CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After nearly a month, the Harvard men's lacrosse team is set to play a game on its home turf at Jordan Field. The Crimson (4-4, 1-1 Ivy) will welcome the Ivy League leading No. 4/4 Cornell Big Red (7-1, 3-0 Ivy) to Cambridge for a Saturday tilt that is slated to begin at 12:00 PM.
The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men's Lacrosse,
Gerry Byrne, and his group will look to ride the momentum from last week's win over Colgate into this matchup when it looks to upset the Big Red for its first win in the series since 2016.
What's Happening?
Harvard men's lacrosse is excited to welcome back its fans to Jordan Field for the first home game since early March. Lacrosse is set to celebrate Harvard Day by offering discounted tickets to Harvard students, faculty and staff. Those groups can access this ticket deal by hitting the link attached to this story.
This contest will also serve as the team's Mental Health Awareness game and Team Impact game. Harvard sports medicine partnered with Harvard lacrosse to raise awareness for student-athlete mental health and will be passing out green ribbons to all fans in attendance. Finally, Harvard lacrosse is proud to be partnered with Team IMPACT and will welcome our teammate, Braxton, to Jordan Field as a part of our Team IMPACT celebration.
The Lincoln-Sudbury lacrosse team will take to the field during halftime to entertain fans with an intra-squad scrimmage. During the first time out in the third quarter, fans will have a chance to walk away with some Harvard lacrosse gear during the T-Shirt toss.
Quick Hits
- Harvard is coming off a 14-10 win at Colgate last weekend, its fourth win of the season.
- The Crimson leveled its record to 4-4 with the result.
- Harvard currently has the T-4th best record in the Ivy League at 1-1 and sits above Brown (0-2) and Yale (0-3)
- Cornell and Harvard will battle in Cambridge for the first time since 2019, a 15-11 Big Red victory.
- Harvard's ride is the currently the second best in the nation, holding opponents to a .762 clear percentage.
- Gerry Byrne's group also leads the Ivy League and ranks fifth in the country with 8.88 assists per game.
- Sam King ranks 13th in the country and first in the Ivy League with his 2.25 assists per game.
- The Crimson defense has been relentless in 2023, posting 10.5 caused turnovers per game throughout the course of the season.
- Hayden Cheek extended his goal scoring streak to 19 games with his strike against Colgate.
- Sam King also increased his point streak to 21 games, his goal scoring streak to 12 games and his multi-point game streak to 11 games against Colgate.
- 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 has the fifth deepest roster in the country, averaging 27.2 contributors (players who register at least one statistic) per game according to lacrosse reference.
The Matchup
Another Battle Against the Big Red
It will be meeting No. 95 between Harvard and the No. 4 Cornell Big Red on Saturday as Crimson looks to snap a four-game losing skid against its Ivy League rival. The Big Red has taken seven of the last ten contests, with the average margin of victory in those games averaging at 4.8 goals. The last ten matchups have all been high-scoring affairs, with the average total reaching 23.6 goals. That number inflates to 27.3 when you only factor in the last three contests. Last season, then No. 6 Cornell earned a 17-9 win over the Crimson.
Scouting Cornell
The No. 4 Big Red is off to an excellent start in 2023, posting a 7-1 record and remains unbeaten in Ivy League play, sitting atop the conference standings with a 3-0 record. Cornell currently ranks third in the LaxELO rankings by lacrosse reference, posting a combined efficacy of 37.2 percent. The group ranks inside the top 10 in offensive efficiency (33.2 percent), defensive efficiency (23.7 percent) and shooting percentage (34.8 percent).
The Big Red display a high-powered offensive attack that ranks first in the Ivy League at a 15.38 goals per game clip. That charge is led by CJ Kirst who has scored 4.88 goals per game through Cornell's first eight contest The Big Red utilize a slow-paced offensive attack, regularly working possessions deep into the shot clock, averaging a pace of 32.9 seconds per possession, one of the highest in the country.
The Big Red have been battles tested, competing against the 5
th hardest schedule in the nation and earning wins over five teams who have received votes in the national polls. It's most impressive victories came over No. 9/8 Ohio State (W, 16-13) and No. 8/8 Yale (W, 20-10).
Notes and Storylines
Last Time Out
Harvard got back in the win column last Saturday, leveling its record at 4-4 with a 14-10 victory over the Colgate Raiders.
Sam King led the way with five points (1G, 4A) in the effort that gave the Crimson's its ninth straight victory over the Patriot League foe.
Keys to Victory
With Harvard's first eight games in its rear-view, a few trends have started to show that indicate when the team is most successful. In its four victories, Harvard posts a ground ball rate of 55.9 percent, which is nearly four percent higher than its four losses. In games that Harvard is tied or leads in ground balls, it is 4-0. In games that it loses the ground ball battle, it is 0-4.
Efficiency in the faceoff circle has also been crucial to the team's success. The Crimson own a 49.5 percent win rate in its four wins, compared to a 43.9 percent win rate in its four losses. Additionally, getting second chance opportunities and backing up shots has proved to be an important factor, as the Crimson average 1.12 shots per possessions in its wins compared to just .94 shots per possession in its losses.
Be Quick But Don't Hurry
The Crimson offense, led by offensive coordinator
Neil Hutchinson, displays one of the fastest attacks in the nation, averaging a possession length of 25.2 seconds on scoring drives. That pace ranks fourth in the country according to lacrosse reference. Harvard is one of the most efficient teams in the country in possessions lasting under 30 seconds, scoring on 24.5 percent of those possessions.
The Crimson have also been accurate on its first chance in a possession, posting a 27.1 percent scoring clip on its first shot when it moves into the attacking zone.
Terrifying in Transition
One of the most improved areas of its game since a season ago, Harvard has been one of the best clearing and riding teams in the country this season. Harvard has successfully cleared in transition at a .882 clip in 2023 but has cleared the ball at a 92-percent rate in its four wins.
On the defensive side of the field, Harvard forces turnovers at an alarming rate, torturing opposing midfielders that have cleared at a second-worst 76-percent clip in the country. The Harvard ride forced five or more failed clears in all but one game this season. Against Dartmouth, the Big Green only cleared on 18 of 30 chances, giving Harvard the most caused failed clears since at least 2011.
Sharing is Caring
The key to Harvard's offensive efficiency has been its creative and accurate passing game. The Crimson's assists per game total of 8.88 leads the Ivy League and ranks fifth in the nation. Harvard has assisted on 71 of its 109 goals in 2023, giving them a 65-percent assist rate, the highest total in the Ivy League and amongst the best in the country.
Sam King leads the passing attack with 2.25 assists per game, ranking first in the Ivy League and No. 13 in the nation with the total.
Owen Gaffney is also averaging 1.12 assists per contest, putting him at No. 11 in the Ivy League.
Running Wild
Sam King and
Hayden Cheek are both on active scoring streaks that put them amongst the best in the country. Cheek's active scoring streak of 19 games is the highest in the Ivy League and the ninth-longest in the country. The run started a year ago when he scored against Fairfield and the senior has scored 35 goals throughout the streak.
King is on an active 21-game point streak that spans the entire length of his Harvard career. The sophomore has registered 85 points over the stretch. The Baltimore native has also scored in each of the past 12 games and has notched multi-point games in 11-straight contests.
Super Man-Up
Harvard's man-up offense has excelled in 2023 and currently ranks ninth in the nation with a .500 goal scoring clip. The Crimson has scored on 17 of 34 chances on the man-up, already giving them more total goals than the unit produced in all of 2022 (12). Harvard has scored two more man-up goals in five contests, scoring five against Virginia (Feb. 18) and four against Bucknell (Feb. 25). The squad put up three man-up strikes in the last victory over Colgate. The Crimson is a steady 4-1 in contests where they register two or more man-up scores.
Up Next
The Crimson will be back in Cambridge next weekend to continue Ivy League play and host the Penn Quakers at Jordan Field. The Crimson and the Quakers will clash at Jordan next Saturday (Apr. 15) at 12:00 PM. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
