15-5 Win at Dartmouth Clinches Post Season

HANOVER, N.H. -  The Yale men's lacrosse team completed a 34-goal week with a 15-5 rout of Dartmouth, a win that improved the Elis' overall record to 10-0. The No. 1 Bulldogs, Division I's only unbeaten team, also clinched a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.

After blowing out Sacred Heart 19-3 at Reese Stadium on Tuesday, Yale was hoping to end a two-game streak of one-goal league games. Nine unanswered goals in the third quarter made today's decision much more comfortable than the last two Ivy nail biters.

The class of 2016 led the offensive charge, as three seniors scored eight goals for the Elis. Michael Keasey led all scorers with four goals, while adding an assist. Shane Carr and JW McGovern also notched two in the victory, the most for either player in a game this season. Ben Reeves posted three goals and two assists, while the defense held the Big Green scoreless for over 20 minutes in the second half.

With the victory, Yale now moves to 4-0 against Ivy League teams. This is their best start in league play since 1990, and the team has now clinched a spot in the Ivy League Tournament coming in May. With two tough conference opponents remaining, the Elis will now be looking to secure the home-field advantage.

Jonathan Reese won the opening face-off for the Bulldogs, which led to an early shot by freshman Brendan Mackie, as he was able to test Dartmouth goalie Joe Balaban early. He made the save and then stopped an Eric Scott rocket on the next possession, but the Elis were controlling the tempo right from the start. After a long possession on their third trip down the field, junior midfielder Eric Scott drew in the defense to the right side of the net. He then lobbed a pass to a wide open Michael Keasey, and the senior midfielder finished past Balaban to give Yale the first lead of the game.

Within nine minutes, the offense had already put up ten shots, while the Big Green had only fired one. The game was mainly played in the Elis' offensive zone, but Balaban made six saves early. On the second full Dartmouth possession, however, a Wiley Osborne shot deflected off two defenders and landed in the net to tie the game at one.

Reese secured possession on the face-off to start the second quarter, and the offense went back to work quickly. After some passing at the perimeter, JW McGovern ran along the point to create space. The senior midfielder then launched a shot that found net, and his third goal of the year gave Yale their second lead of the game.

After a defensive stop on the next possession, the ball was collected by Jerry O'Connor in the clearing attempt. The sophomore defenseman then took the ball all the way down field, and without a Big Green defender stepping up to cover, he fired and scored his first goal of the season to put the Bulldogs up two.

A slash on the next offensive possession for the Elis led to their second man-up opportunity of the day. Ben Reeves held the ball at the point, then quickly passed to Shane Carr. The senior attackman then notched his third goal of the season. After a Dartmouth goal cut the lead back to two, a forced turnover in transition gave the Bulldogs a fast-break chance. Jeff Cimbalista put a shot on target, but Balaban used his body to make the save. The deflection fell straight to Michael Bonacci, and the senior midfielder buried a shot into the net to give the Elis their fourth goal of the quarter. The 5-2 lead carried into halftime.

The statistics after two quarters were more lopsided than the scoreboard suggested. Yale was 7 of 9 from the face-off position, and picked up 20 groundballs compared to Dartmouth's 12. The clearest difference was in the shots category, where the Bulldogs led the Big Green 27-7. Joe Balaban's 11 saves in the first half prevented the Elis from running up the score early, but it was clear that the Elis were creating consistent opportunities on offense.

After Reilly Naton secured possession after the opening face-off of the second half, the Bulldogs set up their offense, looking to build on their already comfortable lead. The ball found its way to Michael Keasey, and he notched his second goal of the game. On the next full possession, freshman Jack Tigh received a pass from Reeves, and scored his fourth career goal against an Ivy League opponent.

From there, the Bulldogs opened up the floodgates on offense, scoring five goals in five consecutive possessions. Freshman Brendan Mackie first a shot on target that was deflected, but Balaban was unable to track the rebound. The ball fell to Jeff Cimbalista, and he finished with a clear look at the net. Sophomore Jason Alessi then fired a shot high to get his first goal of the game after a nice move to create space from his defender. 

After earning another man-up opportunity, the Elis converted after a smooth passing series. Tigh found Shane Carr making a run towards the net, and the senior scored his second of the day to convert on the EMO. On the next possession, Eric Scott found Keasey again, who was left open at the point and able to get a clear look at the net. He converted to notch his third of the day and give Yale an eight-goal lead.

Another penalty on Dartmouth gave the Bulldogs their second EMO of the quarter. Early in the advantage, Keasey passed to an open Reeves at the perimeter, and the sophomore scored his second of the game as the Elis converted with the extra-man for the third time in four attempts. A turnover at the other end of the field results in an odd-man rush for the Elis in transition. Keasey received the ball at the point, stopped almost immediately to fire a shot, and launched a shot into the net for his fourth goal on the day. The senior now has 10 goals in his past three games.

As the game clock was running down with less than 30 seconds in the third quarter, tight defense forced another turnover, and the Bulldogs were on the fast-break once again. Freshman John Daniggelis carried the ball through the midfield, and realized they had a 4 to 3 advantage in personnel. With three seconds left in the quarter, he passed to Reeves at the crease, and he slotted home his third goal before the horn could sound. As the clock expired after the next face-off, Yale had scored nine unanswered goals in the third quarter and build a 14-2 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs continued their scoring run, courtesy of JW McGovern. The senior scored his second goal after switching to his left hand, allowing him to take advantage of his angle on net and fire a shot on target. From there, the tempo of the game slowed down, and while Dartmouth managed to get on the board for the first time in the second half, the Bulldogs had built a sizable lead that could not be erased. Penalties riddled the final minutes of the game for the Elis, but the final horn sounded with the scoreboard reading 15-5 in favor of Yale.

Hoyt Crance started in net for the Bulldogs for the second straight week, as a leg injury kept Phil Huffard on the sidelines. After making nine saves and allowing only two goals to Sacred Heart, Crance put up another dominant performance Saturday. The freshman made six saves before being pulled in the fourth quarter, while only allowing four goals.  

The offense has scored at least 15 goals in two consecutive games, and during that span 17 different Bulldogs have put their names on the scoresheet. On Saturday, Jeff Cimbalista and Jack Tigh each scored their first goals of the week, while defenseman Jerry O'Connor scored his first goal of the season.

On defense, the Elis secured 37 groundballs and caused 13 turnovers, led by junior Christopher Keating (5 GB, 4 CT). The team also had the advantage over Dartmouth in nearly every statistical category. Reese and Conor Mackie combined to go 17-23 from the face-off position, their highest win percentage this season. The team also went 3 for 5 on the extra-man opportunity, with two goals in the third quarter coming on the EMO.

The Bulldogs now have one week to prepare for their toughest opponent of the season. The team will travel to Providence on Saturday to take on the Brown Bears, who are coming off a rout of Penn. The two Ivy League powerhouses will square off next Saturday in a game that will be aired live on ESPN3 and the Ivy League Digital Network. 

filed by Andrew Del Vecchio '19 (andrew.delvecchio@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity