Dartmouth Returns Home to Host No. 9 Yale Saturday

GAME 11
Dartmouth (3-7, 0-3 Ivy League) vs. Yale (8-2, 3-1 Ivy League)
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2024 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Scully-Fahey Field – Hanover, N.H.
All-Time Series: Yale, 55-34
Watch Live | Live Stats

Setting the Scene
The challenging schedule continues for the Dartmouth men's lacrosse team, who will face its fifth straight nationally-ranked opponent on Saturday when the Big Green host No. 9 Yale on Alumni Day. Gametime is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Saturday is also a Mental Health Awareness game, and there will be postgame autographs as well. Dartmouth is coming off a 13-7 defeat at No. 17 Harvard last weekend.

The 17th-ranked Crimson took a 2-0 lead just 30 seconds into the game, but the Big Green battled back to within 2-1, 4-2, 6-3 and later 8-4 with 5:42 still left in the third. Harvard erased much doubt, however, with three straight goals to take an 11-4 lead, on the way to the 13-7 final.

For the second straight week, two Big Green players scored their first-career goals. At Harvard, it was first-year Will Cohen in the third quarter and junior Logan Tucker in the fourth. Senior Peter Lapina scored a goal, marking the 50th point of his career. Defensively, sophomore Thomas Goguen posted three groundballs and three caused turnovers, his third game this season causing three turnovers and second in the last three games. In Ivy League play, he owns 14 groundballs and six caused turnovers and leads Dartmouth with 14 caused turnovers on the season. Second is junior Griffin O'Neil with 11, who caused two turnovers at Harvard — his fourth game this season with multiple causes.

Fifth-year Mitchell Myers won 15-of-21 faceoffs with eight groundballs to move to 489 career faceoff wins and 246 career groundballs. On Saturday, he has a chance to reach 500 faceoff wins and 250 groundballs. Myers is quickly approaching Phil Hession's (2012-15) program record for career groundballs (263).

Junior goaltender Mason Morel has been playing well, making 12 saves at Harvard, seven coming in the second half. In Ivy League play, he has 42 saves allowing 39 goals.

The Big Green will be looking to snap a 12-game losing streak to Yale in the all-time series. The Bulldogs enter Saturday winners of four straight and standing 8-2 on the season.

With A Win...
- The Big Green would snap a 12-game losing streak against Yale and beat the Bulldogs for the first time since Apr. 15, 2009 in New Haven.
- Dartmouth would snap a six-game home losing streak vs. Yale, winning at home in the series for the first time since Apr. 16, 2008.
- Overall, the Big Green would pull within 54-35 in the all-time series.
- Dartmouth would beat a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since a 12-11 double overtime victory over No. 15 Harvard on Mar. 21, 2015.

Last Time Out
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (4/6/24) — No. 17 Harvard jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the game's first 30 seconds, and the Dartmouth men's lacrosse team wouldn't go away, but the Crimson outlasted the Big Green, 13-7 on Saturday afternoon. Fifth-year Mitchell Myers won 15-of-21 faceoffs with eight groundballs to move to 489 faceoff wins and 246 groundballs in his career, respectively. Defensively, sophomore Thomas Goguen tied a career-high three caused turnovers while junior Griffin O'Neil caused a pair of turnovers. The Big Green held the Crimson more than two goals below their season average of 15.22 entering the day, which was sixth in the nation.

All-Time vs. Yale
Yale leads the all-time series with Dartmouth, 55-34, which includes 12 consecutive wins. The last Big Green win came on Apr. 15, 2009 in New Haven behind a 14-13 final (in overtime). Yale has been nationally-ranked in 10 of the last 12 meetings with Dartmouth and eight of the last nine. Four times, the Bulldogs have been in the top five, including standing No. 1 in 2016.

Scouting Yale
Yale stands 8-2 on the season and 3-1 in the Ivy League, with its only Ivy League defeat coming at Cornell (18-15). Since that Mar. 23 game, the Bulldogs beat Le Moyne (21-10), Brown (16-10), Penn (12-9) and Boston University (18-16).

Matt Brandau leads the nation in points per game (6.8) with 68 points in 10 games behind 29 goals and 39 assists. He's also first in assists per contest. Carson Kuhl is second in points with 38 behind 21 goals and 17 assists while David Anderson owns 29 points via 27 goals and two assists. Patrick Pisano leads the Bulldogs with 17 caused turnovers; his 1.7 per game lead the Ivy League. Yale features a pair of strong faceoff specialists in Nicholas Ramsey and Machadao Rodriguez. Ramsey has won 65.6 percent of his faceoffs (63-of-96) with 32 groundballs while Rodriguez has won 63.1 percent (137-of-217) with 102 groundballs. As a team, Yale leads the nation in faceoff percentage (63.8) and groundballs per game (40.2), stands second in scoring offense (16.2) and third in points per game (24.9).

Big Green on the Big Screen
Dartmouth men's lacrosse has been on SportsCenter Top 10 three times this season. It began with sophomore Hopper Zappitello's behind-the-back goal vs. Holy Cross coming in at No. 10. Two days later, junior Colin McGill had a no-look bounce shot against Lehigh that came in at No. 5. Then at Princeton, McGill had a spinning behind-the-back goal off the ride that was No. 8.

Zappitello Named to USILA National Team of the Week
Sophomore attackman Hopper Zappitello was recognized on the USILA National Team of the Week following his stellar eight-point effort in the Feb. 24 win over Holy Cross. Zappitello scored two goals and dished six assists, the most by a Big Green player since Ben Martin dished seven on Apr. 11, 2017 against UMass Lowell. He was one of just 10 student-athlete recognized across the country and one of only two from the Ivy League.

Paradine Named NEILA Preseason All-New England
Sophomore midfielder Emmett Paradine was recognized by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association as a member of the preseason All-New England Second Team. Last season's Ivy League Rookie of the Year finished 2023 fourth on the Big Green in points with 27, tied for second in assists (9) and fourth in goals (18).

Johnston, Myers, Davis Named Captains
Dartmouth head men's lacrosse coach Sean Kirwan announced the Big Green captains in January, which included fifth-years Andrew Johnston and Mitchell Myers, and senior Nate Davis. The captains were chosen by their peers.

Four Pick Up Postseason Honors
Following a strong season of progress, four members of the Dartmouth men's lacrosse team were recognized with postseason Ivy League awards. Emmett Paradine was named Rookie of the Year, the Big Green's first Ivy League major award winner since 2007. Senior Mitchell Myers and junior Nate Davis were both named second team All-Ivy while junior Peter Lapina was named Academic All-Ivy.

Paradine becomes Dartmouth's fifth all-time Ivy League major award winner, all being Rookies of the Year. The others were Ari Sussman (2007), Jamie Coffin (2003), Brian Merritt (1994) and Jenkins Marshall (1981).

This also marked the first time Dartmouth had multiple players named first or second team All-Ivy in consecutive seasons since 2005-06. Myers was named to the first team and Daniel Hincks to the second team last season.

Milestone Watch
A number of Big Green are within striking distance of career milestones in the near future.

Henry Bonnie
41 points (9 away from 50)

Nate Davis
43 goals (7 away from 50)

Quinn Moore
41 Points (9 away from 50)

Mitchell Myers
489 faceoff wins (11 away from 500)
246 groundballs (4 away from 50)

Emmett Paradine
40 points (10 away from 50)

Tommy Rogan
39 goals (11 away from 50)

Follow Along
Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN+.

Next Up
After Saturday's game, the Big Green hit the road next Saturday, Apr. 20, to face Brown at 1 p.m.

Schedules