CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Riding high off a convincing 16-7 win in the first ever Charles River Rivalry game over No. 17 Boston University, the No. 13 Men's Lacrosse team will now shift its focus to the Binghamton Bearcats, who the Crimson (6-2, 1-1 Ivy) will face on Saturday in its final nonconference contest. The first ever meeting between the Bearcats (4-4, 2-2 AE) – who play out of the America East Conference – and the Crimson is set for 1:00 PM this Saturday (Mar. 29) at Jordan Field and on ESPN+.
 

What to Know

• Who: No. 13 Harvard vs. Binghamton
• When: Saturday, March 29, 2025
• Where: Jordan Field / Boston, Mass.
• 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 is coming off a 16-7 win over No. 17 Boston University in the first ever Charles River Rivalry game.
• The Crimson effectively shut down a red-hot BU attack, holding the team to just seven goals, a season-best for the Harvard defense.
• Martin Nelson earned player of the game honors after causing three turnovers and scooping up three ground balls. Nelson now has at least two caused turnovers in his last five games and leads the team with 13 on the season.
• Jack Speidell matched a career best with five goals against the Terriers and now owns 21 tallies on the season.
• With six points in his last two games, Sam King moved into third place in HLX history with his career point total of 217.
• Teddy Malone is six points away from reaching the 100-career points milestone.
• Ten different players scored goals for Harvard in the win over BU, a season-high for the program.
• Harvard scored on 41-percent of its possessions against BU which was the third time Harvard has posted an offensive efficiency of at least 40-percent in a game this season.

By the Numbers

7 – Players with 10 or more points on the Crimson.
15 – Caused Turnovers for the Crimson defense against BU, the most in a game this season.
18 – Percent defensive efficiency for the Crimson against BU, the third best mark for the program since 2016.
21 – Victories against current America East schools in HLX history, four of which belong to Gerry Byrne.
23 – Points per game for the Crimson, the eighth-most nationally.
25 – Ground balls for Sam King, the most for an attack in the country.
33 – Shooting percentage for Harvard, the seventh-best clip in the country.
58 – Percent man-up percentage, the fifth-best mark in the nation.
74 – Percent clearing percentage for Harvard opponents this season the third-best clip nationally.
 

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 moved up to No. 8 in the RPI poll after its win over No. 17 Boston U

 

The First Meeting

Harvard and Binghamton will face off on the lacrosse field for the first time in history this Saturday at Jordan Field. The Crimson has some familiarity with the Bearcat's conference – the American East – as the team has played five games against AE foes in the Byrne-era. Current Harvard assistant coach, Nick Grill, also has familiarity with the program having begun his coaching career at Binghamton in 2021.
 

Against the America East

Harvard has played 31 games in its history against current America East schools and holds a 21-10 record in those contests. Under Gerry Byrne, Harvard owns a 4-1 record against AE foes with the lone loss coming in the shortened 2020 season. Since that contest, Byrne's teams have registered wins over NJIT (2022, 17-4), Vermont (2023, 12-5), Bryant (2024, 14-13) and Vermont again in 2024 (15-12).
 

Quick Check on Binghamton

The Binghamton Bearcats come into the matchup riding a four-game win streak which is tied for the sixth-longest in the nation. The streak has helped the team rebound from an 0-4 start to the campaign. The team's notable results include a 6-5 win over St. Bonaventure (Mar. 25), a 12-10 win over Stony Brook (Mar. 8), and a 15-5 loss to Hofstra (Mar. 1).
 
Individually, Binghamton is led by senior attack Liam Ferris, who owns 22 points with 16 goals and 6 assists on the year. Sophomore Andrew Girolamo (15 points) and senior Gage Adams (14 points) have also been primary features in the team's offensive scheme. Nolan Sharkey's 10 caused turnovers paces the defense that is anchored by goalkeeper Connor Winters and his 10.0 GAA and .519 save percentage.
 
As a team, the Bearcats biggest strength has been its defense. The unit allows just over 10 goals per game and owns the nation's 13^th lowest opponent clearing percentage (.801). The Bearcat offense is beginning to come around after a challenging start to the season. Binghamton has averaged just under 10 goals per game in its last four contests and now ranks 60^th nationally with its goals per game clip of 8.75.
 

Last Time Out

Boston now belongs to the No. 13 Harvard Crimson men's lacrosse team after its convincing 16-7 victory over the No. 17 Boston University Terriers in the first ever Charles River Rivalry game on Tuesday (Mar. 25). The Crimson cruised to the win in a top 20 matchup between only two men's lacrosse teams in the city of Boston thanks to Jack Speidell's five goals and a masterful defensive showing. The Crimson earned Boston bragging rights and its fourth ranked victory of the season with the result.
 

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 48 failed clears on the year to post an opponent clearing percentage of 74-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.
 

Ride Wit Me

 
Senior captain and defenseman, Martin "Nelly" Nelson, has become the leader of the Harvard defense after posting a team-best 13 caused turnovers in the Crimson's first eight games. His 1.63 CTOs per game clip is the second-best in the Ivy League and the 28^th best in the nation. Nelson's skills has been on display this season with the Minnesota native becoming a key feature in the Crimson ride and faceoff units. Five of his caused turnovers have come on the ride or off an opposing faceoff to help the Crimson steal possessions from its foes.
 
After his three plucks against BU, Nelson has now three or more caused turnovers in each of his past three games. The IMG Academy and True National product also just scored his first career goal in the most recent game against Terriers.
 

Defensive Dominance

 
Led by Head Coach, Gerry Byrne, and assistant coach, Nick Grill, the Crimson put on a masterful defensive showing against the red-hot Terriers in the win on Tuesday night (Mar. 25). The Crimson held BU to just an 18.4-percent offensive efficiency, which is the third-lowest total for a Harvard opponent in the past ten seasons. The Crimson also forced a turnover on 47.4-percent of Terrier possessions which was the fifth-highest clip in the past ten years.
 

Bullseye

The Crimson heads into the week seven matchup with Binghamton owning the seventh-highest shooting percentage in the nation with a .333 clip through seven games played. Logan Ip leads the team with a shooting percentage of 48-percent on the season. Sam King and Jack Speidell also rank inside the top 50 nationally at 23 and 36 with percentages on 43-percent and 41-pecent, respectively.
 

Iron Sharpens Iron

Gerry Byrne has added four more ranked wins to his coaching register after defeating the No. 17 BU Terriers, No. 20 Michigan Wolverines, No. 20 Providence College Friars, and No. 6 Syracuse Orange in 2025. The results now give Byrne 12 ranked victories in his tenure as the Crimson head coach. The ranked wins match Byrne's season high in his five-year tenure.

This season, Harvard has played against the ninth hardest schedule in the country 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 20 points through seven games with 11 goals and nine assists and is just eight 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 an "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 +64 margin in the non-faceoff ground ball battle. Harvard is out grabbing its opponents 201-137 on the season to help aid the defensive effort.
 

Advanced Statistics

The formidable Crimson attack ranks fourth nationally in offensive efficiency with its 38.2 percent rating according to Lacrosse Reference. The metric shows that Harvard has scored on 38.2-percent of its possessions this season to emerge as one of the best units in the country. The team held the top spot in the metric for four straight weeks from week four-week seven before being dethroned this past week.
 
The Crimson ranks second nationally in offensive efficiency off a ground ball, scoring on nearly 43-percent of its possessions that start off any non-faceoff ground ball. The team has also capitalized off its faceoff wins, scoring on 35.7 of its possessions that begin with an FO win, the eighth-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 given 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 (4 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 6-2 record to go along with a .479 save percentage and a 12.74 goals-against-average. Most notably, his saves per game total of 11.63 is the fourth-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 hit the road next weekend as it returns to Ivy League play with a matchup in New Hampshire against the Dartmouth Big Green. The tilt is set for 1:00 PM in Hanover at Sculley-Fahey Field with the game also set to air live on ESPN+.