CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard men's lacrosse is set to open its 2023 season this weekend when it travels to Charlottesville, Va. to take on the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers. The Crimson and the Cavaliers will meet on the lacrosse field for the first time since 1996 when the two sides clash on Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium.
The Crimson is coming of its best season in recent memory that included an 8-4 record and a selection to the NCAA Tournament, the team's first appearance since 2014. Harvard returns a deep nucleus of players that were vital to its success last season.
QUICK HITTERS
- Harvard finished the 2022 regular season with an 8-4 record and a 3-3 Ivy League mark. The eight and three win totals were both the most since the 2016 season.
- Harvard posted four wins over ranked opponents in 2022 which is the most in at least the past 10 years.
- Harvard's current sophomore players were extraordinary last season, scoring 97 of the team's 171 goals in 2022. That total was also good for the most by first-years in the Ivy League.
- Sophomore, Sam King enters the contest riding a 13 game point streak. King (25g) led the Crimson with 46 points and 21 assists.
- Harvard's scoring offense (13.15 gpg) ranked 27th in the nation and fourth in the Ivy League in 2022.
- Coach Byrne's group defeated two of the top eight seeded teams in the 2022 tournament, making them the only non-seeded team to accomplish the feat (No. 5 Princeton (W, 19-16) and No. 8 Brown (W, 12-11).
- The Crimson defense was stout in 2022, causing 10.08 turnovers per game, a mark that was the third highest in the nation.
- Additionally, Harvard scooped up the 15th most ground balls per game in the nation with an average of 34.17 per game.
- Greg Campisi has established himself as one of the best LSMs in the nation, racking up 13 caused turnovers and 43 ground balls in 2022, both being team highs for field players.
- Harvard's shot percentage was among the best in the country. Crimson shots found the net at a 32.5-percent clip in 2022.
- Senior Hayden Cheek paced the team and ranked 20th in the nation with a shot percentage of 43.2-percent in the 2022 season.
- Harvard's six home contests were the most attended in the Ivy League and ranked 14th (Up from 24th in 2019) in the country in overall attendance by welcoming nearly ten thousand fans to Jordan Field
THE MATCHUP
SCOUTING UVA
Virginia opened up its season a week ago with a 17-13 win over Michigan. The preseason No. 1 outscored the Wolverines 4-1 in the final quarter to get its first winning result of the season. Its frontline duo of Payton Cormier and Connor Shellenberger led the way with seven points (5g, 2a) and six points (3g, 3a) respectively. The Cavalier defense caused ten turnovers in the effort that was backstopped by a 15-save outing from its goalkeeper, Matthew Nunes. Virginia, however, did not turn in a very efficient performance in its opener, posting a 31.6 cumulative efficiency rating according to lacrossereference.com.
HARVARD vs UVA
Harvard and Virginia have only met on the lacrosse field three times in the program's histories. Virginia holds a 3-0 record against the Crimson with the last matchup coming in 1996. The Crimson's last win against an ACC squad came in 2016, when the group knocked off Duke by a score of 14-9. Harvard did pick up an exhibition win over an ACC team earlier this offseason, defeating the UNC Tar Heels in the 2022 Bob Kemp Classic, 19-18.
NOTES AND STORYLINES
CAMPISI, YAGER, EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Senior SSDM, Chase Yager, and junior LSM, Greg Campisi both received preseason All-American consideration from USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse. Both players were listed as Honorable Mention preseason All-Americans after solid 2022 seasons. The duo makes up two of just 75 players in the nation and 22 players in the Ivy League that earned the distinction.
KEEP CLIMBING
Harvard Lacrosse opened the season ranked inside the top 20 in all three major lacrosse media polls. The highest ranking came from Inside Lacrosse, who gave the Crimson the No. 13 overall slot in the poll. USA Lacrosse Magazine and the USILA both ranked the Crimson at No. 15.
NICK LORING ELECTED SOLE CAPTAIN
Harvard Lacrosse voted senior midfielder, Nick Loring as its captain for the 2023 season. The 171st elected captain in program history, Loring will be the first sole captain to lead a team through a full season since 2013.
NO DAYS OFF
The Crimson kept itself busy this offseason, holding a number of intra squad scrimmages and participating in a trio of exhibition contests over the past months. During the Fall season, Harvard traveled down to Washington D.C. to participate in the Bob Kemp Classic and take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in a scrimmage. The game ended in a 19-18 Crimson victory (and a 22-21 win after a fifth quarter) and featured great outings from first-year Logan Ip and sophomore Joey Graham, who will both look to break into the Crimson rotation this year.
Harvard then welcomed Italia Lacrosse - The Italian National Team - to Jordan Field for an exhibition match. The Crimson exploded for 21 goals against a talented Team Italy roster that featured multiple PLL players. The final score ended in a 26-10 score in favor of the Crimson.
In it's final tune-up for the 2023 season, Harvard traveled to New York City to take on the St. John's Red Storm in an exhibition matchup. The Crimson got the full NYC experience on its trip to the Big Apple as the group was hosted by FDNY Engine 76/Ladder 22 for a lunch and tour of the firehouse before walking the Highline and attending an HLX alumni event at Hudson Yards.
SIX FIRST-YEARS LAND ON IL POWER 100 LIST
Harvard bolstered its roster with 10 additions in the Class of 2026 this past offseason, a majority of whom received national consideration after their respective high school careers. Six of Harvard Men's Lacrosse's first-year players earned Power 100 status by being ranked amongst the top 100 first-year players in the country by Inside Lacrosse and EvoShield. The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men's Lacrosse, Gerry Byrne and his staff put together a strong 2022 recruiting class that includes the most Power 100 players in the Ivy League.
INSIDE LACROSSE/EVOSHIELD POWER 100
28. Charlie Muller, D, Harvard | Bullis (Md.)
31. Sean Jordan, LSM, Harvard | St. Andrew's (Fla.)
39. Adam Blind, G, Harvard | Culver (Ind.)
41. Logan Ip, M, Harvard | Corona Del Mar (Calif.)
67. Teddy Malone, A, Harvard | Haverford (Pa.)
70. Matt Barraco, F/O, Harvard | Parkland (Pa.)
TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
Harvard's 2023 slate features 12 challenging matchups against a host of talented teams in the NCAA. The Crimson are set to face off against eight 2022 NCAA Tournament teams during 2023 and eight teams that were on the preseason Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Crimson went 6-3 against similar opponents from last year's schedule, three of which were ranked during the victories.
GREG CAMPISI COLLECTS PRESEASON HONORS
Along with his preseason honorable mention All-America nods by both the USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse, Greg Campisi was named to the 2023 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The 50-player list includes the top players across all three divisions in NCAA lacrosse and highlights the early contenders for the 2023 Tewaaraton Award. Campisi, a 2022 Third-Team Inside Lacrosse All-American, was extraordinary on the Crimson defense a year ago, helping lead the team to its best season in recent memory. Campisi was one of only nine players from the Ivy League on the list.
UP NEXT
Harvard men's lacrosse will open its home schedule next Saturday, Feb. 25, at 4 PM when it takes on the Patriot League's Bucknell Bison at Jordan Field. The tilt will be streamed live on ESPN+. Ticket and gameday information can be foudn at gocrimson.com.
