Saturday, April 15th at 12pm
Reese Stadium
Men's Lacrosse 4/14/2023 11:03:00 AM Tim Bennett
Yale seeks third straight victory in key Ivy League contest
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Saturday's final game of the regular season at Reese Stadium has important consequences for the Yale men's lacrosse team. The Bulldogs, who have won two straight, are very much in the hunt for a spot in the four-team Ivy League Tournament but need a victory over Brown to maintain their positive momentum. The opening face off against the Bears is set for noon, and the game will be televised by NESN+ and streamed on ESPN+. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: * Prior to the game, Yale will honor six seniors making their final appearance at Reese. Konrad Collins, Miles Leniw, Brady McDermott, Elliot Sawyer-Kaplan, Skyler Wilson and Kyle Zawadzki have made a significant impact during one of the most successful eras in the long history of Yale Lacrosse. Over the last four seasons, including one that was cut short by the pandemic, the Bulldogs have won 35 games. In 2022, the six helped Yale capture an Ivy League championship, and in their first year in 2019, the Bulldogs advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. * Yale enters the weekend No. 11 in the NCAA RPI. The Bulldogs are the second highest ranked Ivy League team, trailing only Cornell (No. 7). * Yale and Brown are each receiving votes in each national poll this week. * The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the weekly New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll. Brown is No. 3. * In its last three games, Yale has scored 54 goals – 16 vs. Penn, 17 vs. Boston University and 21 against Dartmouth last Saturday. * The Bulldogs are 12th in the nation and second in the Ivy League in scoring offense (14.89). * In last Saturday's win over Dartmouth, Yale had assists on 15 of its 21 goals. The Bulldogs are 13th nationally and third in the league with 8.22 assists per game. * Matt Brandau leads the team with 20 assists. He is 13th nationally and third in the league in assists per game. (2.22). Brandau, who scored six goals and added three assists in last Saturday's win over Dartmouth, has at least one point in all 49 games he has played at Yale, which is the third longest active streak in the nation. * Leo Johnson also had a big day against the Big Green last week, finishing with four goals and four assists. Johnson, a sophomore, now has 98 career points. He has had at least one point in all 26 games he has played at Yale and has scored at least one goal in all but two games. * Chris Lyons leads the team with 34 goals, which is second in the league. Lyons is fifth in the nation in goals per game (3.78). * Goalie Jared Paquette leads the league and is eighth nationally in saves per game at 13.89. * Defender Jack Stuzin leads the league with 17 caused turnovers. * Last year in Providence, Brown topped the Bulldogs 20-13, despite a seven-point outing from Brandau (4 goals, 3 assists). The last meeting at Reese came in 2019, a 17-12 Yale victory. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Bears. SCOUTING BROWN The Bears (5-5, 1-2 Ivy) are coming off a 12-11 victory over Penn last Saturday in Providence. Jack Kelly scored the game-winning goal with 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. The McLane brothers lead Brown in scoring. Devon has 21 goals and 13 assists, while Aidan has contributed 26 goals and six assists. Goalie Connor Theriault was named to the initial Tewaaraton Award Watch List in February. He has started all 10 games and has a 12.58 goals against average. The Bears' most impressive non-league victory was a 13-11 win at then No. 6 Villanova on Mar. 27. Brown's three Ivy League games have been decided by four goals or less, including two by one goal – a 16-15 overtime loss to Harvard and the 12-11 win over Penn.