Yale wins NCAA tournament opener
NEW HAVEN — T.D. Ierlan set an NCAA tournament singlegame record with 31 faceoff wins while the Yale men’s lacrosse team held off a late Georgetown rally in a 19-16 victory on Saturday at Reese Stadium.
It was a successful first step in defending its national championship for Yale (13-3), which advances to the quarterfinals against the Penn/Army winner next Sunday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
Ierlan, a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player, was the difference for the Bulldogs. He went 31-for-35 on faceoffs for the game, consistently allowing Yale to control time of possession and limit opportunities for Georgetown, the Big East champions.
Three of Ierlan’s four faceoff losses came in the first period, and he went 21-for-22 over the final three quarters to finish one shy of the overall NCAA Division I single-game record of 32, set earlier this season by Hobart’s Matthew Pedicine.
Ierlan also won his 1,000th career faceoff in the game, becoming the fourth player in NCAA history to reach that plateau.
Yale was also aided by an historic first period in which it set the record for most goals in a period of an NCAA tournament game with nine. Six different players had goals as the Bulldogs raced to a lead of 7-0. Less than 10 minutes into the game, the lead was up to 9-1.
“If the game started around 2:45 p.m. (instead of 2:30), maybe things would have turned out a little different,” Georgetown coach Kevin Warne said.
The Hoyas, behind a brilliant eight-goal performance by senior Daniel Bucaro, would outscore Yale 15-10 over the game’s final 50 minutes. A run of four straight goals to end the first half and start the second cut the deficit to 12-9.
Goals by Yale’s Matt Brandau (four goals, assist) and Jack Ocken brang the lead back to five, but Georgetown closed to within 14-11 after three quarters.
Yale cemented the game with another blistering run to begin the fourth quarter. Brandau, playing against his fraternal twin brother, Georgetown goalie Chris Brandau, scored twice. Matt Gaudet (four goals) added the next two goals and Lucas Cotler (goal, four assists) another as the Bulldogs took a commanding 19-11 lead.
Still, the Hoyas wouldn’t back down. Bucaro had three more goals in the final 9:27 as Georgetown scored the game’s last five goals. The 16 goals allowed was a season high for Yale, which hadn’t given up more than 13 in a game prior to Saturday.
“Georgetown was incredibly tough today,” Yale coach Andy Shay said. “To be down 9-1 with (Ierlan) winning so many faceoffs is impressive. They matched us lock step.”