CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The 2023 Harvard men's lacrosse season came to a close on Saturday afternoon after the Crimson fell to the Yale Bulldogs in the regular season finale. The Crimson (5-7, 2-4 Ivy) will miss out on the Ivy League Tournament after Yale (8-4, 3-3 Ivy) snatched the final spot with the 14-11 win this afternoon.
The Crimson fought back to get within two goals of the Yale lead in the fourth quarter, but the comeback fell short after Yale sealed the win with a late goal to put them over the top.
Sam King led the offensive charge with a five-point effort, notching his 100
th career point in the process.
Collin Bergstrom and
Ray Dearth each caused three turnovers to lead the defensive effort.
One of the youngest teams in the nation was able to gain a ton of valuable experience, as the Crimson will now head into the Summer with its sights set on the 2024 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- One of the largest crowds in recent memory stuffed the stands at Jordan Field on Saturday to catch the 104th edition of the rivalry between Harvard and Yale men's lacrosse. 2,790 spectators were able to enjoy the festivities on the 60-degree day in Cambridge.
- Yale got on the attack early, building a quick 4-0 lead in the first five minutes of the contest. Sam King netted the first Harvard goal of the game to end the Yale run.
- After the Bulldogs answered with another goal to make it 5-1, the Crimson defense was able to settle things down, forcing a pair of Yale turnovers in the following possessions. The Elis added another tally later in the quarter to make the score 6-1 at the 3:45 mark in the first.
- The Crimson battled back with two quick goals. The first was scored in transition by SSDM Chase Yager, who cleared the ball the length of the field and rifled a shot into the back of the net for his third goal of the season. Miles Botkiss also deposited a shot into the net to make the score 6-3. Yale fought back with one more tally as the quarter ended with the score 7-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
- Sam King opened the scoring in the second quarter after Teddy Malone caused a turnover. Yale would go on to score three goals in the next minute of play to increase its lead to 10-4 at the 12:35 mark in the second quarter.
- Christian Barnard made a string of big saves in the following sequences before Andrew Perry put an end to the Yale run with a goal at the 8:08 mark in the quarter. Owen Gaffney and King followed up with goals to bring the Crimson back within three goals.
- King's late second quarter score was the 30th of his season and marked his 100th career point.
- The sides went into halftime with the score at 11-7 in favor of the visitors.
- King got on the scoresheet again to open the scoring in the second half, netting his third of the game and making the score 11-8. The Crimson defense hung tough, making saves and causing more turnovers, but the offense could not get across the goal line again in the third quarter. Yale added another pair of goals late in the third quarter to build a 13-8 lead after 45 minutes played.
- Hayden Cheek began the Harvard fourth-quarter comeback effort with back-to-back goals at the start of the frame. A Barnard save and a Yale turnover, gave the Crimson the ball back, which led to a goal from Graham Blake to make the score 13-11. The Crimson fired three more shots in the effort, but none were able to find twine as the Bulldogs would go on to claim a 14-11 victory.
Harvard Highlights
- Sam King ends his sophomore campaign with a team-high 56 points, 31 goals and 25 assists. The sophomore reached the 100-point milestone in the contest, making him the fifth-fastest player to 100 points in program history.
- Colling Bergstrom led the defense with three caused turnovers, giving him eight in the final three games of the season and a team-high 15 on the season.
- Hayden Cheek and Andrew Perry also registered multi-point efforts in the contest. Cheek ended with three (2g, 1a) and Perry with two (1g, 1a).
- Chase Yager scored his third goal of the season and added a groundball and a caused turnover.
- Ray Dearth (3ct, 3gb) and Greg Campisi (2 ct, 4gb) also had solid efforts on the defensive end of the field.
- The Crimson picked up season-best 44 groundballs and caused 13 Yale turnovers.
- The groups also continued its torturous ride, forcing five failed clears while successfully clearing on 24-of-25 chances.
