Box Score
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On paper, this is the most challenging game of the 2017 season for the Yale women's lacrosse team. Tuesday night at Reese Stadium (6:00 p.m., Ivy League Digital Network) the Bulldogs host No. 7 Stony Brook -- the highest-ranked opponent for Yale based on the most recent IWLCA poll. The undefeated Seawolves have made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and entered this week ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (5.50 goals allowed per game) and No. 6 nationally in scoring offense (15.50 goals per game).
LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS RALLY BUT FALL AT HARVARD
Yale (3-2, 0-1 Ivy League) had a three-game winning streak snapped at Harvard Saturday in the Ivy League opener. The Bulldogs fell behind 7-2 but rallied thanks to four goals from senior attacker Hope Hanley and three from sophomore midfielder Amanda Bosland. Sophomore Allie Carrigan, making her first career start in goal, had 12 saves -- all on the last 19 shots she faced. Sophomore attacker Izzy Nixon filled up the stat sheet with seven draw controls, two goals, two ground balls, an assist and a caused turnover. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Jordan Field but was moved indoors to the Harvard Stadium Bubble, as frigid weather blasted the Boston area. At game time the temperature was 20 degrees, with the wind chill making it feel like 3 degrees. This was believed to be the first indoor game for Yale women's lacrosse.
HANLEY OFF TO A HOT START
Senior attacker Hope Hanley has already established career highs in goals, assists and points (17-16-33). She entered this week fourth in the nation in assists and sixth in points. Ever the sharp-shooter, her .654 shooting percentage is best in the Ivy League among players with 20 or more shots (national rankings not available).
On Mar. 27 Hanley earned Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 19 points in two wins. That was the first weekly award of the season for any Yale player. Hanley earned it after a scoring spree that started with a 10-point game (4-6-10) Feb. 21 against Quinnipiac as Yale beat the Bobcats 21-3. The only record of anyone with more points in a game for Yale is an 11-goal game by Tracy Ball '81 at Cornell Apr. 5, 1980. She followed that up with five goals and four assists in the 15-4 win vs. Robert Morris Feb. 26.
A political science major in Ezra Stiles College, Hanley was a US Lacrosse All-American in high school while playing for Loomis Chaffee.
CAPTAIN TESS McEVOY
Yale's top returning scorer from last year is also its captain, senior attacker Tess McEvoy. McEvoy finished fifth in the Ivy League with 35 goals last season, leading Yale with 43 points (35-8-43) while establishing career highs in all three categories. She was a second team All-Ivy League honoree and earned the Team MVP award. She started all 15 games -- making her one of only four Bulldogs to do so -- and had nine hat tricks. Her teammates elected her captain this season, and she has responded with 15 goals and six assists in the first five games. That includes five goals in a pair of games, putting her third in the league in points (21) and in a tie for third in the league in goals (15). She is also tied for the league lead in caused turnovers with 12.
CONTROLLING THE DRAW
The graduation of Nicole Daniggelis '16, the Ivy League's all-time leader in draw controls, does not appear to have affected Yale's ability to win the draw control battle. The Bulldogs have 80 draw controls this season, compared to 49 for their opponents. Junior midfielder Madeleine Gramigna and sophomore attacker Izzy Nixon are tied for second in the league with 21 draws. Yale as a team is second in the league in draws and fourth nationally in draws per game.
FREE POSITION EDGE
Yale entered the week eighth in the nation and first in the Ivy League in free position percentage (.550), connecting on 11 of 20 attempts. Yale's opponents, on the other hand, are just 4-for-17 on free position attempts (.235).
DEPTH IN GOAL
Goalkeeping has been a strength for Yale this season. Junior goalkeeper Sydney Marks returns after seizing the opportunity to start last year, finishing second in the Ivy League with 130 saves. That included five games with 10 or more saves, and a career-high 19 at Princeton. She started all 15 games, giving way to sophomore Allie Carrigan for just 1:23.
Marks started the first four games this season, posting a .463 save percentage and an 8.29 goals-against average. Carrigan started this past Saturday vs. Harvard, and has a .444 save percentage and a 10.00 goals-against average. The duo has combined to limit opponents to a .415 shoot percentage and a 4-for-17 performance on free position shots.
TWO-SPORT STARS GALORE
A significant chunk of Yale's roster spent this past fall playing other sports, including four who played field hockey and one who played soccer. Kiwi Comizio continues to emerge as one of the best all-around athletes at Yale; she is coming off a field hockey season in which she led Yale in assists while extending her streak of consecutive starts to 51. On the lacrosse field, she is coming off a season in which she was fifth on the team in points (9-5-14), establishing career highs in all three categories. She appeared in 14 games, starting 13.
While Comizio has played two sports throughout her time at Yale, others have made the move later in their careers. The Bulldogs' attack got a lot deeper last year with the addition of identical twins Katie Smith and Lily Smith, who had only played field hockey their freshman year. As two-sport stars last year they both showed the ability to contribute, with Katie appearing in eight lacrosse games and Lily appearing in 15 -- including eight starts. Katie scored six goals (on just seven shots), and Lily finished fourth on the team in goals and tied for fourth in points (11-3-14). Sophomore Allie Carrigan spent her freshman year playing only lacrosse, seeing 1:23 of action as a backup goalie. This past fall she showcased her athleticism by joining the field hockey team and playing forward, finishing third on the team in points (6-1-13).
Sophomore defender Keri Cavallo is the latest two-sport addition to Yale's roster. She spent the past two falls playing soccer for Yale, and has made 22 starts for the soccer team in that span.
JUNIORS LEAD THE WAY IN THE MIDFIELD
With no senior midfielders, the Bulldogs will build around a talented group of younger players at that position. The junior midfielders have plenty of experience, with all three players appearing in at least 13 games last year. Taryn Gallagher appeared in all 15 games, earning two starts, and chipped in seven goals. Madeleine Gramigna also appeared in all 15 games, starting 13, and finished second on the team in draw controls with 17. She also had six goals. Emily Granger appeared in 13 games and scored eight goals.
THREE REGULARS BACK ON D
Three players who started eight or more games last year return to Yale's defense. Senior Emily Markham, who has not missed a game in her career, emerged as an honorable mention All-Ivy League selection last year. She had a career-high 18 ground balls, adding 10 caused turnovers. Classmate Victoria Moore tied for the team lead in ground balls with 27, a career high. She was third on the team in caused turnovers with 11 and earned a spot at Team Canada's Selection Camp this past fall. Like Markham, she has not missed a game in her career. Junior defender Cooper Hall took a big step forward last season, finishing second on the team in caused turnovers with 12 and fourth on the team in ground balls with 20. After appearing in only two games as a freshman, she appeared in all 15 (11 starts) last year.
SCHEDULE
Yale's 2017 slate includes six games against teams that made the NCAA tournament last season. Yale's 16 regular-season games include seven Ivy League games and nine non-league games, including a double-header on Apr. 1 (Sacred Heart and Stanford at Reese Stadium). This is the eighth year for the Ivy League women's lacrosse tournament, in which the top four teams in the final standings play for the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Five of Yale's opponents are currently ranked in the IWLCA poll. In addition to the game vs. No. 7 Stony Brook, the Bulldogs will also play No. 9 Princeton, No. 11 Cornell, No. 12 Penn and No. 17 Stanford.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK
Helping confirm its spot among the top teams in the country, Stony Brook (4-0, 0-0 America East) has already beaten two teams currently ranked in the IWLCA poll: No. 14 Northwestern (13-5 this past Sunday) and No. 15 Towson (10-9 Feb. 4). The Seawolves have 12 wins over ranked opponents since the start of the 2014 season.
Attacker Courtney Murphy had a pair of goals in the win over Northwestern Sunday, giving her 246 for her career. That is 14th in NCAA history and is 43 shy of the record held by Temple's Gail Cummings.
The Seawolves also feature attacker Kylie Ohlmiller, who is one of 25 players competing for a spot on Team USA's roster for the FIL World Cup in England this July. Ohlmiller entered this week second in the NCAA in assists per game (14 in four games, 3.50 per game) and eighth in the NCAA in goals per game (15 in four games, 3.75 per game). She is shooting .652.
Goalkeeper Anna Tesoriero entered the week leading the NCAA in goals-against average (5.50) and sixth in save percentage (.577).
SOCIAL MEDIA
Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity
