NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For the third time in the last four seasons, the Yale women's lacrosse team will play Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament. The No. 7 Bulldogs play the No. 5 Tigers in the tournament championship game Sunday (12:00 p.m.,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats,
Tickets) at Sherrerd Field. The league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament is at stake. Yale is the No. 2 seed and Princeton is the No. 1 seed. The Bulldogs are the defending Ivy League Tournament champions.
Last Game
Yale (13-3, 5-2 Ivy League)
beat Penn 11-10 Friday night in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals to advance to the Ivy League Tournament championship game. Senior midfielder
Taylor Lane (Norwalk, Conn.) scored the game-winner with 13 seconds left in regulation.
Ivy League Tournament
Yale is the No. 2 seed in the Ivy League Tournament for the third time in school history. No. 5 Princeton hosts the tournament, which started with semifinal games on Friday. The championship game is on Sunday (12:00 p.m.). All games will be streamed on ESPN+. Ticket information is available by clicking
here.
This is the 14th installment of the Ivy League Tournament since 2010.
Yale's Ivy League Tournament History
This is Yale's fourth appearance in the Ivy League Tournament. The Bulldogs have faced Sunday's opponent, Princeton, twice in previous tournaments.
- 2022 (No. 2 seed) at Princeton:
- 2023 (No. 2 seed) at Penn:
- 2024 (No. 1 seed) at Yale:
- 2025 (No. 2 seed) at Princeton:
Six Bulldogs Honored by Ivy League
Yale had six individuals honored by the Ivy League on Tuesday as the league announced its annual awards.
Three Bulldogs earned first team All-Ivy League recognition:
Two Bulldogs earned second team All-Ivy recognition:
Senior midfielder
Sophie Straka (Chatham, N.J.) was named Academic All-Ivy League.
Seniors Honored
Yale honored its senior class (16 people) after the Cornell game. The members of the senior class have been a part of four memorable seasons, and have led the program to several notable accomplishments including the most wins in a four-year span in school history (52). That includes a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament last season, helping the Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. This group also led Yale to an Ivy League Championship last season, the program's first since 2003, and the school's first-ever Ivy League Tournament championship. The team has been ranked as high as number one in the RPI and number four in the national polls during their careers. The Bulldogs had a nine-game winning streak last season – tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in school history – and they had a seven-game winning streak this season.In each of their four seasons, this group helped Yale earn a spot in the Ivy League Tournament. The Bulldogs have advanced to the Ivy League Tournament Championship game all four times. The seniors are:
- Goalkeeper Caitlin Brown (Mount Kisco, N.Y.)
- Midfielder Caroline Burt (Newtown Square, Pa.)
- Attacker Charlotte Callahan (Hinsdale, Ill.)
- Midfielder Sky Carrasquillo (Alpharetta, Ga.)
- Attacker Jenna Collignon (Hinsdale, Ill.)
- Attacker Shannon Dahlquist (Darien, Conn.)
- Goalkeeper Cami Donadio (Winter Park, Fla.)
- Attacker Taylor Everson (Montclair, N.J.)
- Defender Becca Gill (Weston, Mass.)
- Midfielder Alex Hopkins (Garden City, N.Y.)
- Midfielder Taylor Lane (Norwalk, Conn.)
- Attacker Meghan McCarthy (Potomac, Md.)
- Defender Molly McGuckin (Alexandria, Va.)
- Midfielder Sophie Straka (Chatham, N.J.)
- Defender Lyssa Tyler (Longmeadow, Mass.)
- Midfielder Fallon Vaughn (Concord, Mass.)
Among Yale's Best
Yale's 13 wins this season are tied for seventh-most in school history. The school record for wins in a season is 17, set last year.
RPI and the Ivy League
Here are the Ivy League teams in the RPI rankings from the NCAA through games of May 2:
4. Princeton
8. Yale
12. Penn
21. Dartmouth
25. Harvard
26. Brown
30. Cornell
79. Columbia
The ACC (eight) and the Ivy League (five) are the only conferences with five or more teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI.
NCAA RPI Picture
Last year the top six in the NCAA RPI rankings at the time of the NCAA Tournament selections all wound up being selected to host NCAA Tournament games. That included Yale, which was ranked No. 4 in the RPI at the time. The teams that were ranked No. 10 and No. 11 also hosted. The teams ranked Nos. 7, 8 and 9 in the RPI all were sent on the road. Every team that was ranked No. 21 or better in the RPI made the tournament field.
Here is a look at the top 12 in the 2025 NCAA RPI through games of May 2:
| Rank |
Team |
Conference |
Record |
Games Saturday/Sunday |
| 1 |
North Carolina |
ACC |
18-0 |
none |
| 2 |
Boston College |
ACC |
17-2 |
none |
| 3 |
Northwestern |
Big Ten |
16-2 |
none |
| 4 |
Princeton |
Ivy League |
14-2 |
May 4, Yale (Ivy League Tournament Championship) |
| 5 |
Florida |
Big 12 |
16-2 |
May 3, Arizona State (Big 12 Tournament Championship) |
| 6 |
Virginia |
ACC |
11-6 |
none |
| 7 |
Maryland |
Big Ten |
14-5 |
none |
| 8 |
Yale |
Ivy League |
13-3 |
May 4, Princeton (Ivy League Tournament Championship) |
| 9 |
Johns Hopkins |
Big Ten |
12-6 |
none |
| 10 |
Stanford |
ACC |
14-5 |
none |
| 11 |
James Madison |
The American |
13-4 |
May 3, South Florida (American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship) |
| 12 |
Penn |
Ivy League |
10-6 |
none |
That Was Close
Yale is 3-1 in games decided by one goal this season, with wins in each of the last three. In games decided by three goals or fewer, the Bulldogs are 4-3 – with wins in each of the last four.
Defense Among Best in the Nation
Through May 2 Yale ranks No. 3 nationally in scoring defense (7.81 goals allowed per game). No. 1 North Carolina (6.67 goals allowed per game) leads the nation.
More Ivy Success
Dating back to a win in the final Ivy League game of the 2020 season, Yale is 23-6 (.793) in its last 29 Ivy League regular season games and 28-8 (.778) in its last 36 games against Ivy opponents (including Ivy League Tournament games).
A Decisive Shot Advantage
Yale has outshot its opponents 545-331 this season, an average margin of +13.4 shots per game.
Clearly Better
Yale is 263 for 281 (.936, ninth in the nation) on clears and has limited its opponents to a 254 for 303 (.838) performance on clears.
Classy
Here is the breakdown of starts by class this season for Yale:
- Seniors 132 starts (10 seniors have started at least one game)
- Juniors 32 starts (two juniors have started at least one game)
- Sophomores 16 starts (one sophomore has started at least one game)
- First-years 12 starts (two first years have started at least one game)
Iron Women
10 Bulldogs have started all 16 games of the season:
- Senior midfielder Sky Carrasquillo (Alpharetta, Ga.)
- Sophomore defender Katie Clare (Bayport, N.Y.)
- Senior attacker Jenna Collignon (Hinsdale, Ill.)
- Senior defender Becca Gill (Weston, Mass.)
- Senior midfielder Taylor Lane (Norwalk, Conn.)
- Senior defender Molly McGuckin (Alexandria, Va.)
- Junior defender Emmy Pascal (Lorton, Va.)
- Junior defender Bella Saviano (Severna Park, Md.)
- Senior midfielder Sophie Straka (Chatham, N.J.)
- Senior midfielder Fallon Vaughn (Concord, Mass.)
Carrasquillo, Clare, Collignon, Lane, McGuckin and Vaughn also started all 20 games last season. Lane and Vaughn have started all 70 games of their Yale careers.
Tewaaraton Nominee Fallon Vaughn
Senior midfielder
Fallon Vaughn (Concord Mass.) has been named a Tewaaraton Award nominee. She had been on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List since the preseason.
Vaughn is the only player in the Ivy League who has:
- 40 or more goals
- 60 or more points
- 20 or more ground balls
- 15 or more caused turnovers
AND
- 30 or more draw controls
She has 42 goals, 66 points, 26 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers and 35 draw controls.
A Veteran Coaching Staff
This is Yale's 10th year under
Erica Bamford, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. Assistant coaches
Molly Palella and
Colleen Smith are in their eighth and ninth years, respectively. Assistant coach
Brooklyn Neumen joined the staff this year. Smith is a Princeton alum and was a part of three NCAA tournament appearances for the Tigers, including a 16-13 upset of then-No. 8 Penn State in her senior season (2014). That season she was named second team All-America, first team All-Mid Atlantic region, an ECAC All-Star and unanimous first team All-Ivy League. She also earned Princeton's Connie McAllister Award and was a finalist for the Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award, reflecting her work ethic and leadership skills.
Scouting Princeton
Princeton (14-2, 6-1 Ivy League) has won 14 of its last 15 games since dropping the season opener at home vs. then-No. 8 Virginia. The Tigers advanced to the Ivy League Tournament championship game by beating No. 20 Brown 17-16 Friday night in the semifinals. Princeton beat Yale 13-11 when these two teams met in the regular season, Mar. 29 at Reese Stadium.
Sunday Weather Forecast for Princeton, N.J.
From the
National Weather Service: High 74 degrees, showers.
NCAA Tournament Selections
NCAA Tournament selections for 2025 will be announced Sunday, May 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The 29 team field includes 15 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large selections. The 15 conferences with automatic bids include:
- America East Conference
- American Athletic Conference
- ASUN Conference
- Atlantic 10 Conference
- Atlantic Coast Conference
- Big 12 Conference
- Big East Conference
- Big South Conference
- Big Ten Conference
- Coastal Athletic Association
- The Ivy League
- Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
- Mid-American Conference
- Northeast Conference
- Patriot League
NCAA Tournament Seeding, Schedule
The top eight teams in the NCAA Tournament are seeded. The three top overall seeds earn a first-round bye. The remaining 26 teams playing first-round games at campus sites Friday May 9 (between 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.). The eight second-round games take place Sunday, May 11 (between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m.) and are hosted by the top eight seeds. The four quarterfinal-round games take place Thursday, May 15 (12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m.), with the top four remaining seeds hosting.
The semifinals and championship game will be played on Friday, May 23 (3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.) and Sunday, May 25 (12:00 p.m.) at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
Yale's NCAA Tournament History
Yale has made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament in school history, posting a 3-4 record.
- 1984: Lost vs. UMass 6-5 in OT in first round
- 2003: Won vs. Syracuse 12-7 in first round; lost at Loyola (Md.) 13-7 in quarterfinals
- 2007: Lost at Maryland 13-7 in first round
- 2024: Beat Binghamton 17-4 in first round; beat Johns Hopkins 9-7 in second round; lost at Syracuse 19-9 in quarterfinals
Bracketology
The May 3
bracketology article from USA Lacrosse Magazine has Yale as the No. 8 seed in the tournament, hosting first- and second-round games (with Bryant, No. 10 Johns Hopkins and No. 25 UMass coming to Reese Stadium). The Apr. 30
bracketology article from ILWomen had Yale unseeded and playing on the road in the first round against Bryant at Princeton.
Media Watch
NewsChannel 8 recently featured the Bulldogs twice:
Social Media
@YaleWLacrosse on X
