2023 Men's Top 30: How Yale Fared vs. Projections

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2024, our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking one last look at 2023.

After all, you have to look at the most recent results before making projections for what’s to come. To do that, we’re taking a journey through the top 30 teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse — what went right, what went wrong and what we should all think of that team’s season.

Was it a success? A failure? A mixture of both? You’ll find out our thoughts over the next month or so.

YALE MEN’S LACROSSE

Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason/Final Top 20 Ranking: 8/11
2023 record: 9-6 (3-3 Ivy League)

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Yale had an exceptional attack, with Chris Lyons (62 G, 12 A) ranking third in the country in goals and Matt Brandau (37 G, 33 A) and Leo Johnson (40 G, 22 A) both enjoying strong seasons. The Bulldogs got on a roll after a 3-4 start, ripping off a six-game winning streak capped by a wild 22-15 defeat of Cornell in the Ivy semifinals.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Far too often, Yale’s defense — the bulwark of the program for many years — couldn’t find enough answers. The Bulldogs allowed at least 19 goals on four occasions, including in back-to-back losses to Princeton (Ivy final) and Georgetown (NCAA first round) to close out the season. Yale finished 62nd nationally in scoring defense, giving up 14 goals a game.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT

The pummeling of Cornell in the Ivy tournament. Yale shot 40 percent overall and scored on 22 of its 29 shots on goal against the Big Red, as Lyons had seven goals and four assists and Johnson added six goals and an assist.

VERDICT

By Yale’s standards over the last decade, this was a down season. By the standards of an average program, it was perfectly fine. The Bulldogs expect more, and chances are the ability of other teams to gouge the Yale defense for a big goal total will lead to a bit of reinvention in New Haven in 2024.