Harvard Men’s Lacrosse Set to Host No. 8/6 Cornell Saturday Live on ESPN3

harvard

The Storyline
Coming off a 10-day break, the Harvard men’s lacrosse team returns to action as it hosts No. 8/6 Cornell at Soldiers Field Lacrosse Stadium Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast to a national audience on ESPN3 and will be simulcast on the Ivy League Digital Network.

Harvard (4-5, 0-2 Ivy) will be looking for its first Ivy League win of the season against first-place Cornell (7-2, 3-0 Ivy).

Last Time Out
The Harvard men’s lacrosse team and No. 10/9 Albany played a thriller on March 25 at Soldiers Field Lacrosse Stadium as the teams combined for 39 goals, but in the end it was the Great Danes who came out on top, edging the Crimson by a 21-18 margin.

Bryan Moore made a career-high 23 saves against the nation’s highest-scoring offense, turning aside seven shots in the first quarter, four in the second, nine in the third and three in the fourth.

A trio of Crimson registered a hat trick in the loss, led by Ian Ardrey’s four-goal performance. Will Walker tallied three goals and one assist, Tim Edmonds notched three goals, and Devin Dwyer contributed a total of three points (1g, 2a).

Albany (6-1) was led by reigning Tewaaraton Award winner Lyle Thompson who turned in nine goals and three assists.

Strength of Schedule
According to data available through NCAA.com, Harvard’s schedule this season ranks as the sixth most difficult in the country based off opponent win percentage. Nine of Harvard’s 2015 opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the polls, including five Ivy League programs; North Carolina (4/4), Duke (7/7), Cornell (8/6), Albany (9/9), Brown (10/10), Yale (11/11), Princeton (12/13), Boston University (RV/RV) and Penn (RV/–).

Brick Wall
Bryan Moore made a career-high 23 saves against the nation’s highest-scoring offense in Albany (March 25). Moore’s 23 saves stand as the second-highest total in the NCAA this season, and are the most by an Ivy Leaguer since Dartmouth’s Fergus Campbell stopped 23 shots versus Cornell on April 3, 2010.

Causing Problems
Matt Ryan caused five turnovers versus Albany (March 25), representing the most caused turnovers by an Ivy Leaguer this season and the highest total by a member of the Crimson since 2008 (the last year for which game-by-game stats are available).

Ryan currently leads Harvard with 16 caused turnovers on the year and has collected 31 ground balls, the most among field players.

Have a Day
Devin Dwyer enjoyed a record-setting day at Holy Cross (March 9), matching the program records for points scored and assists with 12 total points on four goals and eight assists. Mike Eckert ’96 previously set the program record for points in a game with 12 versus Penn in 1995, while seven former student-athletes had previously recorded eight assists, most recently in 1981.

Dwyer’s 12 points represent the second-highest total in the NCAA this season while his eight assists also rank second.

Pouring it On
Harvard scored 20 goals and dished out 17 assists in its win at Holy Cross. The 20 goals scored was the second-highest total under head coach Chris Wojcik ’96, while the team’s 17 assists was the highest total.

The Crimson defeated Bellarmine, 21-10, on March 11, 2011, representing the most goals scored under Coach Wojcik.

Now Starting In Goal
Junior Bryan Moore is 4-4 in goal this season, having posted an 12.49 goals against average and .525 save percentage. Moore registered the first two wins of his career in relief of Jake Gambitsky before taking over the starting role.

Moore entered the year having appeared in just four career games while logging 10:23 in net.

Can’t Stop Him
Devin Dwyer has recorded at least one point in 35 of 36 career games, including each of the team’s last 28 outings. The junior has totaled 105 points (31g, 74a) during his current streak, and ranks fifth in program history with 85 career helpers.

Dwyer leads the Crimson with 36 points (13g, 23a) with his 2.56 assists per game ranking seventh in the NCAA.

Tickling the Twine
Deke Burns leads Harvard with 23 goals scored with his 2.88 goals per game average ranking as the 16th-highest total in the NCAA. Burns has scored at least one goal in each of the last eight games he has played, and bosts seven games with two or more goals.

Burns began the year in a big way, scoring seven goals in the team’s opening win over UMass. The seven goals marked the most goals scored by a member of the Crimson since Jeff Cohen ’12 totaled eight versus Michigan on March 31, 2012.

Freshman Phenom
Joe Lang currently ranks fourth on the team in points (23), and is third in both goals scored (17) and assists (6). The freshman has scored at least one point in eight of nine games this season, and boasts six multi-point performances.

Instant Offense
Will Walker is Harvard’s active career leader in goals scored with 64. The junior turned in 35 goals last season as a sophomore, ranking as the 12th-highest single-season total in program history.

Turning Defense into Offense
Harvard long sticks have totaled 12 points (10g, 2a) this season; Matt Ryan (4g, 2a), Walker Kirby (3g), Jack Breit (2g) and Brian Fischer (1g).

Long stick midfielder Matt Ryan scored one goal in four straight games from Feb. 28 to March 9. Fellow long stick middie Jack Breit is the Crimson’s career scoring leader among long poles with 13 points (7g, 6a).

Ivy Honors
Deke Burns was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Feb. 23 after scoring seven goals in Harvard’s 14-13 come-from-behind win over UMass to open the season. The honor was the first of Burns’ career.

Joe Lang collected his first career Ivy League Rookie of the Week honor March 10 after totaling nine points (7g, 2a) in wins versus Quinnipiac and Penn State.

Home Field Advantage
Harvard is 26-11 at home under Chris Wojcik ’96, The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Lacrosse, including a 3-1 record this season. The Crimson is 11-8 in Harvard Stadium with Wojcik at the helm, and boasts a 15-3 record at Soldiers Field Lacrosse Stadium.

Against the Odds
Harvard knocked off then-No. 2 Cornell on April 5, 2014, 14-9, marking the highest ranked opponent the Crimson has ever beaten. Harvard went 4-7 in 2014 against ranked foes, and boasts 10 wins overall versus ranked opponents under Chris Wojcik ’96, The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Lacrosse.

Tewaaraton Watch List
Devin Dwyer and Stephen Jahelka were each named to the 2015 Tewaaraton Award Watch List as two of the top 50 players across all three divisions of collegiate lacrosse. Dwyer was also included on the Watch List last year, while Jahelka is making his first appearance.

The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse players in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation.

Preseason Plaudits
Bobby Duvnjak, Brian Fischer and Devin Dwyer were each named Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans. Duvnjak and Fischer were each selected to the second team, while Dwyer received third team honors.

Additionally, five Crimson were recognized on the Preseason All-NEILA first team while Harvard was chosen first in the NEILA Preseason Poll; Duvnjak, Dwyer, Fischer, Stephen Jahelka and Sean Mahon.

Going Pro
Brian Fischer was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Boston Cannons. Fischer, who became the sixth student-athlete in program history to be taken in the draft, was chosen 34th overall as the fourth pick in the fifth round.

He joins former Harvard standouts Daniel Eipp (2014 draft 32nd overall, Rochester Rattlers), Kevin Vaughn ’12 (2012 draft 14th overall, Denver Outlaws), Daniel DiMaria ’12 (2012 draft 41st overall, Charlotte Hounds), Jason Duboe ’10 (2010 draft 33rd overall, Boston Cannons) and Henry Flood ’07 (2007 draft 32nd overall, Washington Bayhawks) as one of six Crimson to be selected in the draft.

Named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America second team, Fischer helped anchor a Harvard defense in 2014 that allowed 9.76 goals per game.

Captaining the Ship
Senior Jake Gambitsky and juniors Stephen Jahelka and Sean Mahon were voted by their teammates as captains for the 2015 season.

“I am pleased to announce that Jake Gambitsky, Stephen Jahelka, and Sean Mahon have been elected captains for the 2014-2015 season,” Wojcik stated. “Leadership development is an important component of our mission at Harvard and our lacrosse program. Each of our captains possess intrinsic leadership qualities, and this year I expect them to learn and grow as they help guide our team.”

Welcome to Cambridge
Chris Wojcik ’96, The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Lacrosse has once again assembled one of the top recruiting classes in the nation with the addition of 12 freshmen for the 2015 season. Harvard’s Class of 2018 has been ranked as the ninth-best recruiting class by Inside Lacrosse and features five individuals ranked in the top 100.

“We are happy to welcome our freshmen to the Harvard Lacrosse family as they arrive on campus today,” Chris Wojcik ’96, The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Lacrosse, stated. “Twelve young men join our program, representing seven states and Washington D.C. The incoming class is an accomplished group, well prepared to begin the next chapter of their lives at Harvard. We expect the class of 2018 to make a significant contribution to our program as we begin preparations for the 2015 season.”

Harvard has boasted a top-10 recruiting class each of the last six years, including third-ranked classes in 2011 and 2009, and the fourth-ranked class a year ago.

Posted in

Lacrosse Playground

In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.