CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's lacrosse will look to bounce back this weekend when it plays host to the Virginia Cavaliers, the second-ranked team in the nation. The top-20 clash is set for this Saturday (Mar. 30) at 12:00 PM at Jordan Field. The game will also be broadcast regionally on NESN and NESN+.
 
Two of the nation's best offenses will match up this weekend for another highly anticipated contest between the Crimson and the Cavaliers. 
 

The Matchup

The No. 16 Crimson will be taking a brief pause from Ivy League play this weekend to host the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers in the group's final non-conference contest of the 2024 season. Harvard (6-2, 0-2 Ivy) is unbeaten in its previous seven non-Ivy games dating back to last season. The Crimson last faced the Cavaliers a season ago in a high-scoring affair that ended in a 25-21 loss to the top-ranked Virginia squad.
 
Virginia will make the trip North to Boston to battle Harvard on its home turf for the first time in series history. The sides have met four times dating back to 1954 with the Cavaliers holding a 4-0 lead in the all-time series.
 

Quick Hits

• Harvard (6-2) is coming off another close loss to the No. 14 Princeton Tigers.
• The Crimson is unbeaten in its last seven non-conference contests.
• The team has posted a 13-4 record at Jordan Field under the Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Lacrosse, Gerry Byrne.
• The Crimson has also collected eight wins over nationally ranked opponents in Byrne's tenure.
• The Crimson has defeated a team ranked inside the top-five in each of the past two seasons (No. 3 Princeton in 2022 and No. 4 Cornell in 2023).
• This will be the highest-ranked team to come to Harvard since the 2013 season, when the then-ranked No. 2 Cornell Big Red played the Crimson at Harvard Stadium.

Crimson in the National Rankings

• Harvard remains ranked in all three major college lacrosse polls despite the current two-game skid.
• The Inside Lacrosse has the Crimson as the No. 16 team in the nation.
• The USILA Coaches voted Harvard into the No. 16 spot.
• USA Lacrosse Magazine has Harvard slotted at No. 17.

Statistically Speaking

1^st Highest winning percentage in the Ivy League (.750)
2^nd Best shooting percentage in the nation (.377)
2^nd Best Man-Up offense in the country (.640)
3^rd Best clearing team in the NCAA (.919)
4^th Highest scoring offense in the nation (15.88 goals per game)
6^th Fewest turnovers per game (14.00 per contest)
7^th Most Points per game as a team (24.25)
 

By The Numbers

.519 shot percentage for Logan Ip, the fifth-best mark in the nation and best in the Ivy League
3.13 Goals per game for Teddy Malone, the ninth-most nationally
5 Individual man-up goals for Liam Griffiths, the second most in the nation
6.25 Points Per game for Sam King, the second-most in the country
7 Caused Turnovers for Logan Darrin this season, the second-most on the team
10 Game goal scoring streak for Graham Blake, the longest run of his career
13 Groundballs in the last three games for Andrew O'Berry
17 Players with two or more caused turnovers, the most in the Ivy League.
20 Saves for Christian Barnard against Princeton, a new career-high
24 Game goal scoring streak for Sam King, the eight-longest stretch in the nation
50 Points for Sam King this season, the fourth-most in the nation and the 13^th most in HLX history
70 Goals scored by the starting attack group of Sam King, Teddy Malone and Graham Blake, the most in the Ivy League
 

Scouting the Cavaliers

The Cavaliers boast one of the most dangerous offenses in the country, trotting out a unit that puts up nearly 16 goals per contest. Led by Connor Shellenberger (46 points) and Payton Cormier (36 goals), Virginia averages more than 10 assists and 26 points per game this season.
 
On defense, the Cavaliers allow just north of ten goals per game and cause 11.4 turnovers per game, the second-highest mark in the nation. Ben Wayer (14 CTO) and former Crimson standout, SSDM Chase Yager (11 CTO, 17 GB) lead the charge for the Cavaliers defense.
 
Virginia's most notable weakness this season has been its vulnerability has been in man-down situations, allowing a .522 conversion percentage, the 11^th-worst in the nation.

Last Time Out

Harvard fell in a highly competitive contest to No. 14 Princeton last weekend at Jordan Field last Saturday (Mar. 23), dropping the contest 11-14. The Crimson got hat-trick efforts from Logan Ip and Teddy Malone and Sam King collected six more points to reach the 50-point mark in just eight games. Christian Barnard also had another stellar game in the cage, making 20 saves to set a new career high.

History Against Virginia

The Crimson put up 21 goals in the last contest against Virginia that ended in a 25-21 loss. The 46 goals and 49 faceoff draws in the season opener for the Crimson a year ago stand as NCAA records.

Sam King tallied nine points to tie his career high while scoring seven goals – a career best – and dishing out two assists. Teddy Malone (3p, 2g, 1a) notched his first three career points last season in Charlottesville. Lucas Hilsenrath (3a), John Aurandt IV (1g, 1a) and Ray Dearth (2gb, 2cto) also had solid outings last season against then No. 1 Virginia.

Jack of all Trades

Sam King has continued his rise to the top of collegiate lacrosse this season, producing at a record-setting pace that has put him in - best players in the nation – conversation. King can do it all, score, assist, defend and lead, as shown by his rankings nationally. The Baltimore native ranks inside the top-15 in every offensive metric and currently sits at no. 2 nationally with 6.25 points per game. The Gilman School product also ranks sixth with 3.25 assists per game and 12^th with 3.0 goals per game.
 
King is also the only player in the nation with more than 20 goals, 25 assists, 25 ground balls and five caused turnovers in the country, showing his all-around skillset.
 
The junior captain is already up to 52 points this season, putting him on pace for 81 points, which would be the second most in Harvard history. King also already owns 152 career points which is already good for the 13^th most in program history.

Locking Down the Cage

Senior goalkeeper, Christian Barnard has turned in two of his best career efforts in the past two contests against Yale and Princeton. Barnard first posted 19 saves in the close loss to Yale before – at the time a career-high for the Connecticut native – before setting a new career-best with 20 saves against Princeton this past weekend.
 
The 20 save total is the most by a Harvard goalie in a game since the 2019 season where Kyle Mullin '22 made 22 stops against Providence.

It's a Team Game

Harvard sports one of the deepest rosters in the entire country as shown by its raw depth according to Lacrosse Reference. The Crimson averages just under 27 contributors per game to rank fifth in the nation behind High Point (30.3), Duke (27.2), North Carolina (26.8) and Notre Dame (26.8).

Like a Well-Oiled Machine

Harvard men's lacrosse is the fourth-most efficient team in the nation according to Lacrosse Reference, posting a cumulative efficiency of 41.2-percent through seven games. This metric is a combination of Harvard's offensive efficiency (goals per possession) and the defensive efficiency (goals allowed per possession). The Crimson's offensive efficiency alone also ranks fourth in the country, as Harvard has scored on 37.7-percent of its possessions in 2024.

Peppering the Cage

One of the most accurate shooting teams in the nation, Harvard has tested opposing goalies all season long with its ability to put shots on net. The Crimson boasts a 37.7 percent shooting percentage which is the second-best mark in the nation behind only Notre Dame (.407). Harvard averages 27.5 shots on goal per game and 41.5 total shots per game.
 
Logan Ip leads the team and is fifth in the nation with a .519 shooting percentage. The Sophomore has scored 14 goals on only 27 shot so far in 2024.

The Crimson Shield

Harvard's defense has had a knack for going on long shutout streaks throughout this season, recording a shutout stretch of 10-plus minutes in every contest in 2024. The longest streak came against Providence where Harvard held the Friars scoreless for 24-minutes consecutive minutes. The defense shut out Vermont for the entire third quarter and for 18-minutes total in the tilt up in Burlington.  

A Historic Start

Harvard men's lacrosse began the 2024 season by going 6-0 for the first time since 1990. The Crimson was one of only three remaining unbeaten teams left in the nation at the time of its loss to Yale a week ago. The Crimson offense scored 88 goals in its first five game, which was the most to begin the season in program history.

Up Next

Harvard men's lacrosse will return to Ivy League play next weekend when it plays host to the Dartmouth Big Green at Jordan Field. The meeting between the Ancient Eight foes will wrap up a three-game homestand for Harvard and is set to take place next Saturday (Apr. 6) at 3:30 PM.