On Saturday, April 25, Jordan Field was electrified by the attendance of more than 2,400 fans as the No. 12 Men’s Lacrosse team upset the No. 3 Princeton Tigers. Alumni, fans and families were there to celebrate the team’s 2020, 2021 and 2022 senior classes, and the energy they brought was essential to the team’s victory. The win catapulted Harvard to a five-way tie with Yale, Brown, Princeton and Cornell for first place in the Ivy League and set the stage for a deciding game against the Bulldogs this coming weekend. This will be the final contest of the regular season, a clash between two historic rivals with massive title implications.

“It’s an epic rivalry in every sport in Division I athletics. Coming down there, it could also be their senior day. I think it’s just another chance to improve, another chance to compete and maybe give us a chance to keep playing,” said head coach Gerry Byrne.

Of the Ancient Eight lacrosse teams, all but Dartmouth rank in the top 20 of Division I. This upcoming game weekend will determine which four teams qualify for the Ivy League tournament to determine the champion of the conference. The qualification process will be an uphill battle that comes down not just to the win-loss percentage, but the quality of those wins, the timing of the wins, as well as a number of other statistical factors. There is no clear number one team in the league, with each program making a run at different times throughout the season.

On Saturday, Harvard scored first on a goal by freshman midfielder Owen Gaffney, who rolled down the left aisle before burying it in the back of the net. The first quarter saw the two teams go head-to-head, and at the final whistle, Princeton were leading 5-4. Princeton gained momentum early in the second, scoring four straight to give them a 9-4 lead. However, the Crimson took the lead, gathering momentum with goals from freshman midfielder Miles Botkiss to break up the run, and junior defensive midfielder Bryn Evans.

Harvard performed well in its sets at both ends. The offense, led by its trio of forwards – senior Austin Madronic, junior Hayden Cheek and freshman Sam King – spread well, used space and played patiently, not forcing their shots or flows at the middle.

“We played with confidence. We went into this game knowing that if we played our game the right way, we were going to come out with a voiceover. And that’s exactly what we did. So we executed our game plan,” Botkiss noted.

The middies had a big impact on attacking movement, and a number of players stepped up their hard-hitting plays in crucial moments. Byrne stressed that the key to the team’s success was the cohesion of young players alongside veterans. It was clear in midfield, with first years Andrew Perry and Lucas Hillsenrath working alongside players like junior Isaiah Dawson and senior Charlie Olmert to facilitate the movement of the ball from the top.

“We had a lot of players who stepped up and made big plays when we needed them today, and in the last two tough games we didn’t make big plays when we needed them. Guys like Lucas Hillsenrath were huge in the fourth quarter. [He] didn’t shoot the whole game and then… sealed the game with a winning goal,” Olmert said. “It was emblematic of the whole game, with the guys stepping up and making plays when called upon.”

On the other side of the field, the defense, which showcased the communication of first years Tommy Martinson and Collin Bergstrom, as well as junior Chase Strupp, played one of its strongest games of the season. The unit spoke well on rotations on the man down and had confidence knocking out 23 of 26 holds. Freshman Ray Dearth and junior Chase Yager were instrumental in clearing the ball in midfield and played well in their one-on-one clashes.

“I think this game our defense played well as a cohesive unit and our communication was on point; we excelled in our man-down game,” noted freshman LSM Vince Cresci. “After getting saves, we were able to push the transition through our d-middies, which gave us tons of opportunities to push the fast break and get the attack going early.”

Senior goaltender Kyle Mullin put in another outstanding performance, saving 18 shots at a 53% rate, many of which were doorstep diving plays. He also led clearance attempts, facilitating low and long bomb outs in midfield. His leadership was needed to overturn the second quarter deficit, and a few clutch saves from the senior indeed turned the tide.

Another senior who had a good last game against Jordan was FOGO Steven Cuccurullo, who had one of his best performances of the season, winning 15 of 28 faceoffs. His tightness was consistent and he was able to distribute it to the wings to make big plays in the scrum. FOGO senior Kyle Massimilian also came into the clutch, winning three for eight.
“Really great rebound for the face-off unit. A lot of guys got on the wing. [Sophomore LSM Greg Campisi] played well as always and [Cresci] stepped up and made some really good plays in his first game, which was awesome,” Cuccurullo said.

Cuccurullo had chemistry with wingers like Campisi and first-year midfielder Andrew O’Berry, who played both ways in the game. Campisi looked strong in midfield, showing off his crafty backhand passes and one-handed ground balls, as well as LSM junior Ollie Hollo, who beat his Princeton midfielder with a fine check to the fifty.

“We did very well on ground balls. We started defending better on one side of the pitch and the attack caught the eye all day. Everything kind of fell into place today, it was great to see,” said Campisi.

The third quarter was an uphill battle and Harvard was able to regain Princeton’s lead to just one goal, 12-11. The Crimsons, cheered on by the 400 rowdy alumni who came out to celebrate the team, sped the game up in the final fifteen minutes to claim a 19-16 victory. When asked how the presence of the fans had pushed the game to the limit, players Campisi, King, Olmert and head coach Byrne all pointed out that they had had a tangible impact on the energy of the team when they came back in the second half.

“There was the intersection of a great day, with 400 alumni, honoring our current seniors and our former seniors…I think the reckoning of it all makes you bring in an extra level of effort and energy,” Byrne commented.

Campisi underscored that statement saying, “When you have the crowd packed, you have all the boys at one end of the field…it gives you a little boost in the back, a little extra energy to make all the plays that matter. ”

It’s all to play for in the team’s final game of the season on Saturday, April 30. The game against Yale, which takes place at Reese Stadium in New Haven, Conn. at 2 p.m., will help determine Harvard’s playoff fate. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Said Campisi: “We know we can win any game…against anyone, we just have to play our game. We have to make all the little plays that lead to the big plays. It starts with every man on the list, from bottom to top.

– Editor Katharine Forst can be reached at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @Forst_THC.