click despite losing three of its top four scorers from last year to injury. Brandau is, as one announcer noted, a chameleon out there. You don't notice anything fancy and then look up and he has 4/2 for the game. A top three Yale offensive player of all time, without doubt. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to make up for the losses of Sharp, Johnson and Lyons against one of the best defenses in the country in Penn. So far the team's depth has overcome the injuries. All in all, a nice, peaceful win for a change!

Thanks for your impressions from Providence, Lax3. Glad that you made it to the game, and found the defense disciplined and cohesive. While Brown has certainly had its share of offensive struggles this year, momentum can be a force in lacrosse. Prior to the Brown game, I've thought the Yale D had looked good in fits and spurts, but not for an entire game. No doubt about it, Penn will be a tough test for Yale, all over the field really, and it's probably a good thing that the game is at Reese.

[Lax3]

Nice to see Brandau getting the recognition on the national level that he so richly deserved. To average 6.5 points per game playing without the three top scorers from last year - Johnson, Lyons, Sharp - is simply remarkable. Reeves was remarkable but the performance this kid has produced is extraordinary. And for those who might want to question the extra time, his goal per game average and assist per game average are both the highest in Yale history.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ason/63009

[wgdsr]

Nice to see Brandau getting the recognition on the national level that he so richly deserved. To average 6.5 points per game playing without the three top scorers from last year - Johnson, Lyons, Sharp - is simply remarkable. Reeves was remarkable but the performance this kid has produced is extraordinary. And for those who might want to question the extra time, his goal per game average and assist per game average are both the highest in Yale history.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ason/63009

brandau's excellent. seems to have a pretty cool head on his shoulders and the game slows down for him. nothing's ever rushed.

an oddity, watched the 1st half of the harvard game and he was credited with 2 assists on plebeian perimeter passes where the guy(s) then dodged 2 and 1 players and scored. arguably on a 3rd also and at least one other that a teammate had. was weird, don't think i've ever seen any more than a one off for stats keeping like that.

he still piles points up and yale is again a high powered offense largely because of him, and even without presumed starters. 1st team aa won't have enough spots for everyone.

[ctbagataway]

What’s up with the stream today? The schedule says the game starts at noon but the ESPN coverage has it listed at 1.

[The Orfling]

Very complete win for the Bulldogs today over the #12 ranked Penn Quakers. I tuned in late and managed not to spoil myself and was able to watch from the start of the stream -- which was 5 minutes into the game with Yale having a 2-0 lead already. Some keys:

• On a day when Penn matched up very well against Rodriguez at the X (Mac was 6 for 14), Nicholas Ramsey went 8 for 11 so that Yale had a 14 for 25 advantage and could get enough possessions to stop Penn from mounting a big second half run;

• Jared Paquette had a very good day in net; 10 saves, some of which were beauties, and effective at rebound control and in the clearing game;

• Team defense held Penn to under 10 goals and came up with some big stops (I would also say that Penn made an uncharacteristic amount of unforced turnovers, as well -- out of 16 Penn turnovers, 4 were Yale caused turnovers -- but we'll take it!); Yale's poles are also REALLY good off the ground (see next point) and Yale was aggressive while being controlled/disciplined with no serious non-releasable penalties;

• Fantastic effort and results from Yale on ground balls -- an area of great strength for this team and not just due to a good year at faceoffs; Yale won the ground ball battle against Penn by a whopping 38 to 16 margin even though the Elis won only 3 more faceoffs than the Quakers;

• Once again, major plaudits on the offensive side of the ball have to go to Mr. Unselfish, Matt Brandau, with 5 points on the day (3 G, 2 A) to lead Yale; his first two goals of the day were particularly important; after Penn had gone up 5-4, Max Krevsky tied it up and then Brandau got the next 2 goals to give Yale a lead it never gave up;

• Kudos also to Yale's midfield, which scored 7 of Yale's 12 goals, including 2 key goals by Max Krevsky and singletons by Soelberg, Hackler, Keib, Moynihan (off a nice dodge) and Cashion -- the midfield also had 3 of 6 Yale assists.

Quick turn-around to another important game on Tuesday, against BU, but this was a GREAT Ivy win for the Bulldogs today and should effectively punch their ticket into the Ivy League tournament. Let's go, Yale!

[FannOLax]

Very complete win for the Bulldogs today over the #12 ranked Penn Quakers. I tuned in late and managed not to spoil myself and was able to watch from the start of the stream -- which was 5 minutes into the game with Yale having a 2-0 lead already. Some keys:

• On a day when Penn matched up very well against Rodriguez at the X (Mac was 6 for 14), Nicholas Ramsey went 8 for 11 so that Yale had a 14 for 25 advantage and could get enough possessions to stop Penn from mounting a big second half run;

• Jared Paquette had a very good day in net; 10 saves, some of which were beauties, and effective at rebound control and in the clearing game;

• Team defense held Penn to under 10 goals and came up with some big stops (I would also say that Penn made an uncharacteristic amount of unforced turnovers, as well -- out of 16 Penn turnovers, 4 were Yale caused turnovers -- but we'll take it!); Yale's poles are also REALLY good off the ground (see next point) and Yale was aggressive while being controlled/disciplined with no serious non-releasable penalties;

• Fantastic effort and results from Yale on ground balls -- an area of great strength for this team and not just due to a good year at faceoffs; Yale won the ground ball battle against Penn by a whopping 38 to 16 margin even though the Elis won only 3 more faceoffs than the Quakers;

• Once again, major plaudits on the offensive side of the ball have to go to Mr. Unselfish, Matt Brandau, with 5 points on the day (3 G, 2 A) to lead Yale; his first two goals of the day were particularly important; after Penn had gone up 5-4, Max Krevsky tied it up and then Brandau got the next 2 goals to give Yale a lead it never gave up;

• Kudos also to Yale's midfield, which scored 7 of Yale's 12 goals, including 2 key goals by Max Krevsky and singletons by Soelberg, Hackler, Keib, Moynihan (off a nice dodge) and Cashion -- the midfield also had 3 of 6 Yale assists.

Quick turn-around to another important game on Tuesday, against BU, but this was a GREAT Ivy win for the Bulldogs today and should effectively punch their ticket into the Ivy League tournament. Let's go, Yale!

Just checked into our hotel room far from CT, and grateful for your report, Orfling. Very important win for Yale, with the Elis giving up the fewest goals so far this season. Maybe the Quakers didn't play their best game, but I'd like to think the Eli D had something to do with that. It's been quite a while since Penn beat Yale in New Haven.

[The Orfling]

Very complete win for the Bulldogs today over the #12 ranked Penn Quakers. I tuned in late and managed not to spoil myself and was able to watch from the start of the stream -- which was 5 minutes into the game with Yale having a 2-0 lead already. Some keys:

• On a day when Penn matched up very well against Rodriguez at the X (Mac was 6 for 14), Nicholas Ramsey went 8 for 11 so that Yale had a 14 for 25 advantage and could get enough possessions to stop Penn from mounting a big second half run;

• Jared Paquette had a very good day in net; 10 saves, some of which were beauties, and effective at rebound control and in the clearing game;

• Team defense held Penn to under 10 goals and came up with some big stops (I would also say that Penn made an uncharacteristic amount of unforced turnovers, as well -- out of 16 Penn turnovers, 4 were Yale caused turnovers -- but we'll take it!); Yale's poles are also REALLY good off the ground (see next point) and Yale was aggressive while being controlled/disciplined with no serious non-releasable penalties;

• Fantastic effort and results from Yale on ground balls -- an area of great strength for this team and not just due to a good year at faceoffs; Yale won the ground ball battle against Penn by a whopping 38 to 16 margin even though the Elis won only 3 more faceoffs than the Quakers;

• Once again, major plaudits on the offensive side of the ball have to go to Mr. Unselfish, Matt Brandau, with 5 points on the day (3 G, 2 A) to lead Yale; his first two goals of the day were particularly important; after Penn had gone up 5-4, Max Krevsky tied it up and then Brandau got the next 2 goals to give Yale a lead it never gave up;

• Kudos also to Yale's midfield, which scored 7 of Yale's 12 goals, including 2 key goals by Max Krevsky and singletons by Soelberg, Hackler, Keib, Moynihan (off a nice dodge) and Cashion -- the midfield also had 3 of 6 Yale assists.

Quick turn-around to another important game on Tuesday, against BU, but this was a GREAT Ivy win for the Bulldogs today and should effectively punch their ticket into the Ivy League tournament. Let's go, Yale!

Just checked into our hotel room far from CT, and grateful for your report, Orfling. Very important win for Yale, with the Elis giving up the fewest goals so far this season. Maybe the Quakers didn't play their best game, but I'd like to think the Eli D had something to do with that. It's been quite a while since Penn beat Yale in New Haven.

Early on Yale's shorties were struggling a bit -- most of the early goals for Penn seemed to be somebody making a move on a shorty and getting a good hands-free shot -- but there did seem to be a nice adjustment with more early slides from the poles that made a difference. And Pisano and Alexander in particular were vacuuming up ground balls, with 10 between them (6 for Pisano, 4 for Alexander) which made a huge difference. There were several sequences during Penn clears when the ball came flying over midfield and was up for grabs and Pisano or Alexander Hoovered it up and Penn never even got an offensive possession. This game felt like Yale's best game to me; lots of "c words" -- crisp, confident, clean.

[Lax3]

This might be the least skilled team offensively in the past 15 years with Johnson, Lyons and Sharp out for the season. Only Brandau is elite from a skill standpoint. But this team is evidence of the Shay approach to recruiting athletes. The depth of pure athletes who can run and gun is incredible. To average 16 goals per game without three of the top four planned scorers is testament to the ability of the rest of the team’s ability to just hammer away offensively. A good proof point is the groundball differential – yesterday was something like 30-13 – where the bigger, stronger athletes win the turf battles. There is likely going to be a point where not having those three will haunt them – likely in the NCAA playoffs – but for now it is hard to not be impressed by how they have overcome the loss of skill players with pure athleticism.

[The Orfling]

This might be the least skilled team offensively in the past 15 years with Johnson, Lyons and Sharp out for the season. Only Brandau is elite from a skill standpoint. But this team is evidence of the Shay approach to recruiting athletes. The depth of pure athletes who can run and gun is incredible. To average 16 goals per game without three of the top four planned scorers is testament to the ability of the rest of the team’s ability to just hammer away offensively. A good proof point is the groundball differential – yesterday was something like 30-13 – where the bigger, stronger athletes win the turf battles. There is likely going to be a point where not having those three will haunt them – likely in the NCAA playoffs – but for now it is hard to not be impressed by how they have overcome the loss of skill players with pure athleticism.

Excellent observations, Lax3. (I was thinking maybe the EMO issues would be better with Johnson and Lyons, but last year's Yale EMO percentage was also not high at 25.5% so who knows.)