Devin Dwyer Leads Men’s Lacrosse to Strong Start

Devin Dwyer has played in 45 games in his collegiate career, and only once has he failed to tally at least one point. To find the last time he was kept off of the score sheet, you would have to go back to March 26th, 2013, when Harvard faltered, 16-7, against Albany in his freshman year.

Since then, Dwyer has recorded a point in 37 straight games.

The streak is good for the fifth longest active in the country, but even the four players ahead of him have not nearly had the season that Dwyer has been enjoying thus far. Through four games, he leads the nation with 6.25 points per game.

After scoring nine goals and adding four assists last week against Holy Cross (0-5) and UMass (2-3), Dwyer stayed hot this past weekend to lead the No. 12/12 Crimson (4-1) past No. 4/4 Duke (4-2), 14-9. He recorded 4 goals and 2 assists against the Blue Devils, and at halftime, had as many points as they had goals.

“We’ve played them every single year I’ve been here, but we’ve never been able to beat them,” Dwyer said. “It was a great feeling to finally come through, especially in my senior year.”

Against Duke, Dwyer found success attacking the net from multiple angles and sets. In the first quarter, he snuck around the far post and collected a pass from sophomore attackman Morgan Cheek before putting away Harvard’s first goal.

Later in the game, when the Blue Devils were up 5-4, Dwyer quickly scored twice more to swing the momentum the Crimson’s way. One was a simple flick after senior midfielder Keegan Michel fed him the ball in transition, while the other was made possible by a sharp cut to the center of the field that allowed Dwyer to lose his defender.

With three timely goals in the second quarter, and also a key assist, Dwyer pushed Harvard well ahead of Duke, 10-5. The Crimson defense then stepped in, holding its opponents scoreless for the entirety of the third quarter and first 5:12 of the fourth as the offense added two insurance goals.

As time winded down, Dwyer added one final assist to senior midfielder Sean McDonagh to seal the 14-9 win. It was Dwyer’s third consecutive game with at least six points, as he now has 14 goals and 11 assists on the season. Both numbers are good for team best.

“I haven’t necessarily been doing anything differently compared to last season, but everything’s been coming together nicely in the past few weeks,” Dwyer said. “A lot of credit definitely has to go to my teammates. If you look at my goals, almost all of them this season have come off great assists.”

Dwyer’s approach might not be different, but a greater consistency has certainly defined his play this year. After reaching four or more points in a game only five times in 2015, he has recorded at least five through the first four games of 2016.

A big reason for the boost in his numbers has been his improved shooting, as Dwyer, after scoring 20 goals last season, already has 14 through four games. As it stands, Dwyer has a shooting percentage of 61.5 percent. To add to this, 73 percent of his shots are on goal.

Through four games, Dwyer is more than halfway to his point total of 49 last year. With nine games left in the regular season, Dwyer is on pace to have a career year.

“Devin’s always had the vision on the field that it takes to find teammates for great chances, and that’s been clear since his freshman year,” Harvard coach Chris Wojcik ’96 said. “This year, he’s been able to finish more plays off himself.”

As a senior, Dwyer’s contributions to the team go beyond game days, however. Even in a large graduating class of 15, his accomplishments have stood out and resonated with the rest of the team.

“He’s influential with his teammates because he brings a high level of play every day, whether it’s in practice or in a game,” Wojcik said. “He’s also a vocal leader who isn’t afraid to pull guys aside individually to give them tips. An all-around player and teammate.”

—Crimson staff writer George Hu can be reached at yianshenhu@college.harvard.edu