New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Ierlan, Yale take down 2nd-ranked Penn State
NEW HAVEN — The benefit of the best faceoff specialist in NCAA men’s lacrosse history joining its program paid off quickly for Yale.
T.D. Ierlan, in his second game at Yale since transferring from Albany, turned in a dominating performance to lead the No. 6 Bulldogs to a 14-13 victory over No. 2 Penn State before a crowd of 1,980 on Saturday afternoon at Reese Stadium.
The numbers spoke for themselves. Ierlan won 25-of-31 faceoffs, an 81 percent success rate that falls slightly ahead of the pace he set in breaking the Division I-record last spring.
What makes the performance so impressive is that it came mostly against Penn State’s Gerard Arceri, who entered the game leading the nation with a .796 win percentage and is widely considered second only to Ierlan amongst the country’s faceoff specialists. Things got so out of hand the Nittany Lions began running out Nick McEvoy as a change of pace to keep Ierlan on his toes.
It didn’t work. Ierlan, a junior from Victor, New York, made mincemeat of both. Among his memorable draws was a 44-second standoff and eventual win against Arceri to begin the second half that brought the Yale bench and the large crowd to its feel.
Minutes later, Ierlan won a draw, rushed in and scored to give Yale an 8-7 lead it would never relinquish.
And when Penn State (3-1), down by five goals early in the fourth quarter, closed to within one with 55 seconds remaining, Ierlan calmly took yet another win that helped deliver the Bulldogs (1-1) an impressive early-season victory.
“I thought if we could get 50-50 (on faceoffs), I think both coaches would have asked for that in this matchup because they’re both incredible faceoff guys,” Yale coach Andy Shay said. “What T.D. did today was ridiculous. He was diligent in his preparation this week and I’m proud of him.”
Possession would be crucial against Penn State, which boasts perhaps the most dangerous offensive attack in the nation. The Nittany Lions were averaging 20 goals per game with an average margin of victory of 13, including a 10-goal win over Villanova, which upset Yale a week earlier in New Haven.
Penn State had crushed the competition in every phase of the game. Grant Ament was leading the nation in assists per game. Goalie Colby Kneese was first in goals-against average and save percentage. Arceri was tops in faceoff percentage.
“They’re terrifying personnel,” Shay said.
Yale clamped down defensively, keeping Penn State in check for large swaths of the game, while its offense got back to the things that helped it win a national championship last May.
Jackson Morrill finished with two goals and five assists while Brendan Rooney and Matt Gaudet had three goals each. A run of six of seven goals by the Bulldogs after Penn State tied the game at 7-7 put the game seemingly out of reach.
“I thought we moved the ball well,” Morrill said. “When we’re stagnant is when we really struggle. I hope we can become one of the better ball-movement teams in the country. Some of the goals they scored today is stuff we like to do. We had a bunch of them today, it was much better than last week.”
Penn State, trailing 13-8, made a final push that kept the outcome in limbo until the final horn. Ament (two goals, seven assists) led a charge that cut Yale’s lead to 14-13 after he scored with 55 seconds remaining.
The final faceoff would be crucial. It was hardly in doubt. Ierlan won the draw, allowing Yale to run out the clock.
“I’m part of the defense but the whole team is, too,” Ierlan said. “When the offense is clicking and possessing the ball and canning our shots then it’s hard for them to get in a groove offensively. It kind of wears them down. The whole team being in synch really helps our defense.”