CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men's lacrosse team will make the trip up North this weekend to continue Ivy League play against the Dartmouth Big Green. The Crimson (3-3, 1-0 Ivy) will look to continue its success in Ivy League play when they take on the Big Green (5-1, 0-0 Ivy) who is off to its best start since the 2004 campaign.
 
This will be the third game in seven days for the Crimson, rounding out its busiest stretch of the season. It will also be the third of a four-game road stretch for Harvard, its longest of the 2023 campaign.
 

Quick Hits

- The Crimson comes into the matchup at 3-3 after a nonconference loss to BU on Tuesday. Harvard is still unbeaten in the Ivy League after defeating the Brown Bears in OT last Saturday.
- Junior goalkeeper, Christian Barnard, scored his second goal of the season against Boston U. officially giving him the most goals by a goalie in a Harvard season since at least 1990.
- Harvard assisted on 13 of its 16 goals in the win over Brown for an 81-percent assist percentage. That was the highest percentage since the 2018 season (8-for-9 vs. Holy Cross) and the highest in an Ivy League contest since the 2016 season (7-for-8 against Brown).
- Gerry Byrne's group leads the Ivy League and ranks fifth in the country in assists per game, dishing out 9.2 per game in 2023.
- A pair of Harvard attackers swept the Ivy League's weekly awards after their efforts against Brown. Sam King (4G, 3A, OT game winner) earned his first career Player of the Week Award, while Teddy Malone (4G, 2A, game tying goal) netted the Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
- Hayden Cheek and Sam King both extended their respective point streaks to 19 games against BU. 
- Owen Gaffney notched a pair of points against BU and now has recorded multiple points in 10 of his last 12 games 
- The Crimson also leads the Ivies in caused turnovers per game (10.7), man-down defense, man-up offense (.560), and points per game (23.50).
- The offense is led by sophomore attack, Sam King, who has posted 30 points with 18 goals and 12 assists in just six games this season. His five points per game is tied for the 9th best in the nation and is 2nd most in the Ivy League.
- The Crimson displays a balanced offensive attack, averaging 7.4 goal scorers per game. Seven players on the roster have posted nine or more points in 2023, which is tied for the most in the Ivy League.
- Harvard's offense is also one of the most efficient in the nation. Scoring goals on 31.9 percent of its possessions gives the Crimson the 11th highest total in the nation according to Lacrosse Reference.
 

The Matchup

Harvard vs. Dartmouth

The Crimson and the Big Green will renew its rivalry for the 92nd time when the sides meet on Saturday. Harvard holds a 51-39-1 record in the all-time series and owns a five-game win streak against the foe. The Crimson have also won the past two meetings in Hanover, outscoring the Big Green 26-16 on it's home turf.
 
When these two teams met in 2021, Harvard exploded for a season high 19 goals in a 19-10 victory. Sam King posted a career-best nine points with six goals in the win and Nick Loring chipped in with four points and three goals of his own.
 

Scouting Dartmouth

The Big Green has gotten off to its best start since the 2004 season, posting a 5-1 record during the 2023 campaign. Before suffering its only loss of the season to No. 18 North Carolina, Dartmouth was receiving votes in national polls. Despite its success, the Big Green is No. 53 in the Lacrosse Reference ELO power rankings and sit at No. 36 and No. 45 in offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively.
 
The Big Green have had success this season due in large part to its massive time-of-possession numbers. Holding the ball for 57.3 percent of its contests, puts Dartmouth at No. 1 in the nation in TOP.
 
Another knock on the Big Green is its weak nonconference schedule. In its only true test in 2023, the Big Green were blown out by No. 18 UNC, 25-7. All of the other teams the squad faced in 2023 are in the bottom half of the Lax-Elo power rankings, three of whom rank in the bottom 15.
 

Notes and Storylines

 

Road Warriors

Harvard will play the third of its four-game road stretch this Saturday against Dartmouth. The Crimson has gone 1-1 so far on the trip, defeating the Brown Bears 16-15, before dropping a nonconference matchup to Boston University, 15-11.
 

Harvard Sweeps Ivy Weekly Honors

Harvard Men's Lacrosse swept the Ivy League weekly awards after its thrilling 16-15 overtime win against Brown on Saturday. Sophomore Sam King and first-year Teddy Malone took home the Ivy League's Player and Rookie of the Week awards, respectively, after their clutch performances on the field in the victory. The weekly honor is the first of Malone's young career and the second for King. This is the first weekly award sweep for the Crimson men's lacrosse program since the 2011 season.
 

Monsters in the Midfield

One of Harvard's biggest strengths is the talent of its defensive midfield. Led by SSDM Chase Yager and LSM Greg Campisi, the unit tortures opposing ball carriers, causing turnovers at an alarming rate (10.6 per game). Campisi is coming off a monster game against the Terriers, causing a season best four turnovers and picking up six groundballs. Ray Dearth (4 CT, 7 GB), Collin Bergstrom (5 CT, 10 GB) and Charlie Muller (7 CT, 16 GB) all contribute to a defensive unit that ranks fifth in caused turnovers per game, eight in opponent clear percentage and ninth in groundballs per game.
 

A Scoring Threat in the Crease

Junior goalkeeper, Christian Barnard, scored his second goal of the season against Boston University. Taking advantage of an aggressive Terrier 10-man ride, Barnard fired a shot from the opposite retaining line and into the back of the net. Barnard now has officially scored the most goals by a Harvard goalie since at least the 1990 season.
 

The King of Clutch

Harvard saw its first overtime action this past weekend against Brown, coming out victorious after a goal by Sam King put Harvard over the edge to give the team a 16-15 victory, the first OT win for the Crimson since 2019. Teddy Malone also registered a game-tying goal with just 13 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.
 

First-Year Phenoms

Five first-year players have heavily factored into the mix for the Crimson in 2023, playing big roles on both offense and defense. Newcomers Owen Guest and Charlie Muller have been great addition to the starting defense, posting three caused turnovers and 16 ground balls, respectively, to rank in the top three on the team in each category. On the offensive end, Teddy Malone (13 points), Logan Ip (5 points) and John Aurandt IV (4 points) have all boosted the Crimson on the offensive end. 
 

Super-Man-Up

The Crimson's man-up offense has been lethal in 2023, posting the sixth-best man-up percentage in the nation (.560) through its first six games. Harvard's man-up offense has already surpassed the 2022 total of 12, now totaling 14 after a 2-for-3 mark against Brown. Hayden Cheek and Owen Gaffney are tied for the team and Ivy League lead with three man-up goals this year, which was the season total for team leaders, Miles Botkiss, Andrew Perry and Cheek last season.
 

Crimson Causing Chaos

Harvard's ability to cause turnovers has plagued its opponents in 2023. After finishing fourth in the nation a year ago in caused turnovers per game, Harvard is back in the top ten early in the 2023 season, causing 10.5 turnovers per game to rank No. 5 in the nation. Chase Yager and Greg Campisi lead the team with eight CTs each in 2023, while 24 different players have registered a CT this year.
 

Sharing is Caring

The Crimson's 10th-ranked scoring offense is powered by an assist per game total that ranks fifth in the nation. Throwing 9.5 assists per game puts Harvard first in the Ivy League as well. The offensive unit recorded 13 assists on its 16 goals (.813) against Brown which was the highest assist rate since the 2018 season and the highest assist rate in an Ivy League contest for Harvard since the 2016 season.
 

Sam King Continues His Streak

Sophomore, Sam King has recorded at least one point in all 20 games he has played in with the Crimson and is coming off a seven-point effort against Brown (4G, 3A) followed by a five-point night (3G, 2A) against Boston U. The sophomore has amassed 76 points in his collegiate career, averaging 3.8 points per game, the highest total on the team.
 

Getting on the Ground

Harvard players have shown no hesitation getting in the mix on the ground, recording over 36 groundballs per game, a total that is ninth best in the nation. Andrew DeGennaro leads the team with 24 groundballs, while seven other players have recorded ten or more this season.
 

Up Next

After its busiest run of the season, Harvard will have the week to rest and begin training for its final nonconference matchup of the season next Saturday, April 1, against the Colgate Raiders. The Crimson will make the trek to Hamilton, N.Y. to battle the Raiders at 1:00 PM (ESPN+).