NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 10 Yale women's lacrosse team is on the road for a pair of critical games in a three-day span. The Bulldogs play at Cornell Saturday (3:30 p.m.,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats), and then head to Philadelphia for a neutral-site game vs. No. 12 Denver Monday (2:30 p.m.,
Pioneers All-Access,
Live Stats). Yale is all alone in first place in the Ivy League with a 5-0 record, one game ahead of No. 17 Princeton. The Bulldogs are also currently No. 2 in the NCAA's RPI rankings after peaking at No. 1 earlier.
Last Game
Yale (11-1, 5-0 Ivy League)
beat then-No. 22 Harvard 16-8 last Saturday. After Harvard grabbed an early 2-1 lead, Yale scored five straight goals from the 8:59 mark of the first quarter to the 13:07 mark of the second quarter. The Crimson never got closer than within three goals of the Bulldogs after that.
RPI and the Ivy League
Here are the Ivy League teams in the latest RPI rankings from the NCAA:
2. Yale
5. Penn
17. Princeton
20. Brown
27. Harvard
30. Dartmouth
40. Cornell
90. Columbia
The ACC, the Big 10 and the Ivy League are the only conferences with four or more teams ranked in the top 20 of the RPI.
Reversal of Fortune
So far this season the Bulldogs have played three teams that beat them in 2023. The Bulldogs have beaten all those teams this year. Here is the list:
| Opponent |
2023 Result |
2024 Result |
| UConn |
L, 10-11 OT |
W, 17-6 |
| Penn |
L, 6-16 |
W, 16-8 |
| Harvard |
L, 9-10 |
W, 16-8 |
| Cornell |
L, 12-14 |
? |
Defense Among Best in the Nation
Yale ranks second nationally in scoring defense (7.75 goals allowed per game). Michigan (6.27 goals allowed per game) leads the nation. Individually, Yale first-year goalkeeper
Laura O'Connor (Greenwich, Conn.) ranks third nationally in goals-against average (8.25). Michigan's Erin O'Grady is the NCAA leader at 5.91.
Vaughn Honored; Sister Rivalry Coming Up
Junior midfielder
Fallon Vaughn (Concord, Mass.) earned a pair of honors earlier this week for her role in Yale's 16-8 win vs. Harvard Saturday. She was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week (for the second week in a row) and IWLCA National Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Vaughn had a game-best five caused turnovers in the win. That total is tied for the most CTs in a game by an Ivy League player this season. She also had a team-best (tied) four draw controls and three ground balls. She scored two goals.
Vaughn will face her sister, former Bulldog captain
Payton Vaughn '23, when the Bulldogs play No. 12 Denver on Monday. Payton is playing for the Pioneers as a graduate student after playing for Yale from 2019 through 2023.
Ivy League Title History
With a win on Saturday, or a loss by No. 17 Princeton vs. Dartmouth, Yale would clinch at least a share of the 2024 Ivy League Championship. The Bulldogs have won the Ivy League title twice before:
- 1980 (4-0-2 in Ivy League play, shared title with Penn) (the first year the Ivy League awarded a women's lacrosse championship)
- 2003 (6-1 in Ivy League play, shared title with Dartmouth and Princeton)
The 2003 team clinched its share of the Ivy League title with an 11-5 win against Cornell Apr. 26, 2003 at Johnson Field.
Ivy League Tournament
With a win on Saturday, or a loss by Princeton vs. Dartmouth, Yale would clinch the No. 1 seed in the Ivy League Tournament. The No. 1 seed hosts the tournament, which includes semifinal games on Friday May 3 (4:00 p.m. No. 2 vs. No. 3 and 7:00 p.m. No. 1 vs. No. 4) and the championship game on Sunday May 5 (12:00 p.m.). All games are on ESPN+.
Scouting Cornell
Cornell (7-6, 2-3 Ivy League) has dropped three in a row. The Big Red is currently tied for fifth in the league with RV Brown, one game behind the two teams tied for third (No. 24 Harvard and No. 14 Penn).
Saturday Weather Forecast for Ithaca
From the
National Weather Service: A slight chance of showers after 11 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 54. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Scouting Denver
Denver (11-3, 4-0 Big East), which plays at Villanova Saturday, has won eight in a row since starting the season 3-3. The Pioneers have scored at least 20 goals in each of their last three games. Their roster includes former Yale attacker
Olivia Penoyer '23 and midfielder
Payton Vaughn '23. Penoyer leads the team in assists and points (22-36-58) and Vaughn is third on the team in ground balls (27).
Monday Weather Forecast for Philadelphia
From the
National Weather Service. Sunny, with a high near 64.
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