As national title defense continues, Penn State rematch awaits Yale

TD Ierlan will need another monster game at the faceoff X against Penn State. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After a 15-10 win on May 3 over Cornell in the Ivy League semifinals, Yale head coach Andy Shay called it his team’s best defensive performance of the season.

As great as that moment was, an even stronger showing will be required in the national semifinal against No. 1 overall seed Penn State. The Nittany Lions (16-1) are scoring a nation-leading 18 goals per game and have surpassed the 20-goal mark in both NCAA tournament games thus far against UMBC and Loyola.

“I think any time you go against a team that's really impressive on offense and you have a good day, you're able to draw a line in the sand, you can take a lot from that,” Shay said. “At the same time, Penn State is another level. Cornell is the second-best finishing team in the country and the gap between one and two is astronomical.