Yale 2024

[FannOLax]

I bet there will be an additional game added on or about February 24. I don't think Yale has ever left an in-season weekend open on the final schedule. I agree with you Orfling on UMass.

[The Orfling]

Yale is ranked #10 in USA Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason rankings — that feels about right to me with what we know going into the 2024 season: https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/college/ ... son-top-20

Within the Ivies, Cornell (#7) is ranked ahead of Yale in this top 20 list and Yale is ranked ahead of Princeton (#14) and Penn (#17). Counting the three Ivy opponents, Yale’s schedule include 1 pre-season top 5 team; 1 pre-season 5-10 team; 2 pre-season 11-15 teams; and 2 pre-season 16-20 teams. If the teams play “to form” and Yale can get some key Ws, the schedule (although clearly not as tough as some other Ivy schedules) looks good enough to offer a path to the NCAAs (even potentially without making the ILT finals).

1. Notre Dame
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Penn State
5. Maryland
6. Johns Hopkins
7. Cornell
8. Army
9. Syracuse
10. Yale
11. Denver
12. Georgetown
13. Michigan
14. Princeton
15. Rutgers
16. Delaware
17. Penn
18. Boston U
19. North Carolina
20. Richmond

[FannOLax]

Yale is ranked #10 in USA Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason rankings — that feels about right to me with what we know going into the 2024 season: https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/college/ ... son-top-20

Within the Ivies, Cornell (#7) is ranked ahead of Yale in this top 20 list and Yale is ranked ahead of Princeton (#14) and Penn (#17). Counting the three Ivy opponents, Yale’s schedule include 1 pre-season top 5 team; 1 pre-season 5-10 team; 2 pre-season 11-15 teams; and 2 pre-season 16-20 teams. If the teams play “to form” and Yale can get some key Ws, the schedule (although clearly not as tough as some other Ivy schedules) looks good enough to offer a path to the NCAAs (even potentially without making the ILT finals).

1. Notre Dame
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Penn State
5. Maryland
6. Johns Hopkins
7. Cornell
8. Army
9. Syracuse
10. Yale
11. Denver
12. Georgetown
13. Michigan
14. Princeton
15. Rutgers
16. Delaware
17. Penn
18. Boston U
19. North Carolina
20. Richmond

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, Orfling, and the same to all others reading this.

That Penn State game is certainly looming large. It's probably a good thing that we'll be playing them a bit later than in previous seasons, early March as opposed to February, as that should help Yale get into the swing of things after the Ivy's late start. I suppose we should also hope that Denver and Boston U remain in the Top 20 (and will Albany ever return to its heights of 2017 and 2018?). While it is probably not realistic to expect the Ivy to do as well overall as it did in 2022, I imagine that many of us will be rooting for fellow ILT teams to do well in OOC play. I know I will.

[Lax3]

Sharp out for the season with a torn ACL.

[oldbartman]

Does Yale have an indoor facility for lacrosse?

[The Orfling]

Sharp out for the season with a torn ACL.

Geez, terrible luck for Sharp — very sorry to hear it. I hope his rehab goes well.

[FannOLax]

Sharp out for the season with a torn ACL.

Geez, terrible luck for Sharp — very sorry to hear it. I hope his rehab goes well.

Yes, it is terrible luck for Sharp. I hope he recovers fully. If there's a silver lining here, it's that the team knows ahead of time about his absence and can plan/prepare around it.

The 2024 roster is up. https://yalebulldogs.com/sports/mens-la ... oster/2024
Looks like the #3 who impressed the heck out of me in fall ball, both at O middie and pure attack, was indeed Moynihan. I really like the way the first-years showed in fall ball, as well as some of the sophs who saw little playing time their first year.

[The Orfling]

Does Yale have an indoor facility for lacrosse?

As a fan and Yale alum, I'm a bit embarrassed to say I don't know the answer to this for sure, although I believe based on photos of early season practices every year there is not an indoor field facility and they play outside on the Reese Stadium turf. When I was at Yale (1980s) we had indoor lacrosse practices in a facility called Coxe Cage, but that was re-done in the early 2000s to make it a better indoor track venue and I think it no longer works for indoor sports practices for lacrosse. We mostly had to practice indoors in February because Yale did not have turf fields and we would have torn up the grass fields irretrievably; Yale added a half-field of turf (absurd now, it seems, to have such a literal half-measure) while I was there and we used that also.

Unlike Hanover NH, and even Cambridge MA, the New Haven weather is generally mild enough I think to allow for outdoor practices on the turf. The new Tsai field house has an amazing weight room but not an indoor field space so far as I know?

But others who get to campus more frequently than I or with kids who've played recently would know for sure.

[The Orfling]

Sharp out for the season with a torn ACL.

Geez, terrible luck for Sharp — very sorry to hear it. I hope his rehab goes well.

Yes, it is terrible luck for Sharp. I hope he recovers fully. If there's a silver lining here, it's that the team knows ahead of time about his absence and can plan/prepare around it.

The 2024 roster is up. https://yalebulldogs.com/sports/mens-la ... oster/2024
Looks like the #3 who impressed the heck out of me in fall ball, both at O middie and pure attack, was indeed Moynihan. I really like the way the first-years showed in fall ball, as well as some of the sophs who saw little playing time their first year.

Thanks for flagging the roster going up, Fann. Really looking forward to seeing these guys get back into action! Always fun to enjoy seeing the talent shown by the first-years and by returners who didn't see the field a lot in the prior season.

[oldbartman]

Does Yale have an indoor facility for lacrosse?

As a fan and Yale alum, I'm a bit embarrassed to say I don't know the answer to this for sure, although I believe based on photos of early season practices every year there is not an indoor field facility and they play outside on the Reese Stadium turf. When I was at Yale (1980s) we had indoor lacrosse practices in a facility called Coxe Cage, but that was re-done in the early 2000s to make it a better indoor track venue and I think it no longer works for indoor sports practices for lacrosse. We mostly had to practice indoors in February because Yale did not have turf fields and we would have torn up the grass fields irretrievably; Yale added a half-field of turf (absurd now, it seems, to have such a literal half-measure) while I was there and we used that also.

Unlike Hanover NH, and even Cambridge MA, the New Haven weather is generally mild enough I think to allow for outdoor practices on the turf. The new Tsai field house has an amazing weight room but not an indoor field space so far as I know?

But others who get to campus more frequently than I or with kids who've played recently would know for sure.

Thanks for getting back to me. I didn't find anything on the school website indicating an indoor facility. Maybe Messrs. Tsai and Reese could lead a fundraiser for one?

[FannOLax]

Does Yale have an indoor facility for lacrosse?

As a fan and Yale alum, I'm a bit embarrassed to say I don't know the answer to this for sure, although I believe based on photos of early season practices every year there is not an indoor field facility and they play outside on the Reese Stadium turf. When I was at Yale (1980s) we had indoor lacrosse practices in a facility called Coxe Cage, but that was re-done in the early 2000s to make it a better indoor track venue and I think it no longer works for indoor sports practices for lacrosse. We mostly had to practice indoors in February because Yale did not have turf fields and we would have torn up the grass fields irretrievably; Yale added a half-field of turf (absurd now, it seems, to have such a literal half-measure) while I was there and we used that also.

Unlike Hanover NH, and even Cambridge MA, the New Haven weather is generally mild enough I think to allow for outdoor practices on the turf. The new Tsai field house has an amazing weight room but not an indoor field space so far as I know?

But others who get to campus more frequently than I or with kids who've played recently would know for sure.

The new Tsai building is on the small side, mainly for weight training and related and you'd be, um, hard-pressed to add even a ping-pong table in there, let alone having room for lacrosse. The mention of Coxe Cage reminded me that Coxe was bumped out a bit for new restrooms, meaning that lacrosse and soccer spectators no longer have to leave Reese to use the facilities; definite progress.

[FannOLax]

For what little it's worth, Matt Kinnear is picking Yale to win the Ivy: https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... 2024/62436

"Ivy League
Storyline: A Juggernaut
This fall, an Ivy League coach commented how he thought they were maybe the fourth-best team. I could have argued they were the best. That’s just how the league is, so no team is going to get through unscathed. The subplot is the COVID fifth-years and how different teams have dealt with them. At some institutions, taking leave in the offseason preserved eligibility, and for a team like Princeton, a hugely influential class of players is elsewhere.

Winner: Yale
Another toss-up, but I like the depth of top-end offensive talent at Yale most of all (though CJ Kirst is the best player in the league, and I think closer to winning the Tewaaraton than people give him credit for.). Matt Brandau, Chris Lyons, Leo Johnson, etc. — it keeps going. I trust Andy Shay and Co. have figured out the defensive issues.

Wild card: Freshmen
This is mostly a Princeton take. But with all the talk of veterans and fifth-years, will the freshman classes make the difference this year? Princeton has the top class and Nate Kabiri looked to already be making an impact. Cornell has Willem Firth and Matt Tully as Top 10 freshmen."

Wasn't that Shay who made the comment about being the fourth-best ivy team?

Regarding pre-season All Americans, https://yalebulldogs.com/news/2024/1/17 ... onors.aspx Brandau at 2nd team attack and Hackler as 3rd team SSDM seem about right. i think LSM Stuzin has the potential to be up there on the number teams rather than the pre-season HM; I think it's a matter of consistency, playing at or near his best every game. Lyons as HM attack, well, I'd think of that as motivational bulletin-board material given what we've already seen him do.

[The Orfling]

Regarding pre-season All Americans, https://yalebulldogs.com/news/2024/1/17 ... onors.aspx Brandau at 2nd team attack and Hackler as 3rd team SSDM seem about right. i think LSM Stuzin has the potential to be up there on the number teams rather than the pre-season HM; I think it's a matter of consistency, playing at or near his best every game. Lyons as HM attack, well, I'd think of that as motivational bulletin-board material given what we've already seen him do.

I agree with your analysis, Fann. I also think Leo Johnson will be his usual outstanding self -- it's probably tough to put three guys from the same unit up but all three (Brandau/Lyons/Johnson) are just terrific. I'll be interested to see how the midfield comes along (even with the big loss of Brad Sharp) -- will we see a "Special K" line of Krevsky, Keib, and Kuhl, all of whom looked good last year? Also looking forward to seeing the regular season debut of Cole Cashion (seemed like he and Moynihan made the most noise in fall-ball for the first-years?)

[FannOLax]

Regarding pre-season All Americans, https://yalebulldogs.com/news/2024/1/17 ... onors.aspx Brandau at 2nd team attack and Hackler as 3rd team SSDM seem about right. i think LSM Stuzin has the potential to be up there on the number teams rather than the pre-season HM; I think it's a matter of consistency, playing at or near his best every game. Lyons as HM attack, well, I'd think of that as motivational bulletin-board material given what we've already seen him do.

I agree with your analysis, Fann. I also think Leo Johnson will be his usual outstanding self -- it's probably tough to put three guys from the same unit up but all three (Brandau/Lyons/Johnson) are just terrific. I'll be interested to see how the midfield comes along (even with the big loss of Brad Sharp) -- will we see a "Special K" line of Krevsky, Keib, and Kuhl, all of whom looked good last year? Also looking forward to seeing the regular season debut of Cole Cashion (seemed like he and Moynihan made the most noise in fall-ball for the first-years?)

Special K line could work, although Bragg and Soelberg have to be considered. Bragg and Sheehan on EMO together with the terrific trio starting attack could be a fearsome unit. Moynihan should see considerable playing time somewhere. Honestly, without any sort of up-dated roster for fall ball, I don't have distinct memories of Cashion as opposed to most other first-years. Monfort, Hackler and Christian Johnson can all be outstanding SSDMs, and with Stuzin at LSM, supplemented by Garchitorena and Miklaszewski; but rest of the defense, oh the defense... would love to see FOGO improve, get consistently to 60%-plus; I suppose it's easy to wish.

[The Orfling]

Regarding pre-season All Americans, https://yalebulldogs.com/news/2024/1/17 ... onors.aspx Brandau at 2nd team attack and Hackler as 3rd team SSDM seem about right. i think LSM Stuzin has the potential to be up there on the number teams rather than the pre-season HM; I think it's a matter of consistency, playing at or near his best every game. Lyons as HM attack, well, I'd think of that as motivational bulletin-board material given what we've already seen him do.

I agree with your analysis, Fann. I also think Leo Johnson will be his usual outstanding self -- it's probably tough to put three guys from the same unit up but all three (Brandau/Lyons/Johnson) are just terrific. I'll be interested to see how the midfield comes along (even with the big loss of Brad Sharp) -- will we see a "Special K" line of Krevsky, Keib, and Kuhl, all of whom looked good last year? Also looking forward to seeing the regular season debut of Cole Cashion (seemed like he and Moynihan made the most noise in fall-ball for the first-years?)

Special K line could work, although Bragg and Soelberg have to be considered. Bragg and Sheehan on EMO together with the terrific trio starting attack could be a fearsome unit. Moynihan should see considerable playing time somewhere. Honestly, without any sort of up-dated roster for fall ball, I don't have distinct memories of Cashion as opposed to most other first-years. Monfort, Hackler and Christian Johnson can all be outstanding SSDMs, and with Stuzin at LSM, supplemented by Garchitorena and Miklaszewski; but rest of the defense, oh the defense... would love to see FOGO improve, get consistently to 60%-plus; I suppose it's easy to wish.

Yes, I was being a little goofy with the "Special K" nickname -- I agree that Bragg and Soelberg will be major contributors in a midfield rotation, and I assume there will still be some 2-way middle work by Hackler and Monfort on occasion? Theoretically, Yale should have solid personnel on defense -- in addition to Monfort/Hackler/C. Johnson and Stuzin and his multi-syllabic friends, Mikey Alexander and Bryce DeMuth both offer a lot of experience at close defense and Jake Cohen has another year under his belt after last year's transition from LSM to close D. There may also be some under-the-radar first and second year players who work themselves into the defensive rotation. However, I don't know if personnel is everything? It still seemed like there were some systemic breakdowns last year so I am crossing fingers for a defense with a consistent identity. I know a lot of goals get scored when you play at the pace Yale has played at these past couple of years, but pace of play hasn't been the whole story.

Like you, Fann, I've got some optimism about the FOGO position -- Ramsey and Rodriguez still have some upside potential, I think, and it will be interesting to see if Annunziato can work his way into the line-up (maybe a bit like Ball did two years ago towards the end of the season).

Kind of stating the obvious but I'm definitely looking forward to the start of the season.

[Farfromgeneva]

Regarding pre-season All Americans, https://yalebulldogs.com/news/2024/1/17 ... onors.aspx Brandau at 2nd team attack and Hackler as 3rd team SSDM seem about right. i think LSM Stuzin has the potential to be up there on the number teams rather than the pre-season HM; I think it's a matter of consistency, playing at or near his best every game. Lyons as HM attack, well, I'd think of that as motivational bulletin-board material given what we've already seen him do.

I agree with your analysis, Fann. I also think Leo Johnson will be his usual outstanding self -- it's probably tough to put three guys from the same unit up but all three (Brandau/Lyons/Johnson) are just terrific. I'll be interested to see how the midfield comes along (even with the big loss of Brad Sharp) -- will we see a "Special K" line of Krevsky, Keib, and Kuhl, all of whom looked good last year? Also looking forward to seeing the regular season debut of Cole Cashion (seemed like he and Moynihan made the most noise in fall-ball for the first-years?)

Special K line could work, although Bragg and Soelberg have to be considered. Bragg and Sheehan on EMO together with the terrific trio starting attack could be a fearsome unit. Moynihan should see considerable playing time somewhere. Honestly, without any sort of up-dated roster for fall ball, I don't have distinct memories of Cashion as opposed to most other first-years. Monfort, Hackler and Christian Johnson can all be outstanding SSDMs, and with Stuzin at LSM, supplemented by Garchitorena and Miklaszewski; but rest of the defense, oh the defense... would love to see FOGO improve, get consistently to 60%-plus; I suppose it's easy to wish.

Yes, I was being a little goofy with the "Special K" nickname -- I agree that Bragg and Soelberg will be major contributors in a midfield rotation, and I assume there will still be some 2-way middle work by Hackler and Monfort on occasion? Theoretically, Yale should have solid personnel on defense -- in addition to Monfort/Hackler/C. Johnson and Stuzin and his multi-syllabic friends, Mikey Alexander and Bryce DeMuth both offer a lot of experience at close defense and Jake Cohen has another year under his belt after last year's transition from LSM to close D. There may also be some under-the-radar first and second year players who work themselves into the defensive rotation. However, I don't know if personnel is everything? It still seemed like there were some systemic breakdowns last year so I am crossing fingers for a defense with a consistent identity. I know a lot of goals get scored when you play at the pace Yale has played at these past couple of years, but pace of play hasn't been the whole story.

Like you, Fann, I've got some optimism about the FOGO position -- Ramsey and Rodriguez still have some upside potential, I think, and it will be interesting to see if Annunziato can work his way into the line-up (maybe a bit like Ball did two years ago towards the end of the season).

Kind of stating the obvious but I'm definitely looking forward to the start of the season.

Unless you are treating depression with it (and even if you are this clip might help), this is the best and only special K ever needed in life.

https://youtu.be/wV_PnbTq9BU?si=XAN7zKk1DHPAwHVJ

[The Orfling]

FarfromGeneva, that's a great clip. Forgot about that movie -- very funny!

USA Lacrosse Magazine is out with its write-up of Yale, its pre-season #10 pick, and it is pretty fair assessment, I think: https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/college/ ... 0-yale-men

A couple of things struck me as interesting/significant:

• The article asserts that first-year D Roman Buono will see some time -- as Fann and I like to remember fondly, not just Chris Fake but Aidan Hynes were both influential first-year additions at close D back in the day -- maybe Buono joins that list?

• The article quotes Coach Shay as emphasizing that Yale needs to protect the ball better on clears -- I think that's right; with three such skilled players at attack you don't necessarily need the long bomb fast break clear all that often;

• In the "what rivals are saying" section, they quote an opposing coach as saying the following about Yale's defense: "I do think they need to figure out defensively what their identity going to be. I know they like to press out and force you into playing fast. With all these moving pieces, is that the best thing to do?" In my broken-record fixation on the defense the last couple years (old defenders never die, we just fade away . . .) I've stated that I'd like to see them be willing to change up from the "straight D pressing out" on occasion. Throw a good zone at people, try a box and one type defense, pack it in and let the goalie save some outside shots -- try some of the wrinkles that have worked against the Yale attack at times.

Let's go Elis!

[FannOLax]

FarfromGeneva, that's a great clip. Forgot about that movie -- very funny!

USA Lacrosse Magazine is out with its write-up of Yale, its pre-season #10 pick, and it is pretty fair assessment, I think: https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/college/ ... 0-yale-men

A couple of things struck me as interesting/significant:

• The article asserts that first-year D Roman Buono will see some time -- as Fann and I like to remember fondly, not just Chris Fake but Aidan Hynes were both influential first-year additions at close D back in the day -- maybe Buono joins that list?

....

Let's go Elis!

Yes, Aidan Hynes, who started as a first-year in 2017, got injured in the 2018 pre-season and saw limited PT on man-down defense, started throughout 2019, then lost his senior season to Covid and didn't play anywhere else as a grad transfer.

Yes, overall a good, fair piece on the Eli Bulldogs, with reference to the O (as we've seen elsewhere) as being among the best in D1. With a few more FOGO wins, a few more grounds balls, a better clearing percentage, well, the team would do better, but really, the D needs to improve. Buono cohld help, directly on the field, and indirectly by enhancing competition for PT. I think clearing can improve, with Hackler, Monfort and Stuzin all capable of the "one-man clear" and Paquette reasonably accurate on outlet passes. But will Paquette take charge and command the defense? Will one starting long pole step up with the sort of calm poise on the clear, and overall defensive leadership that Chris Keating showed in 2018? We can hope.

Plenty of good athletes returning, plus good first-year players including at least a few ready to contribute immediately, so this is a team that could, might, maybe... well, if nothing else, it will almost surely be a team that's fun to watch. Lots of things would have to improve, and to gel properly, with a dose of good luck against tougher competition, for the Elis to return to those 2018 and 2019 heights.

Go Yale!

[pcowlax]

Had a chance to interview a member of the 2018 championship this week as part of a job application. Remarkable young man who has already gone on to great things. Very rewarding to root for a team with such student-athletes.

[The Orfling]

Had a chance to interview a member of the 2018 championship this week as part of a job application. Remarkable young man who has already gone on to great things. Very rewarding to root for a team with such student-athletes.

That's always great to hear. Whenever I've met Shay era players I've been impressed, and that 2018 team was pretty special even for a program with an outstanding culture.