It’s not just the freshmen with minimal college experience. The class that enrolled in the fall of 2020 didn’t have the chance to play last season, and the Bulldogs played in only four games in 2020 before the pandemic ended the season.
But they’ve also been needed. Some, like Leo Johnson (19 goals, five assists), seemed likely to contribute immediately. But Chris Lyons was plugged into the lineup after four games as Yale sought to add a player who effectively carries the ball into the mix.
Lyons has responded with 15 goals and three assists in the last four games, including a six-goal outburst against Boston U. Throw in Brad Sharp (seven goals, eight assists), and three of the Bulldogs’ top four point-getters are first-year players entering Saturday’s trip to Dartmouth.
“The fact is those guys are really young, and our first and second midfield lines have a lot of freshmen on there as well because of injuries and other things,” Shay said. “I think it’s a testament to our older guys that are on the field or not on the field, that they’ve been able to help these guys work through it.”
Shay is optimistic there will be some additional help coming in the second half of the season. Midfielder Christian Cropp has only played in two games because of injury and is considered week to week. But there’s no getting around how much the Bulldogs will lean on guys navigating their first full Division I season.
They’ve all heard the stories from the guys who fueled Yale’s rise — but there’s also no substitute for the experience the Bulldogs have gathered over the last month and a half.
“To a certain extent, I think it helped a great deal,” Shay said of the alumni Zooms. “In some ways, it might have hurt. I think our guys maybe felt pressure to do exactly what those guys did. We’ve come from behind in some games and been down in a few and shown some mental toughness. I think we’re growing up as the year has gone on. I’m pleased with how it’s worked out, but it’s definitely something we’ve had to figure out on the fly.”