Here is IL's take on Yale fall ball day. In addition to the ones IL named as missing, I would add Thomas Bragg and Mike Alexander, among others. However, I think all of the rope unit was present, and it looked good.
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... oard/62166
Yale
Matt Brandau, Jared Paquette, Michael Alexander, Brad Sharp, and several other Bulldogs were all unavailable — that didn’t do much to slow the team down though. Chris Lyons and Leo Johnson were outstanding as primary options for the Yale offense, while a combination of freshmen and returning role players looked good alongside them.
“I think we were OK,” coach Andy Shay said. “I think we’re in the right spots, and we did the things we were supposed to do clearing, riding, in those moments. In as much as that, I’m pleased.”
Lyons got the party started early against Stony Brook, scoring a goal off the opening face-off. While in past years, Lyons has played the role of finisher and off-ball threat, he looked like a top dodging option for Yale in their first game. Stony Brook’s defense was aggressive sliding and switching picks, which led to Lyons frequently having a shortstick matchup. He attacked that matchup all day and unofficially finished with five goals and an assist.
Against Vermont, Lyons stayed hot. He had a first quarter hat trick and caused a turnover on the ride. All said and done on the day, Lyons unofficially had eight goals and two assists. He looked aggressive as a dodger and a creator, much more than just an off-ball threat.
“We see that every day in practice. A couple of my colleagues were at practice saying, ‘Well he’s dodging more now’ and I say he dodges all the time,” Shay said. “But we don’t see it in the game because maybe Matt’s back there or Leo, and he’s great inside. So he just does that. He really can do whatever we need him to do. It’s funny, it’s like you don’t notice your kids growing up. So you guys see him once in fall and then in the spring, but I see him all the time. He’s been great.”
With so many stars out, there were opportunities for freshmen to make an impact in game situations. Many played prominent roles with the starting group. Even with Yale using so many young and inexperienced players, they were able to win matchups. Middies Cole Cashion and Matt Harding, attackman Peter Moynihan and goalie George Northup all stood out. Cashion ran with the first midfield group and was able to shake his man on a number of occasions, drawing slides and putting pressure on the defense. The attack in particular saw a lot of young players rotating through Brandau’s spot.
“Cashion was great, I thought Harding played great, [Tristan] Ghosh played great,” Shay said. Northup in particular played well in the goal as a backup, getting a lot of minutes in both games, while Hugh Conrad started both contests.
“I’ll look at the stats, but I think they both were above 50%. I thought they were both great. They were both great in the clear. When you have a goalie that hasn’t played as much, get him in the clear and sometimes it’s an adventure, but both of them were great,” Shay said.