Providence, R.I. – #18 Brown opens up its 2015 Ivy League season on Saturday, March 14, hosting #10 Harvard at Stevenson Field, starting at 3 pm. Expect an old-fashioned offensive shootout, with the Bears coming in as the nation’s highest scoring team after scoring 22 goals vs. Michigan, and the Crimson having scored 20 goals in its last game against Holy Cross. Follow all the action on the Ivy League Digital Network with Mike Rubin calling the play and Mike Mancuso providing the analysis.
The Bears: Off to its best start since 2004, #18/19 Brown extended its record to 4-0 with a 22-12 win over Michigan on Sunday. Dylan Molloy ’17 was named the USILA and Ivy Player of the Week after tying the school record for points in a game with a career high eight goals and five assists for 13 points.
Watch Live: Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on BrownBears.TV as part of the Ivy League Digital Network. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing yearly, monthly, weekly or daily packages.
Did you Know?: The Bears rank number one in the country in scoring with 18.5 goals per game…Brown is competing in its 65th season of intercollegiate lacrosse…Brown’s February 21st game vs. Quinnipiac is tied for the earliest start date ever for Brown lacrosse. The Bears also opened the 2009 season at Lehigh on February 21st…Stevenson Field sported a new 30-second shot clock, but a stall warning was never issued by the officials in the Bears’ win over Quinnipiac.
The Crimson: #10 Harvard extended its record to 4-1 overall with a 20-9 win over Holy Cross with Devin Dwyer matching the school record for points with four goals and eight assists. The Crimson has also earned wins over UMass (14-13), Quinnipiac (17-12) and Penn State (12-9), while losing to #6 Duke (21-14).
The Brown-Harvard Series Record: Brown and Harvard have met 64 times, dating back to 1925, with the Crimson holding a narrow 33-31 series advantage. Last year, Harvard came away with a 16-10 win over the Bears in Boston, Mass. In 2013, coach Lars Tiffany's squad out-scored Harvard, 4-0, in the fourth quarter to earn a 11-9 win over the Crimson in Providence, RI, behind Jack Kelly’s 15 saves.
Molloy Leads Nation In Scoring/Named USILA and Ivy Player of the Week: Sophomore attackman Dylan Molloy (Setauket, NY) leads the nation in both goals (6.5 gpg) and points (8.25 ppg). Molloy was named the USILA and Ivy League Player of the Week after matching the Brown school record for points in a game (13) by scoring a career high eight goals and dishing out five assists in the Bears’ 22-12 win over Michigan. He tied the Brown record of 13 points, held by USILA Player of the Year Darren Lowe ‘92 against Boston College in 1991, and All-American Oliver Marti ‘93 vs. New Hampshire in 1993. He also registered six goals in 30 minutes vs. Hartford. Molloy scored a then career-high seven goals and handed out two assists in the Bears’ win over UMass. Molloy picked up where he left off a year ago, scoring five goals in Brown’s season-opening win over Quinnipiac. Last year, the honorable mention All-Ivy selection and four-time Ivy Rookie of the Week led the Bears and ranked sixth in the Ivy League with 29 goals, while adding 10 assists and 37 ground balls.
Kelly – 7th Nationally In Save Percentage: Junior goalie Jack Kelly (West Islip, NY), a tri-captain for the Bears, had 14 saves vs. Michigan and made eight saves, while allowing just one goal in 30-minutes of play vs. Hartford. He was superb in Brown’s season debut, making his 15 saves in just over three quarters of play, exiting early in the fourth quarter. His save percentage of .616 ranks seventh in the nation, while his goals against average (8.70) is seventeenth nationally. Last year, Kelly led the Ivy League and ranked ninth in the nation in saves per game (11.21), and ranked 15th nationally in save percentage (.547).
Gural 9th Nationally In Face-offs: Junior face-off specialist Will Gural (Haverford, PA) ranks ninth in the nation in face-off percentage at .615 after winning 21-of-34 face-offs against Michigan. He
earned the starting nod in the face-off x and dominated Quinnipiac by winning 15-of-19 face-offs. Gural came back with a strong performance against UMass, winning 19-of-30 face-offs.
Blynn Returns: Bears’ junior attackman Henry Blynn (Villanova, PA) returned to the lineup after a year’s absence due to injury and scored just 17 seconds into Brown’s win over Quinnipiac. Blynn, who ranks 30th nationally in scoring (2.5 goals per game), has scored four goals twice this season – in wins over Michigan and UMass. He added a goal and three assists vs. Hartford. Blynn led the Brown team in scoring as a freshman in 2013 with 35 points (27 goals, 8 assists), and scored five goals in back-to-back games against High Point and North Carolina.
Bellistri On The Attack: Junior Kylor Bellistri (Potomac, MD), Brown’s third leading scorer with 11 points (9 goals, 2 assists), scored four goals in the Bears’ win over Michigan. He scored three goals and handed out two assists vs. UMass after netting two goals in Brown’s season opening win over Quinnipiac. He is equally adept at scoring from the outside or in tight, and ranked third on the 2014 Brown team with 31 points (20 goals and 11 assists).
Defensive Unit: Brown’s defense returns two starters from a year ago. Sophomore defenseman Alec Tulett (Toronto, Canada) emerged as a starter a year ago and is equally effective as a close defenseman or long-stick midfielder. He currently ranks second on the Brown team with 21 ground balls, 29th nationally. Senior tri-captain Will Swindell (Greenwich, CT) started seven games last season and plays a key role in Brown’s clearing game and communicating the slides. He currently ranks 12th nationally with 1.75 caused turnovers per game. Senior Stephen Loudon (Babylon, NY), who also plays football at Brown, has also emerged as a starter at close defense for the Bears.
Kemp Among Nation’s Leaders In Caused Turnovers: Sophomore defenseman Larken Kemp (Greenwich, CT) leads the Bears and ranks 13th nationally in ground balls (6.67), and is averaging 2.67 caused turnovers per game for the Bears, second best in the nation. Kemp had five ground balls and four caused turnovers vs. Michigan. He picked up eight ground balls and caused two turnovers vs. UMass, and played a key role in Brown’s fast-paced attack with two goals against Quinnipiac.
Piroli Back In The Lineup: Senior attackman Nick Piroli (Black River, NY) missed all of last season due to injury and responded with two goals and two assists for the Bears against Quinnipiac. He also had a goal and an assist vs. UMass. Piroli was one of the top first year players in the nation as a freshman with 23 goals and a .442 shooting percentage that ranked 18th nationally. Piroli, who came into the season with 39 career goals for the Bears, will see action both on attack and in the midfield.
Head Coach Lars Tiffany: Lars Tiffany '90, a two-time Brown lacrosse captain, returned to his alma mater as head men's lacrosse coach in the summer of 2006, and has returned the program to national prominence with Ivy League titles in 2008 and 2010, and an NCAA Championship berth in 2009. Tiffany was named the New England Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009 while leading his team to the number one ranking in New England each year. Tiffany occupies the Rothman Head Coaching Chair for Men’s Lacrosse, an endowed position.
Next Game: Brown is home for a midweek game against Bucknell on St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17. Face-off is 4 pm at Stevenson Field.
Purchase Brown Tickets: Tickets for all Brown men's lacrosse home games can be purchased online at brownbears.com, calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or walking up to the Box Office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
2015 Brown Lacrosse Schedule
2/21 Sat. Quinnipiac 17-6, W
2/28 Sat. at UMass 18-12, W
3/4 Wed. at Hartford 17-8, W
3/8 Sun at Michigan 22-12, W
3/14 Sat Harvard 3:00 pm (ILDN)
3/17 Tue. Bucknell 4:00 pm (ILDN)
3/21 Sat. Manhattan 1:00 pm (ILDN)
3/24 Tue. Marist 7:00 pm (ILDN)
3/29 Sun. at Princeton 11:00 am (ESPNU)
4/4 Sat. Pennsylvania 3:00 pm (ILDN)
4/11 Sat. at Yale 12:30 pm (ILDN)
4/14 Tue. at Providence 7:00 pm
4/18 Sat. Cornell 1:00 pm (ILDN)
4/21 Tue. at Bryant 7:00 pm (NEC Front Row)
4/25 Sat. at Dartmouth 1:00 pm (ILDN)
5/1 Fri.- Ivy League Tournament - Semifinals at #1 seed
5/3 Sun. Ivy League Tournament – Finals at #1 seed
5/9 Sat. NCAA First Round Playoffs - Higher Seed
5/10 Sun. NCAA First Round Playoffs - Higher Seed
5/16 Sat. NCAA Quarterfinals
Navy / Denver
5/17 Sun. NCAA Quarterfinals
Navy / Denver
5/23 Sat. NCAA Semifinals
Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Fin. Field
5/25 Mon. NCAA Championship
Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Fin. Field