US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 on Dec. 17. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February.

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No. 3 Yale

2019 Record: 15-4 (5-1, Ivy League)
Coach: Andy Shay (17th year)
Assistants: Tom Compitello, Ed Williams, Colin Nesdale

All-Time Record: 381-318-1
NCAA Appearances: 10
Final Fours: 3
Championships: 1

2020 Schedule

* = neutral site

Save the Date
Feb. 22

There will be plenty to fight about in this early-season tilt, and it could be a warm-up for a postseason confrontation for the second straight year. Yale was the only team to beat the 16-2 Nittany Lions last season, doing so twice. The Bulldogs dismissed them in the semifinals. A splendid street fight it could be.

Yale Will Miss Former Midfield Fixtures

Yale coach Andy Shay means no disrespect to the remarkable Ben Reeves — arguably the greatest player in school history and one of the game’s best ever — or his Class of 2018 mates. But when Shay considers the ingredients that have gone into Yale’s ascension to elite status in recent years, he reserves special praise for the class of 2019.

That group included Jack Tigh, Joseph Sessa and John Danigellis. They represent the graduated first midfield unit of the Bulldogs and were three large contributors to their cause over four seasons. Along with notable performers such as attackman Brendan Rooney and long-stick midfielder Robert Mooney, the midfield trio was part of Yale’s heart and soul.

“That 11-man class [of 2019] was a collection of psychopaths, [in terms of] how much they wanted it. Some of those guys would crawl over broken glass to get to practice,” Shay said. “They were just a level of competitors that we hadn’t had. We had a generational player [in Reeves], but those guys just stirred the drink.”

If Yale is going to contend as expected for its second NCAA crown in three years and make its third straight appearance in the national title game, the Bulldogs will have to do some reinventing at midfield.

They’ve got a solid foundation in juniors Brian Tevlin and Christian Cropp and senior Lucas Cotler — last season’s strong, second midfield line. Shay might break up the unit and use one of those players to lead the rebuilt second line, as Yale repairs its depth at the position.

Tevlin (21 assists, 35 points), Cotler (26 points) and Cropp (11 points) bring a good blend to the mix.

Tevlin, a former attackman with high-level speed, skill and smarts, has been impossible to keep off the field since his first season. Cotler was excellent down the stretch last year. Shay said he has All-America potential. Cropp fought his way into the rotation with excellent scout team work. His dodging ability and confidence make him a tough cover.

But the Bulldogs will miss those former midfield fixtures.

Shay saluted Sessa’s toughness as a 5-foot-5 grinder. He tipped his cap to Danigellis for his ability to excel in the clutch. Of Tigh, who is tied for 10th in scoring in Yale history after graduating with 145 career points, Shay said, “You might not meet a kid with a bigger differential between his humility and his talent.”

Projected Starters

A – Matt Brandau – So. – 50 G, 24 A
A – Jackson Morrill – Sr. – 46 G, 48 A
A – Matt Gaudet – Sr. – 51 G, 2A
M – Brian Tevlin – Jr. – 14 G, 21 A
M – Lucas Cotler – Sr. – 16 G, 10 A
M – Christian Cropp – Jr. – 8 G, 3 A
FO – TD Ierlan – Sr. – 75.7 FO%, 293 GB
LSM – Will Weitzel – 11 CT, 22 GB
SSDM – Will Renz – Sr. – 4 CT, 11 GB
D – Chris Fake – Jr. – 13 CT, 26 GB
D – Aidan Hynes – Sr. – 24 CT, 30 GB
D – Bryce De Muth – Soph. – 4 CT, 6 GB
G – Jack Starr – Jr. – 11.52 GAA, 45.5 SV%

Tewaaraton Watch
TD Ierlan, FO, Sr.

Jackson Morrill certainly has the credentials, and Yale’s new first midfield will profit from his leadership and distributive ability, but no player in the country has more of an impact on his team’s success than Ierlan. He’ll own just about every NCAA faceoff record when all is said and done. A Tewaaraton finalist and the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2019, Ierlan will look to become the first specialist ever to win the award.

X Factor
Matt Brandau, A, So.

One month into his first season, after his six-goal, eight-point eruption in a win over Cornell, Brandau caused a major buzz. By the end of a 50-goal, 74-point season that included 12 goals in the NCAA tournament, the highest rookie scorer in school history looked like one of the game’s top young talents.

National Rankings

205

Points scored by senior attackman and team captain Jackson Morrill after three seasons. Morrill, who is coming off a 94-point year, needs 95 to become only the second player in school history to amass 300 career points. Sitting on top with 316 is Ben Reeves.

Enemy Lines

“Not as good, in my opinion.”

“New staff under Andy. TD is the best in the biz. They have a lot of returners and know what it takes.”