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Last Tuesday, the No. 4 Yale men’s lacrosse team (6–2, 2–1 Ivy) had incredible offensive play in their battle against No. 10 Boston University (8–2, 5–0 Patriot). 

The Elis triumphed over the Terriers, earning a 22–15 score and setting a program record for goals in a single quarter with 11 in the second period. Tuesday was the highest scoring day since Yale’s 22–11 victory over Harvard on April 29, 2019. 

“We have a lot of respect for BU and what they have accomplished to this point,” head coach Andy Shay said to Yale Athletics after the game. “I think if we played that game 500 more times we [wouldn’t] do that again in a half. But my guys were not going to go in with a sub par effort.”

Trailing the Terriers for the first 10 minutes, attackman Thomas Bragg ’23 completed the hat trick with 6:28 remaining in the first to start a scoring streak of 11 unanswered goals for the Blue and White, earning them a 14–5 advantage. Attackmen Matt Brandau ’23, Chris Lyons ’25 and Leo Johnson ’25 also had hat-tricks in the first half. 

By the start of the third stanza, the Bulldogs were 18–6 with the Terriers, and Yale’s defense secured their ultimate victory. 

“Tuesday games are always a challenge especially against a team like BU,” Bragg said. “They have been having a great season, so I am proud of how we responded.”

Brandau had a total of 10 points with seven assists over the course of the game, both of which are career highs. Johnson (4–3–7) and Lyons (6–2–8) also both hit career-highs on Tuesday for goals, assists and points. 

The Elis prevailed in loose-ball pickups, dominating 56–30, which is the highest team total since the Bulldogs took 58 in a win over Georgetown in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament on May 11, 2019. 

“Boston is a great team,” Brandau said. “We were able to put together a very strong team performance all over the field and had success.”

Faceoff man Nicholas Ramsey ’24 also had a game-high of 16 ground balls, and all four Yale goalies played, making a total of 16 saves. 

The Elis will face Dartmouth (4–5, 0–2) at Scully-Fahey Field in Hanover, New Hampshire on Saturday at noon for their next conference game. 

In their last matchup on April 6, 2019, the Bulldogs pulled a 20–8 victory over the Big Green. The game marked a season-high offensive output for the Blue and White, with 82 shots and goals from nine different players, including Brandau and midfielder Brian Tevlin ’22. 

Yale’s defense held Dartmouth scoreless for over 23 minutes, and the Bulldogs tallied 12 of the 13 total goals in the second quarter. 

“Dartmouth will be another test for us as we continue league play,” Bragg said. “It will be a quick turnaround with regards to preparation so I look forward to see how we respond Saturday.”

This season, the Big Green has won four games in a consecutive streak from Feb. 26 to March 19, defeating Bryant, Siena, Vermont and St. John’s. Since their last victory, Dartmouth has faced four straight losses to No. 9 Ohio State, No. 15 Harvard, No. 7 Cornell and Stony Brook. 

On April 5, the Big Green were defeated by Stony Brook 14–13 despite tallying five goals in a two-minute time frame during the fourth period. 

Trailing the Seawolves 13–8, attackman George Prince, midfielder Ben diGiovanni and attackman Colin McGill scored, with McGill scoring three times to bring Dartmouth’s score one point away from the equalizer. 

Despite trailing in points, Darmouth led in shots 49–37 and faceoffs won 21–10. Prince and attackman Tommy Rogan both netted two goals and added three helpers, while McGill and attackman Matt Paul had hat tricks. 

Goalkeeper Daniel Hicks made 11 saves over the course of the game. Hicks’ goal against average is 10.65 and he has a .569 save percentage. 

Coming off a huge win against BU and on a three-game winning streak, the Bulldogs are fired up and ready for their next Ivy matchup. 

“Dartmouth is having a great year and has played very well,” Brandau said. “It will be another tough game.”

Saturday’s game against Dartmouth marks the second match of a three-game road trip for the Bulldogs, who will face Brown on April 16.