Game Recap: 4/9/2024- Tim Bennett
Bulldogs win for the second time in four days
BOSTON, Mass. – It was another big day for the Yale offense. And who else but Matt Brandau was at the center of it. Brandau finished with 11 points, most coming as a facilitator, and saw his mates finish strong as the Bulldogs posted an impressive 18-16 victory over Boston University at Nickerson Field.
It was the fourth straight win and second in four days for Yale, which beat Penn 12-9 on Saturday.
"I'm happy to get out of here win a win against a great, well-coached team," said Andy Shay, The Forst Family Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "It was a short week and a huge challenge. BU played incredibly hard, and we were lucky to pull this one out."
ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING DAY FOR BRANDAU
Brandau entered the game needing just one point to become Yale's all-time leader. It didn't take him long to add that record to his resume as he assisted on David Anderson's goal less than a minute in. One record, though, wasn't it for Brandau. His seventh assist of the afternoon, which came on a Johnny Keib goal midway through the third quarter, made him the Yale career assist leader. Brandau, who has played in 65 games at Yale, is now the school's all-time leader in goals (183), assists (144) and points (327). All three marks had been held by three-time All-American and 2018 Tewaaraton Award winner Ben Reeves, who played in 67 games from 2015 to 2018.
"Matt's records are just an incredible achievement. Ones I'm not sure I would see after Ben set them," Shay said. "And to smash it in less games, it's just incredible."
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Brandau finished the day with three goals and eight assists. He was one of four multiple goal scorers for the Bulldogs. Keib had a career-high five goals. Anderson tallied four, while Thomas Bragg contributed two. Carson Kuhl, Patrick Hackler, Max Krevsky and Peter Moynihan each added one. Kuhl also had an assist.
PAQUETTE COMES UP BIG
Goalie Jared Paquette had a big day for Yale, finishing with a season-high 15 saves. He was at his best late in the game, making five of his stops in the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs clinging to the lead.
TURNING POINTS
The Bulldogs scored the final four goals of the second quarter to snap a 4-4 tie. BU closed to within one goal six times over the final two quarters, but Yale had an answer each and every time. Brandau's third and final goal with 1:00 left allowed the Bulldogs to breathe a little easier in the final seconds.
NOTES:
• Brandau's eight assists tied the Yale single-game record. It was his second time tying the mark this season. He also had eight assists in the Bulldogs' victory over Harvard. Matt Gibson (2012) and Jason O'Neill (1990) also had eight assists in a game.
• Brandau became the first player in Division I lacrosse to post two 10-points-or-more games this season. He had 13 in Yale's win over Colgate.
• Patrick Pisano had another strong defensive game for the Bulldogs. He had two caused turnovers and six ground balls.
• The Bulldogs were outshot in the game 64-35, including 23-9 in the fourth quarter. Yale, though, scored four goals on its nine fourth-quarter shots.