CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Another challenge awaits the No. 10 Harvard men's lacrosse team this weekend as it will play its eighth game against teams ranked in the national polls when it meets the No. 20 Dartmouth Big Green on Saturday (Apr. 6). The Crimson (7-2, 1-1 Ivy) will take on its Ivy foe, Dartmouth (7-2, 1-1 Ivy) in what is a key Ivy League game for both teams. With the Crimson and Big Green currently tied for third place in the Ivy League standings, a win would help propel the winning team into better position to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament.
 

What to Know

Who: No. 10 Harvard at No. 20 Dartmouth
When: 1:00 PM, Saturday, April 6
Where: Sculley-Fahey Field / Hanover, N.H.
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 comes into the contest with a 7-2 record after winning its past two games.
• The Crimson recently completed its non-conference schedule with wins over No. 17 Boston University and Binghamton. Harvard posted a 6-1 in out of conference games this weekend.
• Harvard moved up to No. 5 in the NCAA RPI Poll after its 2-0 week.
• The Crimson ride ranks first nationally with a .729 opponent clearing percentage.
• Coach Neil Hutchinson's offense ranks fifth nationally with 14.89 goals per game.
• Sam King hit the 100 career assists milestone against Binghamton and became the first player in program history to reach 100 goals and 100 assists.
• King is also one of just three players nationally to rank inside the top 20 in goals per game and assists per game in the NCAA.
• The Crimson defense causes 11.56 turnovers per game to rank second nationally.
• Harvard and Dartmouth will battle as ranked opponents for the first time in over 30 years.
• Dartmouth comes into meeting with an RPI ranking of No. 14.

 

By the Numbers

4 – Wins over teams in the National Polls this season.
7 – Goals allowed against No. 17 BU on Tuesday (Mar. 25), a season-low.
8 – Assists per game for the Crimson, the seventh-most nationally.
9 – Caused turnovers for Sam King, the second most for an attack in the nation.
10 – Goals over the past two games for Jack Speidell
11 – Harvard Inside Lacrosse Media Poll ranking, the highest ranking for the Crimson since 2016.
15 – Caused Turnovers for Martin Nelson, a team-high.
23 – Points per game for the Crimson, the fifth best total in the country.
27 – Ground Balls for Sam King, the most by an attack in the nation.
36 – Ground Balls per game for the Crimson, the fifth-most nationally.
43 – Percent shooting clip for Jack Speidell, the 20^th best in the NCAA.
47 – Points for Sam King, a team-high
52 – Wins for Harvard in the series against Dartmouth, the most for the Crimson against any opponent in its history
99 – Career points for Teddy Malone
100 – Career assists for Sam King
107 – Saves this season for Graham Stevens
 

In the National Rankings

• Harvard moved up into the No. 11 spot in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
• The Crimson was slotted at No. 10 in the USA Lacrosse Rankings.
• The USILA Coaches voted the Crimson into the No. 11 spot on the rankings.
• Harvard ranks fifth in the NCAA RPI.

 

The Matchup

The No. 10/11/11 Crimson will return to Ivy League play this weekend when its travels to New Hampshire to take on the Dartmouth Big Green. This will be the 93^rd meeting between the two schools in the series history, with Harvard owning a 52-40-1 record in games against Dartmouth. The Crimson has taken six of the past seven meeting against the Big Green, with the lone loss coming in 2023 at Sculley-Fahey Field. The Crimson will look to get back in the win column and avenge its 2023 loss when the sides meet at 1:00 PM in Hanover and on ESPN+.
 

Quick Check on Dartmouth

Off to one the best starts in the program history, the Dartmouth Big Green will play host to the Crimson this weekend in what will be a key game for both sides. The Big Green (7-2, 1-1 Ivy) is coming off a loss to Princeton in its last contest, which was just the second losing result of the season for Coach Sean Kirwan's team. Notable results for Dartmouth this season include wins over Siena, Utah and No. 16 Penn and losses against No. 4 Princeton and UMass-Amherst.
 
Individually, Thomas Power leads the team in scoring with 37 points, 20 goals and 17 assists. Other offensive contributors include Colin McGil, who owns a team-best 23 goals this season and Hopper Zapitello who has collected 20 points in eight games played. Thomas Gaugen owns 18 caused turnovers this season to lead the defense. Mason Morel has been locking down the cage this season, allowing just 9.11 goals per game and saving the ball at a 61-percent clip.
 
As a team, Dartmouth owns the highest ground balls per game total in the NCAA with 36.89 per contest. The Big Green also rank highly in saver per game (14.33), caused turnovers per game (10.33), and fewest turnovers per game (14.89). The Big Green offense ranks 22^nd in the nation with 12.11 goals per game and the defense allows just nine goals per game, the 16^th best mark in the nation.
 

Player History vs. Dartmouth

Sam King owns 20 career points against Dartmouth having notched seven, four and nine points in the past three meetings, respectively. King's breakout game as a first-year came against Dartmouth and featured six goals and three assists in what became a nine-goal win for the Crimson.
 
Miles Botkiss has also had some success against the Ivy foe, scoring six goals in his career against the Big Green. Teddy Malone owns seven points with four goals and three helpers and Martin Nelson has three caused turnovers in his career against Dartmouth.
 

Making the Climb

Harvard was ranked in the top 10 in the USA Lacrosse Rankings for the first time since the 2016 season. The Crimson sits just outside the top 10 in the Inside Lacrosse Media and the USILA Coaches polls. The No. 10 placement from USA Lacrosse is the highest ranking the Crimson has achieved under the Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard men's lacrosse, Gerry Byrne. 
 

Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-Americans

Sam King and Logan Ip were honored by Inside Lacrosse last week, earning Midseason All-America spots. King landed on the First Team while Logan Ip was an honorable mention. King, a 2024 Inside Lacrosse Third-Team All-American, landed on the team alongside Cornell's CJ Kirst and Syracuse's Joey Spallina.
 

Last Time Out

The Crimson defeated Binghamton, 17-12, in its last contest. The Crimson used a 10-goal first half to carry the team to the win over the Bearcats in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. First-year goalkeeper Graham Stevens made 14 saves while protecting the cage, and Jack Speidell's second consecutive five-goal game paced the Crimson on both sides of the ball.
 

On the Ride

The Crimson ride is now the best in the nation after the Crimson caused another nine failed clear attempts against Binghamton on Saturday. Harvard opponents have cleared the ball at just a 72.9-percent rate which is the lowest total nationally.
 

New Program Record

Sam King's goals against Binghamton extended the senior's goal scoring streak to 38 games, the longest in program history and tied for the 15^th longest in the nation.
 

Dual Threat

Sam King reached the 100 career assists milestone against Binghamton and became the first player in program history to reach both the 100 career goals and 100 career assists marks. King is also one of just three players in the nation to be ranked in the top 18 in goals per game and assists per game. This season King owns 28 goals and 19 assists.
 

Iron Sharpens Iron

Gerry Byrne has led the Crimson to four ranked wins this season, the last coming this past week against No. 17 Boston University. That total ties the 2022 squad for the most ranked wins in a season of the Byrne era. The Crimson should have a few more opportunities to knock off ranked sides this season.

This season, Harvard owns the 5^th highest strength of schedule and the ninth best strength of record according to Lacrosse Reference.
 

Sharing the Rock

Harvard's ability to spin the ball has been a major factor in the success of the offense. The Crimson averages 8.44 assists per game to rank seventh nationally. King, Teddy Malone, Logan Ip and Miles Botkiss all own ten or more assists on the season.
 

In the Crease

First-Year goalkeeper Graham Stevens has impressed this season by locking down the Crimson cage. The New Jersey native only allows 12.65 goals per game and has saved the ball at a 49-percent clip while helping Harvard to a 7-2 record.
 

Speidell Senses

Sophomore Jack Speidell has emerged as a serious scoring threat for the Crimson this season and has scored a team high five goals in each of the past two games. Speidell owns 26 goals on the season and sits just two behind Sam King for most on the team. His 2.89 tallies per game is the 21^st highest total in the NCAA.
 

Causing Chaos

Senior defender Martin Nelson has been on a tear defensively this season, causing two or more turnovers in the past six games for the Crimson. It is the longest streak since Bobby Duvnjak's six-game run in the 2016 season. With 1.67 CTOs per game, Nelly ranks 21^st nationally.
 

Bullseye

The Crimson heads into the week eight matchup with Dartmouth owning the sixth-highest shooting percentage in the nation with a .335 clip through nine games played. Jack Speidell leads the team and is fourth in the Ivy League with a shooting percentage of .433.
 

Up Next

The Crimson will return home next weekend to host the Penn Quakers at Jordan Field. The Crimson will also celebrate Youth Day when they take on the Ivy foe at 1:00 PM.