Offense and defense shine in victory

SMITHFIELD, RI - The Yale men's lacrosse team continued its dominant start to the 2016 campaign by taking down Bryant 14-4. The Elis were aggressive on defense and patient on offense, resulting in a third straight win to start the season.

After giving up an early goal, the Elis quickly responded with three of their own in a span of three minutes. Freshman Jack Tigh notched his second goal of the season within seconds after Bryant took their only lead of the game. Tigh received a pass from senior Michael Keasey and finished past Bryant goalie Gunnar Waldt.

After tying the game at one, the Bulldogs would then add five more unanswered goals, a feat they have now done two weeks in a row. Junior Jeff Cimbalista scored the go-ahead goal after the Elis took back possession and began the counterattack. A series of quick passes created the man advantage, and Tigh found Cimbalista, who easily found the net.

On defense, senior Michael Quinn was as relentless as usual. The Pre-Season First Team All-American covered Bryant attackman and leading scorer Tucker James for most of the day. Quinn applied consistent pressure, continuously checking James and forcing him to pass the ball away or cause a turnover. James finished the day without recording a point for the first time since his freshman year. The Yale defense collectively shut him down, ending one of the longest current point streaks by a player in the country.

Freshman Joseph Sessa scored his first collegiate goal late in the first quarter. The 5'5" attackman is listed as the shortest player on the Yale roster, but his agility and speed were unmatched by the Bryant defense. Receiving the ball behind the net, Sessa ran back and forth, parallel to the end line, and waited until he could create separation from his defender. He then cut inside and beat Waldt to give the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead.

In the second quarter, two Yale penalties in the same sequence of play gave Bryant a two-man up opportunity that could swing momentum in their direction. Sophomore goalie Phil Huffard, fresh off his impressive performance against Maryland last week, made a big save on a shot from the point that ended the attack and the penalty.

Huffard made 11 saves on the day, but never seemed out of his comfort zone. The Yale defense did not allow passes into the middle, forcing long shots that Huffard was able to see the whole way, making saves look effortless. After making a save or causing a change in possession, the defense and midfield were extremely effective at clearing the ball, converting on all of their clear attempts on the day.

Midway through the second quarter, the Bryant attack converted on an extra-man opportunity, ending the Eli's streak of 6 unanswered goals. Senior Mark Glicini then collected the ball on the ensuing faceoff, giving it off to junior Eric Scott, who found the net just 10 seconds after Bryant had gotten one back.

After exchanging chances in the final minute of the half, the Elis finished the second quarter with a 7-2 lead. In the locker room, Head Coach Andy Shay told his team to not let up, and continue being aggressive on both sides of the field. The players did just that, and Michael Keasey scored his third goal of the game less than a minute into the third quarter.

In transition, the Bryant midfield was not able to clear the ball easily. The Yale attackmen were constantly pressuring the defense, and created turnovers while Bryant was trying to move the ball forward in transition. The same pressure was present on defense, as Tucker James and other Bryant attackmen found themselves swarmed by a double or triple team as soon as they made a mistake.

Sophomore Ben Reeves, named the Ivy League Player of the Week after his performance against Maryland, continued to put points on the board, adding two goals and one assist. His second goal of the day came from an incredible assist from Scott, who threaded the ball through four Bryant defenders to find an open Reeves.

At the end of the third quarter, the Elis had built an insurmountable 10-3 lead. The outcome was clear, but that did not mean an end to the scoring. Freshman defender Robert Mooney scored his first collegiate goal after collecting the ball off a counterattack caused by a save by Huffard.

Sessa continued to find open space in the offensive zone in the fourth quarter, and scored twice in the span of a minute. Both goals came as a result of quick passing to the open man, as the Bryant defense could not keep up with the Bulldogs' speed. Sessa received passes from Reeves and Cimbalista in almost identical plays, and calmly finished both to give the Elis two quick goals.

The Bulldogs' offense continued to press forward until the final whistle. Sophomore midfielder Will Robinson scored his first goal of the season with 12 seconds remaining in the game, giving the Elis a 14-3 lead. Bryant added a goal with one second remaining, but by that point it had been known for some time who was going to come out on top.

The Yale defensive unit allowed the fewest number of goals this season against a formidable Bryant offense. The constant pressure created turnovers that the offense was then able to convert into points. The efficiency in transition, combined with the impressive face-off performance, gave the Bulldogs more opportunities in the offensive zone.

The Elis came into Smithfield with momentum, and consistent offense combined with relentless defense secured the victory for Yale. Their performance today proved why they deserve to be considered one of the top teams in the nation.

The Bulldogs look to continue their unbeaten streak on Tuesday night, when they host St. John's at Reese Stadium.