For the second straight week, Yale’s TD Ierlan has earned Warrior/US Lacrosse Player of the Week honors, one-upping himself with another NCAA record-setting performance.
Ierlan went a perfect 26-for-26 in the Bulldogs’ 22-11 win Saturday over Harvard, setting a new NCAA Division I single-game record for most faceoff wins without a loss. The previous record (25-for-25) was set by Sacred Heart’s Zach Smith in 2007.
That’s the ledger Ierlan had when Yale coach Andy Shay unwittingly sent him onto the field for the record-breaker. Shay told NCAA.com that he did not know Ierlan was on the verge of history, nor did he think to keep Ierlan out after that faceoff to keep the unblemished mark intact. It just worked out that way.
“You know that feeling where you realize you dodged a bullet?” Shay said. “Like ‘Did I leave the iron on?’ One of those things? If I had taken him out and he didn’t get the record I would never forgive myself. I’m not sure he’d forgive me.”
Ierlan set NCAA Division I single-season records for faceoff winning percentage (.791), wins (359) and ground balls (254) at Albany last year. He’s on pace to surpass the first mark (.794 through 13 games) and, should Yale go deep in the Ivy League and NCAA tournaments, he could challenge the others.
Ierlan also now owns four of the top nine single-game performances in NCAA Division I history. He had a pair of 24-for-24 showings in 2018 and a 20-for-20 game in 2017.
The Warrior/US Lacrosse Player of the Week, selected by US Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors, recognizes the top performers in Division I men’s lacrosse throughout the season.
Previous winners: