PHILADELPHIA – Returning back home for Alumni Day presented by The Study at University City, the #19 University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team has an important Ivy League matchup with #20 Yale Saturday at noon at Franklin Field.
 
The Quakers (3-4, 1-1 Ivy) look to get back on track after dropping an 18-12 final at #5 Cornell Sunday afternoon in Ithaca. The Bulldogs (3-3, 0-2 Ivy) have lost two straight games to open Ivy play, allowing 20 or more goals in each game.

GAME 8: #19/19 Penn (3-4, 1-1 Ivy) vs. #20/20 Yale (3-3, 0-2 Ivy)
Saturday, April 1 | Noon
Philadelphia, Pa. | Franklin Field
Watch (ESPN+, NBCSP) | Live Stats | Game Notes | Tickets
  
Alumni Day
*Saturday marks a special day for the Penn Men's Lacrosse Family, celebrating a pair of championships that mark the beginning of a new era for the program and launched the team on a new trajectory for years to come.
 
With special ceremonies during the game, Penn will honor the 1983 Ivy League Championship team, the first in program history. It will also honor the 1988 Ivy title-winning team, the same group that made the Quakers' first and only Final Four run, finishing that season as national semifinalists.
 
Looking To Gain Separation
*Another intriguing battle is set for Saturday afternoon featuring two teams desperate for an Ivy League victory. Penn fell to #5 Cornell, 18-12, its last time out on Sunday in Ithaca to fall to 1-1, while Yale couldn't find a way to score against Princeton in a 23-10 defeat on the road. The Bulldogs have lost back-to-back Ivy League contests for the first time since 2015. A loss for either team Saturday could mark the end of a run inside the Top 20 for both major national polls.
 
The Penn-Yale Series
*Saturday marks the 89th matchup all-time between Penn and Yale in men's lacrosse, another storied Ivy League rivalry. The two teams have seen a lot of each other in recent years, especially in the postseason. Two of the last three matchups dating back to the 2019 season have occurred in the Ivy League Tournament, most recently a 16-9 victory for the Quakers in the Ivy League Tournament final.
 
Penn has won three of the last five games against Yale and are playing the Bulldogs at Franklin Field for the first time since a 13-12 victory in triple-overtime. In that game, Penn took on Yale, which was the No. 2 team in the country at the time.
 
The Last Time Out
*Penn started off hot at #5 Cornell on Sunday afternoon in a national television game, leading 4-1 early in the first quarter before the Big Red made their run for the remainder of the contest, overtaking the fourth quarter for an 18-12 win in Ithaca.
 
Sam Handley once again paced Penn's offense with three goals and one assist for four points. Two goals were recorded for the likes of Tynan Walsh, James Shipley and Hugh Mullane.
 
On defense, Peter Blake finished with a team-leading three caused turnovers with a team-high six ground balls for Brendan Lavelle.
 
Backed By Blake
*Senior captain Blake has become one of the Quakers' strongest options on the defensive side of the ball this season. Against Cornell, Blake had three caused turnovers to lead the team including a highlight-reel helicopter check, which sent shockwaves on social media through the likes of USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse.
 
Blake has worked his magic on defense through seven games, currently second on the team with five caused turnovers this season, just behind teammate Ethan Till (7).
 
Sending Out An S.O.S.
Yale and Penn might be the two most battle-tested teams in the country heading into Saturday's matchup. Yale is ranked first in strength of schedule, while Penn clocks in second in that category.
 
Princeton is the only other Ivy League team ranked inside the Top 10 in 10th, followed by Cornell (#11), Harvard (#16), Brown (#22) and Dartmouth (#52). 
 
The Baker's Dozen
*Penn is 1-0 when scoring more than 13 goals itself this season. The Quakers beat Saint Joseph's 13-12 in OT earlier this year.
 
On the contrary, the more the Quakers can keep an opponent out of goal 13 or more times a game, the better. Penn is 0-3 when allowing 13 or more goals against a team this season, including 0-1 in Ivy play after an 18-12 loss to Cornell on Sunday.
 
Sam's The Man
*Handley has become the focal point for the Quakers on offense this season. He leads the team with 14 goals, adding a team-high 12 assists and leads Penn with 26 points. He scored a hat trick for the second straight game with three goals and an assist in last week's loss at Cornell.
 
In addition, Handley is beginning to make his way up the Penn record book in several career-stat categories including points (7th, 165), goals (10th, 88) and assists (T-6th, 77). 
 
Keeping The Streak Alive
*Handley increased his point-scoring streak to 40 straight games with his three goals and an assist at Cornell. That number is good for fifth nationally. Handley has at least one point in every game he has played for Penn during his career.
 
Ranked Opponents
*Saturday's matchup will feature Penn's eighth-straight ranked opponent during 2023 season. All eight teams have been ranked inside the Top 20 with four inside the Top 10 (Duke, Penn State, Cornell and Yale). Yale is currently ranked #20 by USILA heading into the weekend with a 3-3 overall record, dropping a pair of Ivy contests to open the season. The Bulldogs have given up 20 or more goals in both Ivy matchups so far against Cornell (20-10) and Princeton (23-10).

Penn In National Stats
*1st in clearing percentage (.939).
*3rd in fewest turnovers per game (13.57).
 
Penn Players In National Stats
*Emmet Carroll is currently ninth in the nation for saves per game (13.86) and 16th in the nation for save percentage (.539).
 
*Ben Smith ranks 13th in shot percentage (.476).
 
Penn In Ivy Stats
*The Quakers rank first amongst Ivy opponents in clearing percentage (.939) and first in fewest turnovers per game (13.57) heading into Saturday. Penn is third in scoring defense (11.86).
 
Penn Players In National Stats
*Ben Smith is second in the Ivy in individual man-up goals (3). Smith leads the league in shot percentage (.476).
 
*Carroll is third among Ivy goaltenders in save percentage (.539), saves per game (13.86) and fourth in goals against average (11.72).
 
*Handley is ranked third in assists per game (1.71).
  
Scouting The Bulldogs
*Yale enters the game with a 3-3 record and has lost two games in a row to Ivy opponents (Cornell and Princeton).
 
*The Bulldogs opened the season with a 20-14 victory over Villanova and followed that up with two wins over UMass (18-9) and Denver (11-9). Yale gave up more than 20 goals in two straight Ivy League games, falling to Cornell, 20-10 before a 23-10 loss at Princeton last weekend.
 
*Chris Lyons has 25 goals to his name this season to lead the team, followed by Matt Brandau's 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. The two of them control most of the team's offense, while Leo Johnson has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points.
 
*On defense, Jack Stuzin leads Yale with eight caused turnovers, while Jack Monfort and Michael Alexander have six apiece.
 
*Between the pipes, Jared Paquette has made 89 saves in six games with a save percentage of .506 and a GAA of 14.60.
 
Follow The Action
*Saturday's game will air regionally on NBC Sports Philadelphia and will stream live on ESPN+ with Joe Tordy (PxP) and George Corrigan (Analyst) on the play-by-play call. Live stats will also be provided.