NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 16 Yale women's lacrosse team hosts RV Brown Friday (4:00 p.m.,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats,
Tickets) in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals at Reese Stadium.
Last Game
In its most recent game, Yale (12-3, 6-1 Ivy League) fell 11-10 at Cornell this past Saturday. The Bulldogs fell behind 3-0 but eventually rallied to tie the game in the third quarter. The Big Red then rebuilt a three-goal lead and held on for the win. Despite the loss, Yale earned sole possession of the Ivy League title. Penn had a chance to claim a share of the title, but a 14-13 OT loss to Brown on Sunday left the Quakers in a tie for second with a 5-2 league record. Yale finished 6-1.
Ivy League Title History
The Bulldogs' Ivy League title this season is the fourth Ivy title in school history:
- 1980 (4-0-2, shared with Penn)
- 2003 (6-1, shared with Dartmouth and Princeton)
- 2024 (7-0, solo)
- 2026 (6-1, solo)
The Bulldogs also have won two Ivy League Tournament Championships:
- 2024 at Reese Stadium
- 2025 at Class of 1952 Stadium
Ivy League Tournament
Yale is the No. 1 seed in the Ivy League Tournament for the second time in school history. The Bulldogs will host the tournament, which starts with semifinal games on Friday (4:00 p.m. No. 1 seed Yale vs. No. 4 seed Brown; 7:00 p.m. No. 2 seed Penn vs. No. 3 seed Princeton). The championship game is on Sunday (12:00 p.m.). All games will be streamed on ESPN+. Ticket information is available by clicking
here. The winner of the tournament earns the Ivy League's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the 15th 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.
- 2022 (No. 2 seed) at Princeton:
- 2023 (No. 2 seed) at Penn:
- 2024 (No. 1 seed) at Yale:
- 2025 (No. 2 seed) at Princeton:
Ivy League Awards
Yale had six players and the coaching staff honored by the Ivy League on Tuesday as the league announced its annual awards.
- Senior defender Emmy Pascal (Lorton, Va.) was named Defender of the Year
- First-year attacker Kate Gould (Nyack, N.Y.) was named Rookie of the Year
- Yale's staff was named Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year:
- Senior attacker Ashley Newman (Manhasset, N.Y.) was named Academic All-Ivy League
Two Bulldogs earned first team All-Ivy League recognition:
Two Bulldogs earned second team All-Ivy recognition:
One Bulldog earned honorable mention All-Ivy recognition:
Yale Class of 2026
Yale's six seniors have been a part of a memorable run. The team is 56-16 overall and 22-6 in Ivy League games in their time here. They are the winningest class in school history:
Strength of Schedule
Including Friday's Ivy League Tournament semifinal game, seven of Yale's last nine opponents are/were ranked or receiving votes in the ILWomen national poll.
The RPI Picture
As of Thursday morning, Yale has the best RPI in the Ivy League:
- 20 Yale
- 21 Princeton
- 25 Penn
- 26 Cornell
- 33 Brown
- 41 Dartmouth
- 57 Harvard
- 85 Columbia
RPI is one of the primary criteria that the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship Subcommittee uses to select at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament. Last year every team that was ranked No. 21 or better in the RPI made the tournament.
Defense is Key
Yale is ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring defense (7.27 goals allowed per game). This comes on the heels of a 2025 season in which Yale finished No. 4 nationally in scoring defense (8.80 goals allowed per game) and a 2024 season in which Yale finished No. 3 nationally in scoring defense (8.35 goals allowed per game).
Home Cooking
Yale is 41-5 at Reese Stadium since the opening of Tsai Lacrosse Field House in 2021.
Ivy Success
Dating back to a win in the final Ivy League game of the 2020 season, Yale is 29-7 (.806) in its last 36 Ivy League regular season games and 35-9 (.795) in its last 44 games against Ivy opponents (including Ivy League Tournament games).
Pascal a Tewaaraton Nominee
Senior defender
Emmy Pascal (Lorton, Va.), Yale's captain, has been named one of 25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award as the best college women's lacrosse player. Pascal is second in the Ivy League in caused turnovers (30) and is tied for fourth in the Ivy League in ground balls (35). Prior to being chosen as a Tewaaraton Award nominee, she was on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List alongside two other Bulldogs – first-year midfielder
Kate Gould (Nyack, N.Y.) and sophomore goalkeeper
Niamh Pfaff (Garden City, N.Y.).
A Decisive Shot Advantage
Yale has outshot its opponents 435-315 this season, an average margin of +8.0 shots per game.
Iron Women
Seven Bulldogs have started all 15 games of the season:
A Veteran Coaching Staff
This is Yale's 11th year under
Erica Bamford, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. Associate head coach
Colleen Smith is in her 10th year. Assistant coach/recruiting coordinator
Molly Palella is in her ninth year. Assistant coach
Brooklyn Neumen joined the staff last year. The quartet was named Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Series vs. Brown
Yale has won five of the last six, and 12 of the last 14, in the series vs. Brown. The Bulldogs have limited the Bears to eight or fewer goals in three of the last four meetings.
The Bears
Brown (8-6, 4-3 Ivy League) has won four of its last five games. All seven of Brown's Ivy League games were decided by four or fewer goals. The Bears lead the Ivy League and are fifth nationally in fewest fouls per game (3.29).
Friday Night Weather Forecast for New Haven, Conn.:
From the
National Weather Service: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
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