11-8 Yale; 5:46 in the 4th

• Matt Scanlon helps out on the faceoff and settles the ball in the offensive end. Spencer burns a timeout to talk things over and sub in the offense.
• Baxter takes over on a dodge from X, and he buries it on a bounce shot. Two in a row for Baxter and for the Stags. Has the tide turned? 11-8 Yale with 6:10 to go in regulation.
• Boudreau bounce shot on a sweep is saved. Yale moves the all up field, but fails to advance.
• Todd Baxter finishes a fastbreak. Chris Ajemian found him and gets credit for the assist. Fantastic job by Travis Nelson to start the ground ball, and an equally as impressive effort from Baxter to stay out of the crease. 11-7 Yale with 8:00 to play.
• Devilbiss takes a shot, but it knocks off Yale defenseman Rob Grimm's leg. More shaky shots from Fairfield.
• Peters draws a penalty on Hamilton due to a few nice moves. The refs call it a push with possession. Grant Devilbiss' shot is wide and the refs call the penalty.
• In other news, A-Rod strikes out after a two-hour rain delay. Not too easy to sit in a clubhouse for two hours than have to deal with Jonathan Papelbon's heat.
• A side-arm Fairfield shot is blcoked. Not a good luook by any means. On the other end, Brandon Gibson pushes the ball quickly then tips the loose ball into the net after an initial save from Marra. That's Gibson's third goal of the day to go along with four assists. Not too shabby. 11-6 Yale.
• Sturz sweeps left and takes a "terrible shot", as Dan Stanczyk put it, that sails wide over the net. Fairfield retains.
• Simeti controls the face, then takes a shot after a few passes. Nice start offensively from Fairfield. 'Signs of life'?

10-6 Yale; End of 3rd Quarter

• END OF 3rd QUARTER: Yale 10, Fairfield 6
• Push from behind keeps the ball in favor of Yale with a few seconds remaining in the half.
• A furious sequence of groundballs on the Yale side of the field leads to a pass out of bounds off of the Stags. Yale gets the final posssesion with 1:03 to go.
• A lengthy clear finally goes in favor of the Stags, and Baxter carries behind the net hoping to spur the offense.
• Gary Raniolo is hit hard and hobbles off of the field. Easily one of Fairfield's best midfielder defenders. It seems as if literally nothing is going right for Fairfield this season.
• Jonathan Coney of Yale takes a deep shot from the top of the box. Marra makes a textbook save and Fairfield clear.
• Yale clears the ball (again) and holds the ball in the offensive end to kill the penalty.
• Three straight shots, including one from behind the back by Ajemian all miss the net. Yale backs the ball and grabs possession with twenty-two seconds remaining in the penalty
• Baxter shot on the Fairfield end goes wide. Nice possession from Fairfield as the Stags now go into a man-up offense. Yale was tabbed with a slash call.
• Brandon Arnold finishes a Gibson pass with a top shelf shot on Marra. There goes the momentum for Fairfield. 10-6 Yale with 5:34 to go.
• Washabah is taken down by Scanlon, but Washabah maintains his poise, battles for a groundball, and then creates a fastbreak for the Bulldogs.
• Freshman Grant Devilbiss is the recipient of a timely fastbreak set up by aggressive play from Fairfield at midfield on the fastbreak. Credit Gibson with the assist. 9-6 Yale with 7:01 to go in the third.
• The Red Sea get a few chants in during the timeout in an attempt to rally the troops. Then again, that may be the loud Yale fans in attendance.

9-5 Yale; 7:18 in the 3rd

• Yale calls a timeout after a wide shot from (you guessed it), Washabah.
• Washabah goal on a kick-out pass from Casertano. Yale is now back on top by four. The Stags' defense seems tired and demoralized.

Halftime fro2m Lessing: Yale leads, 7-4

• 
  
  A late shot from the Stags go wide. Just as the half


• 
  
  Junior attackman James Ryan buries a pretty feed from X in a little two-man game. Big goal right before halftime - so I'm told. 12 seconds remaining before the buzzer, and the Stags can't be pleased with the tempo heading into the break.


• 
  
  Another offensive turnover hands the ball right back to Yale.


• 
  
  Lattimore drives and misses the net wide left. Dan Boudreau dives for the back-up and the Stags retain.


• 
  
  Lattimore, Kuring, and Boudreau are the midfield line as the Stags take the field. Let's see what Spencer drew up.


• 
  
  Two long poles clear the ball on the far side. Just as a young middie was about to force a shot, Ted Spencer takes a timeout to talk things over and draw up a play. 1:32 to go until the half.


• 
  
  Another turnover for Fairfield, and the penalty is over sans a shot on goal. If that's not the sign of a struggling team I don't know what is.


• 
  
  Yale is the victim of an offsides penalty. EMO offense is on for Fairfield.


• 
  
  Atwell waits behind Marra in a rather interesting approach to attack defense, but Fairfield gets the job done. Fairfield clears thanks to a nice decision by Marra to take the ball up field himself.


• 
  
  Baxter steps in the crease and the ball goes to Yale.


• 
  
  Shannon Sturz misses two shots in a row on nice posssions; seem as if the offense is in sync finally. But the Stags maintain possession again.


• 
  
  A centering pass for Chris Ajemian misses, but Kevin Peters is right there and just misses a side-arm shot. Oh, so close. Stags' retain.


• 
  
  Fuchs slips on his first dodge, but Yale retains possession. (Washabah?) scores on a dummy dodge/slide feed and Yale is back up two just like that. 6-4 Yale with 6:20 to go.


• 
  
  Stags get called for a failure to advance at midfield. One good turn(over) deserves another.


• 
  
  One-goal lead for Yale with 7:56. DeBuff takes out Simeti on the face, but the Bulldogs throw it away for a turnover.


• 
  
  So much for the tie. An illegal procedure on Rob Simeti leads to a "textbook fastbrak offense" from Yale and a goal from Brandon Gibson. 5-4 Yale.


• 
  
  Tale of two defenseman: Yale defenseman Coleman gets greedy and foces an awkward shot. Matt Scanlon gets the same opportunity econd later, but shares the wealth and finds Dan Boudreau, who finds Travis Nelson for a Fairfield goal. Stags tie it up, 4-4, with 8:00 to play.


• 
  
  Boudreau falls on a dodge, but the referee calls a push with possession. Stags retain, but the Bulldogs have fought off the penalty.


• Wide shot from midfielder Baxter, but he makes amends by preventing a turnover in transition. Wide shot moments later from Devilbiss. So close.


• Successful, man-up clear from Atwell to Boudreau. Let's see if the offense can get rolling.


• Yale gets called for a push while riding on Matt Scanlon. Stags get to go man-up and a legimiate chance to tie this game.


• Max Trunz and Doug Kuring play a two-man game at X (behind the cage, for those of you not a lacrosse buff or former player. Unfortunately, Trunz pass off of a dodge leads to a bad pass. Stags' turnover.


• 4-3 Yale with 12:20 to play. All of sudden, plenty of momentum and some crowd noise in favor of the Red Sea.


• Two in a row for Fairfield, as junior midfielder Chris Ajemian buries a pass on the crease. A nice, low bounce shot from Chris, and the Yale goalkeeper never had a chance. Good screen and even better ball movement.


• Rob Simeti win the face, and the Stags fight off the one second remaining on the penalty. Nicely done, boys.

4-2 Yale; End of First Quarter

• No shot from Boudreau as the horn sounds. End of one.
• Fastbreak caused by an ou of the box call, and Fairfield scores! 4-2 Stags. Nice finish by Grant Devilbiss from Sean Bannon. The youth finally shines.
• Yale cutters whifs on a pass - they're on man up offense. Deja vu moments later as the crease midfielder misses a one-timer.
• Brisk, cool night here at Lessing Field. One of the nicest days all year.
• Atwell does not get a midfielder to stay back for him - do'h. Just when things look promising. The ball is back to the blueshirts.
• Nice poke and a kick from Chris Atwell creates a turnover. of this team. Atwell is the heart and soulStags ball.
• Yale goalkeeper Karaveetes comes out of the net and hits Kuring - causing a turnover. "Fiesty goaltender from Yale," says a random man in a suit. Bizarre.
• Yale wards and the Stags take possession. A small break here would be nice.
• Yale using a traditional, spread offense with a midfielder on the crease. Seems like the defense is very spread and the opposition very quick: a bad combination.

4-1 Yale; 3:54 in 1st

Rough start early for the Men's Lacrosse team here at Lessing Field. After a goal from freshman Max Trunz, the Bulldogs answered on a fastbreak, then added another on a designed cutters play. Head Coach Ted Spencer has used two quick timeouts in an attempt to keep his youthful squad poised, but so far it's been all Yale.

UPDATE: Just as I type that, Yale controls the face and buries another shot. It's now 4-1 Yale, and the Stags take yet another timeout. Ouch.