WASHINGTON – Making its second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, Georgetown University's No. 13/13 men's lacrosse team travels to face the defending national champion No. 3/4 Yale in the first round on Saturday in New Haven, Connecticut. The Hoyas earned an automatic berth in the tournament with their second-straight BIG EAST Championship while the Bulldogs were the Ivy League runners-up, falling to Penn in the title game.
Saturday's game is set for a 2:30 p.m. opening faceoff and will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Chris Cotter calling the action and Paul Carcaterra and Mike Golic Jr. providing commentary.
The Hoyas are making their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the second-straight after an 11-year hiatus. Georgetown has posted a 10-12 overall record in the event, advancing to the quarterfinals nine times and to the semifinals once in 1999.
Georgetown punched its ticket to the draw with a 12-9 victory over Denver in the BIG EAST Championship.
Lucas Wittenberg (Kennesaw, Ga. / Harrison / Mercer) was named the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player while
Jake Carraway (Annapolis, Md. / St. Mary's),
Gibson Smith (Pelham, N.Y. / Pelham Memorial) and
Chris Brandau (Timonium, Md. / Boys' Latin) were all named to the All-Tournament Team.
Daniel Bucaro (East Setauket, N.Y. / Ward Melville) led the Hoyas (13-4) with four goals and an assist against the Pioneers to become the program's all-time leader in career goals with 145. Carraway added two goals and two assists, tying Bucaro for the single season mark in goals with 53. Wittenberg also had two goals and two assists while
Austin McDonald (Olney, Md. / Georgetown Prep) found the back of the net twice.
Defensively, Brandau collected 15 saves between the pipes in his first career start in goal. Smith added three caused turnovers and a team-high seven ground balls.
Carraway leads the Hoyas with 83 points (53G, 30A) while Bucaro is right behind him with 78 points (53G, 25A). Wittenberg is third on the team with 58 points (23G, 35A) and his 35 assists are the second most in a single season in Georgetown history.
Robert Clark (Cooksville, Md. / McDonogh) has 44 points (31G, 13A) while
Massimo Bucci (Ithaca, N.Y. / IMG Academy) and
Declan McDermott (Pleasantville, N.Y. / Pleasantville) have 25 points each.
Dylan Watson (Guelph, Ontario / The Hill Academy) adds 22 points and McDonald rounds out those in double figures with 12 points.
Defensively, Smith has been credited with 29 caused turnovers and
Patrick Aslanian (Westfield, N.J. / Westfield) has 26.
Joe LiCalzi (Rockville Centre, N.Y. / South Side) has 14,
Alex Mazzone (Stony Brook, N.Y. / Ward Melville) has 12,
Stephen MacLeod (San Francisco, Calif. / St. Ignatius) chips in 11 and
Zachary Geddes (Winchester, Mass. / Belmont Hill / Philips Andover) has 10.
Smith leads the way with 96 ground balls, the third most in a season at Georgetown by a non-faceoff specialist, while
James Reilly (Berwyn, Pa. / Conestoga) is right behind him with 95 and has won 203 of 401 (.506) faceoff attempts. Reilly is just the second Hoya to eclipse 200 faceoff wins in a season and holds the record for most attempts in a season.
In goal, Brandau has posted a 3-0 record, including both wins at the BIG EAST Championship. He has hauled in 34 saves and owns a 6.89 goals-against average and a .630 save percentage in eight games this season.
Yale is led by TD Ierlan, the Ivy League Player of the Year and a Tewaaraton Award nominee. He has won 294 of 381 (.771) faceoffs and hauled in 214 ground balls to go with six goals and three assists. Jackson Morrill, the younger brother of Georgetown alum
Zeke Morrill (B'18), is also a Tewaaraton Award Nominee and has posted 36 goals and 40 assists for 76 points. Matt Brandau, twin brother of GU's goalie Chris, has 52 points (35G, 17A), Matt Gaudet chips in 42 points (40G, 2A) and Jack Tigh adds 39 points (24G, 15A). Four other Bulldogs have at least 20 points on the season.
In goal, Jack Starr boasts an 11-3 record and has a .485 save percentage and a 10.24 GAA, having played in all 15 games for Yale.
Georgetown and Yale have not squared off on the lacrosse field since 2011, a 13-8 Bulldog victory. The two teams played every season from 1984-91, with Yale claiming all eight victories in that span.
The winner of Saturday's game will move on to face the winner of the Penn/Army game on Sunday, May 19 in the NCAA Quarterfinals in East Hartford, Connecticut.
