Men’s Lacrosse Series Battle RV/No. 14 Princeton this Saturday

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Harvard men’s lacrosse hits the road this weekend, heading south to New Jersey for the final road contest of the regular season. The Crimson (5-5, 2-2 Ivy) will battle the RV. 14 Princeton Tigers (5-5, 3-1 Ivy), hoping to win the title to solidify their position in the Ivy League and secure a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.

After Penn had its winning streak snapped last weekend, the Crimson’s record fell to 5-5 and 2-2 in the Ivy League, tied for fourth in the standings with two league games remaining.

Quick hits

• Harvard lost to Penn 15-9 last Saturday. Crimson got a hat trick Nick Loring and three more points Sam Kingbut it wasn’t enough to knock off the No. 18 Quakers, who claimed their third straight Ivy League victory.
• The Crimson is in fourth place in the Ivy League, one game ahead of Yale and two ahead of Brown and Dartmouth for the final spot in the Ivy League.
• Sam King leads the team in points (45), goals (23) and assists (22) this season.
• King has scored a point in every game of his college career, giving him an active 23-game hitting streak. King also extended his scoring streak to 14 games and his multi-point streak to 13 games.
• Harvard’s offense is currently the fourth-best in the nation, allowing opponents to get away with just 78.5 percent.
• The Crimson is also the fifth best team in the country in causing turnovers, averaging 10.3 per contest.
• Harvard has also hit the ground hard, grabbing 35.5 ground balls per game to be 13^th in the nation and second in the Ivy League.
• by Sam King 2.9 ground balls per game is the fourth best mark in the country among forwards.
• Sam King leads the Ivy League in assists this season with 22.
• Greg Campisi and Chase Yager are fifth in the Ivy League with 1.20 turnovers per game. Yager has the second most CTs per game among SSDMs and Campisi is Fifth among LSMs.

Matchups

Renewed competition

The Crimson and the Tigers will renew a nearly 150-year-old rivalry this Saturday in what will be Game No. 88 of the series. The Crimson had a significant advantage in the series early before Princeton took control, now holding a 61-25-1 series lead over the Northern foe. The series has been evenly matched over the last five years, with the Crimson taking two of the last five games.

Last season, Harvard knocked off the then-No. 3 Tigers in a thrilling 19-16 win at Jordan Field. There was a five-point win in that game Sam Kingstarting with four-point tours Owen Gaffney, Miles Botkiss and Andrew Perry and three point day starting Hayden Cheek.

Tiger patrol

Princeton enters the contest with the same record as the Crimson, even at 5-5, which includes a 3-1 Ivy League mark. Princeton has been featured in national polls all season and is currently ranked No. 14 in the USILA poll while receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse media poll. After starting the season with a pair of wins, the Tigers suffered a four-game losing streak, all against ranked opponents. The team has since rebounded with three wins sandwiched between a non-conference loss to Syracuse on the team’s Ivy League bye week.

Ranked No. 18 in the NCAA RPI, it has one of the nation’s most efficient offenses, with the third-most steals per game (9.2), fourth-lowest turnover rate (13.5 per game) and seventh-best man offense. (.500) in the country. The team is most vulnerable on the defensive end, where it ranks near the bottom of the Ivy League in opponent field goal percentage, ground ball and man defense. Despite these factors, the Tigers have held their opponents to just 11 goals per game.

Notes and stories

The keys to victory

Ground balls, caused turnovers and second-chance shots continue to be the key to the Crimson’s victories this season. In its five wins, Harvard has managed more than 50 percent of the field and has caused turnovers on more than 30 percent of its opponents’ possessions. Additionally, in all but one of its wins, Harvard has averaged more than one shot per possession and has utilized more of its second-chance scoring opportunities.

Defensive efficiency has also been crucial to Harvard’s success. In four of their five wins, the Crimson’s defense is 75 percent or better.

Harnessing the chaos

Harvard’s defense will face one of the most potent offenses in the country this weekend in the Princeton Tigers. Harvard causes the most turnovers per game (10.3), while Princeton only turns the ball over 13.5 times per game. The Crimson will need to capitalize on the opportunities it creates against the Tigers, as Princeton allows the league’s highest field goal percentage and has struggled in man downs, allowing opponents to score at 51 percent.

Be quick, but don’t rush

Crimson offense led by offensive coordinator Neil Hutchinson, displays one of the fastest offenses in the country, averaging 26.1 seconds of possession when scoring. That pace ranks eighth in the nation, according to the Lacrosse Reference. Harvard is one of the most efficient teams in the country in possessions under 30 seconds, making 23.8 percent of possessions.

The Crimson has also been accurate on its first possession, shooting 27.1 percent on its first shot when it moves into the offensive zone.

Scary in transition

One of its most improved areas of play since a season ago, Harvard has been one of the best clearing and riding teams in the country this season. Harvard has been successful in transition at an .886 clip in 2023, but has run the ball 92 percent in five wins.

On the defensive side of the field, Harvard is forcing turnovers at an alarming rate, torturing opposing midfielders, who have finished fifth-worst in the nation at 79 percent. The Harvard charge forced five or more fumbles in all but two games this season. Against Dartmouth, the Big Green went just 18-of-30, giving Harvard its most misses since at least 2011.

Sharing is caring

The key to Harvard’s offensive efficiency has been its creative and accurate passing game. The Crimson’s assists per game total of 8.00 ranks third in the Ivy League and ranks 15th in the nation. Harvard has assisted on 80 of their 128 goals in 2023, giving them a 63 percent assist percentage, the highest total in the Ivy League and among the best in the nation.

Sam King leads the passing offense with 2.20 assists per game, ranking first in the Ivy League and 12th in the nation overall. Owen Gaffney He also averages 1.00 assists per contest, which ranks him 12th in the Ivy League.

Iron sharpens iron

Harvard’s schedule is ranked 10th by lacrosse-reference, having played eight opponents ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA RPI. The Crimson’s schedule only gets tougher with two more top-15 teams coming up against them.

Using the bench

Averaging nearly 27 participants per contest, Harvard owns one of the deepest rosters in the nation, according to Lacrosse Reference. The depth of the Crimson shows in its stat sheet as the team has nine players with 10+ points or 5+ goals, 10 players with 5+ caused turnovers and 13 players with 10+ ground balls.

Next

The Crimson will close out their 2023 regular season with a game against the Yale Bulldogs. The bitter rivals meet at 12:00 p.m. next Saturday, April 29 at 12:00 p.m. at Jordan Field and on ESPN+.