NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 5 Harvard men's lacrosse team fell in its first true road loss of the season this afternoon to the No. 17 Yale Bulldogs. The Crimson (9-2, 3-1 Ivy) could not overcome an early deficit as the Bulldogs (6-4, 3-2 Ivy) earned a 15-9 win over its rival at Reese Stadium. Despite the setback, Harvard qualified for the 2026 Ivy League Tournament based on results of the other conference games today. By earning a spot in the conference championship, the Crimson will make its second consecutive appearance in the field for the first time in program history.
Harvard Highlights
- Nathan Cobery led the team with four points, scoring three goals and adding one assist.
- John Aurandt IV posted three points with two goals and an assist.
- Andrew Perry scored two goals, one on the man-up, his fifth EMO goal of 2026.
- Owen Guest led the team with three ground balls.
- Sean Jordan grabbed two ground balls and scored his second goal of the season.
- The Crimson did not take a penalty in the contest, its first clean penalty sheet of the season.
How it Happened
- Harvard and Yale renewed its nearly 150-year-old rivalry this afternoon in front of a capacity crowd at Reese Stadium. The fourth game of Harvard's Ivy League schedule, the team was looking to solidify its spot in the Ivy League Tournament with a victory over the Bulldogs.
- John Aurandt IV opened the scoring in the contest, scoring the game's first goal just over three minutes in. Yale answered a minute later before using a four-goal run to build an early lead for the Bulldogs.
- The Bulldog run lasted for nearly 10 minutes until Nathan Cobery found Andrew Perry for Harvard's second goal with 90 seconds left in the opening quarter. Yale added one more goal to its total, taking a 5-2 lead after 15 minutes played.
- Sean Jordan ignited the Harvard bench to start the second quarter, scooping up the loose faceoff ground ball and taking it straight to the cage to score his second goal of the season. The tally made the score 5-3 early in the second quarter.
- Cobery added his first goal of the game after another Bulldog goal to make the score 6-4 in favor of Yale. After the Crimson goal, Yale put together another lengthy scoring run with stout defensive play. The Bulldogs threw three tallies on the board last lasted over eight minutes.
- A man-up strike from Perry stopped the run with just under two minutes remaining in the half. Yale came away with the final goal of the half, to take a 10-5 lead into the halftime break.
- Yale took control of the game midway through the third quarter, adding two more goals in the first half of the third quarter to build a 12-5 lead.
- Cobery finally answered for Harvard at the 7:22 mark of the quarter, scoring his second goal of the game. The sophomore completed his hat-trick later in the quarter after another Bulldog goal, making the score 13-7.
- Teddy Malone got on the score sheet late in the quarter to make the score 13-8 after 45 minutes played.
- The Bulldogs added two more tallies in the opening 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, adding to its lead. Aurandt got Harvard to nine goals at the 4:18 mark with a man-up goal, Harvard's second of the day.
- Yale held off the Crimson for the remainder of the contest to secure a 15-9 win.
Up Next
Harvard will head back to Cambridge, where it will prepare for a top 10 matchup against the Princeton Tigers next Saturday. The final home game of the regular season, Harvard will honor its seniors
