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The university's men's lacrosse team defeated Duke 13-11 in the Division I championship game in Foxborough, Mass., giving the Bulldogs their first-ever national title in the sport.
Yale (16-3), which never trailed in the game, held off a late charge by Duke. Instrumental in the Bulldogs holding on was the play of a former Hudson Valley high school star: junior midfielder Joey Sessa.
A four-time All-American at Minisink High School in Orange County, the 5-foot-5, 155-pound Sessa used both his speed and strength to help Yale chew off valuable time on the clock in the closing minutes. His biggest play came with under a minute to go when he seemingly tip-toed along the end line to stay in bounds after being pushed by a defender.
In addition to that fancy footwork, Sessa also scored a goal, giving Yale a 6-4 lead in the first half.
Third-seeded Yale was led offensively by Matt Gaudet's four goals, Jack Tigh's three goals and Ben Reeves' one goal and three assists.
Former Mamaroneck High School star Peter Conley was one of five two-goal scorers for Duke (16-4), the No. 4 seed.
Yale became the first Ivy League team to win a national title since Princeton in 2001.
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