Yale was three minutes away from its first final four since 1990. Syracuse had other ideas. But this is no one-hit wonder.


on the Brink A


By Gary Lambrecht


ndy Shay, the no-nonsense coach who has spent the past decade rebuilding the Yale men’s lacrosse program, said the Bulldogs don’t talk about Syracuse. They don’t ponder what could have or should have been last May in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, when Yale stood on the doorstep of a major breakthrough and the Bulldogs needed just a few more minutes to make history. As the team gathered for its fall season in mid-September, Yale was too focused on the tasks at hand — getting into excellent physical condition, sharpening its command of schematic details, embracing its status as a program firmly on the rise — to wallow in the loss that caused sleep-deprived nights throughout the Bulldogs’ locker room last summer. “It’s kind of an unspoken focus around here. We don’t mention [Syracuse],” said Shay, referring to that ultra-painful 7-6 loss to the Orange in College Park, Md., where Yale, after building a 6-4 lead while holding Syracuse scoreless for 43 incredible minutes, cracked in the final three minutes. “We have experienced a couple of good years,” Shay added. “But we know it’s slippery, like sand going through your hands.”


52 LACROSSE MAGAZINE November 2013


Conrad Oberbeck >>


No one will allow the Bulldogs to sneak up on them anymore, not with the trajectory Yale is riding as the 2014 season approaches with all but two starters back from a team that won its first NCAA tournament game since 1992. The rebuilding project that Shay initiated 10 years ago is in full bloom. When Shay arrived in New Haven, the Bulldogs were an Ivy League afterthought, more than a decade removed from Yale’s Division I high-water mark — a 16-win season and a berth in


the NCAA final four in 1990. Back then, Princeton was building toward its reign of Ivy League dominance under former coach Bill Tierney, who would lead the Tigers to six NCAA titles. Cornell then unseated Princeton and became the league’s top dog.


But over the past five years, as exceptional Division I talent has spread out nationally, the Ivy League has turned into a competitive hornet’s nest. Yale, which played its first lacrosse game in 1882, is a prime example. With strong defense and a physical style as their calling cards, not to mention explosive scorers like Brandon Mangan and Conrad Oberbeck, the Bulldogs have won at least 10 games in each of the last four seasons. For the past two, Yale has gone through Princeton to win the Ivy League tournament and the resultant NCAA tournament bid. The Bulldogs have earned a reputation as a team with tough skin that thrives in contests that go down to the wire. Last year’s team was a study in poise, as it made a remarkable habit of spotting opponents early leads before chipping away and often coming back successfully. Syracuse, for example, scored the game’s first four goals before Yale went on a methodical six-goal run. “I’ve lost count of how many one-goal fights we’ve been in that could go either way,” said Oberbeck, who was second on the team last year with 36 goals and 44 points, second only to Mangan, who led Yale in goals (39) and assists (25). “That goes beyond talent. That’s grit. That’s belief in our teammates and trust in each other.” “We’re comfortable in a close-game environment,” said senior Dylan Levings, who as Yale’s superb faceoff specialist (59.7 percent) is a calming influence


A Publication of US Lacrosse


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