CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 13 Harvard men's lacrosse team will continue its three-game in seven-day stretch this Tuesday when it welcomes the No. 17 Boston University Terriers to Jordan Field. The team are set to clash in the first ever Charles River Rivalry game that pits the only two men's lacrosse teams in the city of Boston against one another. Coming off a narrow loss to No. 6 Princeton, the Crimson will look to bounce back in a big way when it battles a red-hot Terrier team that has won six of its first seven games. The tilt is set for Tuesday night (Mar. 25) at 7:00 PM at Jordan Field with the game also set to air live on ESPN+.  

What to Know

• Who: No. 13 Harvard vs. No. 17 Boston University
• When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
• Where: Jordan Field / Boston, Mass.
• Event: The first ever Charles River Rivalry Game
• Camps: Learn more about the Crimson Lacrosse Academy hosted at the Harvard Athletics Campus by the Harvard Men's Lacrosse Coaches for rising 4th-8th grade boys [HERE].

Quick Hits

• Harvard will play its fifth game against a ranked opponent this season when it faces the No. 17 Terriers. Harvard is 3-1 in ranked matchups this season.
• Martin Nelson has two caused turnovers in each of his last four games.
• First-year goalkeeper, Graham Stevens has the second-highest saver per game clip among rookie netminders, nationally.
• Showing his all-round skill, senior Sam King owns the second-most ground balls (20) by attack and the third most caused turnovers (7) by an attack in the NCAA.
• Harvard has forced five or more failed clears in six of seven games this season and owns the nation's third-best opponent clear percentage clip of .735.
• The Crimson offense ranks ninth nationally with 14.43 goals per game.

By the Numbers

.48 – Shot percentage for Logan Ip, the tenth best percentage in the NCAA.
2.6 – Average margin of victory in the Harvard – Boston University rivalry.
3 – Caused turnovers for Sean Jordan vs. Princeton, a new single-game high for the junior LSM.
5.4 – Points per game for Sam King, the sixth-most nationally.
9 – Assists per game for the Crimson, the ninth-most nationally.
10.8 – Caused Turnovers per game for the Crimson, the seventh-best percentage in the nation.
18 – Caused turnovers in the last 14 contests for Logan Darrin since taking over the starting role last year vs. Michigan (Mar. 10, 2024).
20 – Ground balls for SSDM Ray Dearth, the second most on the team this season.
36 – Game goal-scoring streak for Sam King, the second-longest run in the nation.
91 – Career points for junior attack, Teddy Malone.
 
 

In the National Rankings

• Harvard dropped only one spot in the Inside Lacrosse rankings and now sits at No. 13 in the media poll.
• The Crimson came in at No. 14 in the USA Lacrosse rankings.
• The USILA Coaches have Harvard slotted in the No. 12 spot.
• Harvard is ranked No. 9 in the RPI Poll and owns the 6th hardest schedule in the NCAA according to Lacrosse Reference.

 

The Charles River Rivalry

Two of the Bay State's Division I lacrosse powerhouses, Boston University and Harvard, will once again face off for Boston bragging rights in the newly named Charles River Rivalry Game. The rebranded rivalry title signifies the Boston city landmark that ties the only two men's Division I lacrosse programs in the Boston area together, the Charles River. Located just 2.3 miles apart from one another, the two programs represent a state that is a hotbed for the game of lacrosse.

With both teams currently ranked in the national polls—Harvard at No. 13 with a 5-2 record, and BU at No. 17 after a 7-1 start—this game brings together two of region's best.
Both programs have burst onto the national collegiate lacrosse scene in recent seasons, most notably in 2022 when the two qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Since their appearances in the national tournament, the programs have been a mainstay in the NCAA lacrosse top 20.
 

History vs. Boston University

The Crimson and BU have met on the lacrosse field eight times in the NCAA era, with Harvard owning a slight 5-3 lead in the series history. Boston University took the last meeting in 2023 with a 15-11 victory and Harvard topped the No. 13 Terriers in the 2022 matchup in a 13-10 win. These two squads have played some unforgettable classics, including a thrilling 9-8 BU victory over No. 14 Harvard in 2016 and a dramatic 12-11 triple-overtime win for Harvard in 2019.

Historically speaking, the home team has held the edge in the series with Harvard owning a 3-1 record at home and BU posting a 2-2 record at Nickerson Field.
 

Player History vs. The Terriers

A familiar opponent for most of the Crimson roster, Harvard has several players with notable statistic totals in the series. Sam King's nine points lead the way with Owen Gaffney and Miles Botkiss also factoring in with four points each in two career games against BU. King has also been a stalwart on the defensive side against BU, grabbing five ground balls and causing three turnovers against the Terriers. Charlie Muller also preformed well in his one career game against BU, causing two turnovers in the 2023 matchup.  
 

Quick Check on Boston University

The No. 17 Terriers are riding high into the Charles River Rivalry game after defeating the No. 3 Army West Point Black Knights on the road at Michie Stadium on Saturday (Mar. 22). The Terriers needed extra time to pull off the upset that was clinched by Jimmy Kohr's overtime game-winner. The result bumped BU's record to 7-1 on the season and helped them rise to No. 17 in in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Some other notable Terrier results include an 8-7 win over Brown (Feb. 18), a 21-12 result over Bucknell (Mar. 8) and a 13-9 loss to Navy (Mar. 1).
 
Freshman Timothy Shannehan leads the offense with 39 points on the season off 20 goals and 19 assists. Senior Jimmy O'Connell's 32 points and Kohr's 23 goals highlight the Terrier individual totals on the attack this season. On the other end of the field, Junior defenseman Connor Kehm has 18 caused turnovers on the year to rank eighth nationally with 2.25 per game. Goalkeeper Will Barnes has been a strong presence in the crease, posting a 62.5-percent save percentage on the year, the fourth-highest clip in the nation.
 
As a team, the Terriers rank 10^th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 8.5 goals per game, and 18^th in scoring offense, averaging 12.5 goals per game. The group's weakness this season has come in the form of turnovers, where they rank 62^nd in the nation with just under 19 giveaways per contest.
 

Last Time Out

Harvard narrowly fell in its contest against the No. 6 Princeton Tigers on Saturday (Mar. 22) to fall to 5-2 on the season. The Crimson's late comeback attempt came up just short in a 11-13 defeat. Despite the result, Harvard executed well in certain areas of the field, causing seven Princeton failed clear attempts on the ride and rendered the Tiger offense scoreless in the opening ten minutes of the contest.
Sean Jordan played one of the best games of his collegiate career, causing three turnovers in the effort. Goalkeeper Graham Stevens continued his excellent rookie campaign by making 12 saves against one of the most versatile offensive attacks in the nation. A New Jersey native, Stevens made several clutch stops down the stretch in the contest to keep the Crimson in the matchup until the final whistle.
On the attack, Jack Speidell led the way with a hat-trick performance, his third game with three or more goals this season, and Teddy Malone and Logan Ip each contributed three points to the cause.
 

On the Ride

Harvard's ferocity on the ride has propelled the team to a number of strong results this season. The Crimson has forced 43 failed clears on the year to post an opponent clearing percentage of 73-percent, the third-lowest nationally. The contributions on the ride come from all over the field, and particularly, the attack unit. Harvard's starting attack group of King, Malone and Speidell have combined to cause 10 turnovers on the season to aid the riding effort.

Bullseye

The Crimson heads into the week seven matchup with BU owning the seventh-highest shooting percentage in the nation with a .333 clip through seven games played. Logan Ip leads the team and is currently 10^th in the nation with a shooting percentage of 48-percent on the season. Sam King and Jack Speidell also rank inside the top 50 nationally at 24 and 47 with percentages on 43-percent and 40-pecent, respectively.
 

Iron Sharpens Iron

Gerry Byrne has added three more ranked wins to his coaching register after defeating the Michigan Wolverines, Providence College Friars, and Syracuse Orange in 2025. The results now give Byrne 11 ranked victories in his tenure as the Crimson head coach. The Crimson picked up two wins over ranked foes a year ago with victories against No. 18 Bryant and No. 13 Michigan and are one away from tying the 2022 Crimson with four.

This season, Harvard owns the 11^th highest strength of record according to the NCAA RPI.
 

On the Radar

Logan Ip is continuing to get national attention for his performance in the Crimson midfield this season. The junior captain has already collected 19 points through seven games with 11 goals and eight assists and is just nine points shy of tying his 28-point total from his breakout sophomore campaign. His contributions don't end with his offensive excellence, as Ip regularly plays both ways, contributing as a defensive midfielder. Ip recently received recognition from Inside Lacrosse, being named a "On the Radar" player for All-American consideration in 2025.
 

Hitting the Ground

An emphasis for the Crimson this season has been winning the non-faceoff ground ball battle. Harvard athletes have attacked loose balls all season long, owning a +51 margin in the non-faceoff ground ball battle. Harvard is out-grabbing its opponents 172-121 on the season to help aid the defensive effort.
 

Advanced Statistics

The formidable Crimson attack holds steady as the most efficient offense in the nation with its 39.1 percent efficiency rating according to Lacrosse Reference. Harvard has scored on 39.1-percent of its possessions this season to emerge as the national leader, a title it has held since week four of the 2025 season. The Crimson ranks second nationally in offensive efficiency off a ground ball, scoring on nearly 50-percent of its possessions that start off any non-faceoff ground ball. The team has also capitalized off its faceoff wins, scoring on 32.5 of its possessions that begin with an FO win, the ninth-best efficiency rating in the nation.
 

Off the Bench

According to Lacrosse Reference, Harvard has the seventh-deepest weighted roster in the nation, averaging 27.3 players who contribute in a game. The weighted total of 27.3 gives players at the end of the bench more value and showcase the number of contributors the Crimson has on its bench. Most notably, Joe Dowling (3 points), Finn Jensen (1 goal, 1 CTO) and Wyatt Wiggins (3 CTO) highlight the players in the middle of the Crimson depth chart who have performed well in big spots for Harvard this season.
 

In the Crease

First-year goalkeeper, Graham Stevens, has been the anchor of the Crimson defense this season, posting a 5-2 record to go along with a .475 save percentage and a 13.43 goals-against-average. Most notably, his saves per game total of 12.14 is the second-most for a rookie goalkeeper in the NCAA. Stevens was honored by Inside Lacrosse last week, coming in at No. 25 on the Inside Lacrosse Midseason Freshman Impact Rankings.
 

Up Next

The Crimson will return to Jordan Field on Saturday (Mar. 29) to complete its busy week and round out its non-conference schedule when it hosts Binghamton. The first meeting between the teams in series history is set for 12:00 PM in Boston with the game set to air live on ESPN+.