MEN’S LACROSSE: Elis aim to rebound against UAlbany
After a tough loss to Brown last Saturday, the Blue and White are prepared to face UAlbany in their third-to-last game of the season.
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The No. 6 Bulldogs (7–3, 3–2 Ivy) will face the University of Albany (4–7, 2–3 America East) at Reese Stadium on Sunday at noon for their third-to-last game of the season.
The Elis had a tough go last Saturday, falling 20–13 to Brown, which broke their four-game winning streak. The Bulldogs put forward a strong performance in the first half, which ended with a Bear lead of 9–8, yet Brown ultimately took the win.
“Brown beat us soundly and completely,” head coach Andy Shay said to Yale Athletics. “I was extremely impressed with their team [and] they deserved this one. Hopefully this is the humility we need moving forward.”
The Yale men’s lacrosse team most recently faced the Great Danes in 2019, when Yale won 10–5. Goaltender Jack Starr ’22 held UAlbany scoreless for almost the entire first half and finished the game with 11 saves, marking his sixth game with over 10 stops that season.
“Albany is an extremely talented team and always puts up a good fight,” attackman Thomas Bragg ’23 said. “I look forward to seeing how we move on from last week and take on this opponent.”
The Great Danes are 4–7 this season, winning against Siena, Stony Brook, UMass Lowell and Syracuse. UAlbany has also faced losses this season to seven teams, including No. 17 Cornell, UMass and No. 1 Maryland.
In their most recent matchup on April 16, the Great Danes fell 14–6 to Vermont. UAlbany was outshot 36–30 and was outscored 6–2 in the first quarter.
“Unfortunately, we just did not come out with good enough energy in the first period,” head coach Scott Marr said to UAlbany Athletics. “We could never really catch up [and] with our lack of energy it just didn’t happen today.”
Despite the loss, faceoff specialist Regan Endres won each of the game’s first three faceoff opportunities and four of the first quarter’s seven. Attackman Teioshontathe McComber had a game high of two goals, scoring the first with 11:28 left in the second frame and the second with 6:41 left in the third.
Goalkeeper Will Ramos made seven saves but allowed 14 in the net while at goal.
“Obviously we’re looking to bounce back after this past Saturday,” attackman Matt Brandau ’23 said. “We are very excited to get the chance to play someone else.”
The only opponent that Yale and UAlbany have in common this season is UMass, where the Bulldogs tallied a 13–12 overtime win on March 5 and the Great Danes lost 12–9 on March 8.
Because UAlbany is coming off a two-game losing streak, Yale’s recent loss to Brown has not shaken the team, and the Bulldogs are ready to take down their next competitor at Reese.
“With only two weeks guaranteed in the season, every day matters a ton for us,” Brandau said.
Following its game against UAlbany, the Blue and White will face Quinnipiac in a midweek tilt on Tuesday, April 26 at Reese Stadium.