2024 NCAA Lacrosse Preview: No. 10 Yale (Men)

The 2024 Division I men's college lacrosse season kicks off February 2. As is our annual tradition, we’re featuring every team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20 in the lead up to opening night. Check back to USALaxMagazine.com each weekday this month for new previews, scouting reports and rival analysis.

NO. 10 YALE

2023 Record: 9-6 (3-3, Ivy League)
Final Ranking (2023): No. 11
Head Coach: Andy Shay
Assistants: Ed Williams (Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator), Colin Nesdale (Offensive Coordinator), Matt Dalton (Volunteer Assistant)

Yale coach Andy Shay didn’t have a hard time assessing last season’s 9-6 record and first-round exit in the NCAA tournament. Simply put, it wasn’t to the standard that Yale men’s lacrosse has set over the last decade.

“We collectively feel like we underachieved,” Shay said. “We couldn’t figure ourselves out. When you look at who we have in the locker room, you think, ‘We should be better.’”

The Bulldogs’ as a whole represented two extremes, which might have contributed to the up-and-down nature of the 2023 season. While Yale finished fourth in Division I with 15 goals per game, it struggled to stop opponents from doing the same, sitting 62nd in scoring defense with 14 goals allowed per contest.

Still, there was plenty of talent on the Yale roster, including Tewaaraton Award nominee Matt Brandau and a pair of scoring threats in Chris Lyons and Leo Johnson. On the defensive end, the Bulldogs return virtually everyone that took the field last season — leaving Shay and his staff reason to believe there could be a turnaround.

Yale needs to be a more complete team to make an impact in the uber-competitive Ivy League and make a run at a national title.

TOP RETURNERS

Matt Brandau, A, Gr. (37G, 33A)
Chris Lyons, A, Jr. (62G, 12A)
Leo Johnson, A, Jr. (40G, 22A)

Yale had one of the nation’s best offenses in 2023, and it was due in large part to these three volumes scorers. Brandau, the sixth-year star that has garnered Tewaaraton Award attention in the past, is the quarterback and will be one of the biggest threats in the Ivy League.

KEY ADDITIONS

Cole Cashion, M, Fr. (Rumson-Fair Haven)
Peter Moynihan, A/M, Fr. (The Taft School)
Roman Buono, D, Fr. (Malvern Prep)

Yale typically does not use the transfer portal, so the Bulldogs will rely on an infusion of young talent mixed with a veteran roster. Cashion and Moynihan, both Inside Lacrosse Top 100 recruits, could play out of the midfield. Buono will see time on a defense that looks to improve on 2023.

NOTABLE DEPARTURES

Graduations: Kyle Zawadski, M

X-FACTOR

Matt Brandau, A, Gr.

Matt Brandau has been one of the nation’s top attackmen for the better part of five seasons. Last year was not his most productive in a Yale uniform, so will he take a step forward in 2024?

“If there was a way to get him back another year, I’d try to do it,” Shay joked about Brandau’s sixth year. “Two years ago, he should have been a Tewaaraton finalist. He’s only scratching the surface on what he can do. When he plays with that edge, people will see more.”

THE NARRATIVE

What’s one way to help alleviate the pressure on a defense that struggled in 2023? Yale can win more faceoffs, be more efficient with each possession and keep the opponent on its heels even when on offense.

Shay, the former defensive coordinator at UMass, knows a little bit about making a defense successful. But Yale’s offense, faceoff unit and defensive midfield can do their part to help the defense this season.

The combination of Machado Rodriguez and Nicholas Ramsey combined to win 52.5 percent of faceoffs in 2023 — good for 31st in the nation. As a team, Yale cleared the ball 83.5 percent of the time, which sat 58th in Division I. Even slight improvements on these numbers could see the Bulldogs become national title contenders.

“We have to kill possessions and clear the ball,” Shay said. “That’s what we didn’t do last year. Hopefully, we can have the ball more this year. We have to better off the ground and clearing.”

ENEMY LINES
WHAT RIVALS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

“I think there’s going to be an immense challenge for Andy just from a culture standpoint, but Andy’s the master of culture. From a talent standpoint, you can make the argument their attack is top-three in the country, if not better than that. It all starts with Brandau, and he’s for my money a Tewaaraton potential winner and he’s just a great player. He can score, he can feed. Then you put the two playmakers around him; Lyons can go off for seven or eight goals at any time, and then Johnson is outstanding. He’s a nice complement to those guys. They’re hard to defend and they put great athletic middies and shooters around them. We have a hard time defending them, and they’re one of the best offenses we’ve seen. Offensively, I think they’re as good as anybody. I do think they need to figure out defensively what their identity going to be. I know they like to press out and force you into playing fast. With all these moving pieces, is that the best thing to do? I don’t know, but I do think from an offensive standpoint, they have one of the best offenses in the country, and if they can get their defense up to par or in the same conversation with their offense, they’re a top-five team that can win a national championship.”

“Very good on attack. Very, very good on attack. You look at them and go, ‘Holy crap.’ There’s three guys who you have to really work to cover. I think if you can defend their attack, then you have a shot. That’s easier said than done.”

BEYOND THE BASICS
POWERED BY LACROSSE REFERENCE

In 2023, Chris Lyons’ assist rate was a telling indicator of his impact for Yale. While his shooting efficiency always remained high, it was during his peak efficiency stretch that his assist rate also climbed to the 65th percentile. During his least efficient stretch, he didn’t record an assist. In short, the best version of Lyons was a guy who was equally happy to score or take advantage of his gravity to find open teammates.

Lacrosse Reference Glossary