Courtesy of Yale Athletics

The Yale men’s soccer team (4–3–2, 0–0–2 Ivy) faced off against Princeton (3–4–1, 0–1–1 Ivy) in their second Ivy League game of the season. Saturday’s match was a close affair that ended in a 1–1 tie, giving the team another point in the conference standings. 

In the first half, the Tigers seemed to slightly outperform Yale. Princeton registered six shots and won four corners, while Yale was only able to create two shots and one corner. The half’s closest goal-scoring chance came from a Princeton corner, when a Princeton header hit the post, but was cleared to safety by Yale defender TJ Presthus ’25. Despite any disparity in chances or performance, the game went into halftime still tied 0–0. 

Coach Kylie Stannard described Yale’s start to the game as uncharacteristic and pointed towards energy and mentality as two areas for improvement. Fortunately, the Bulldogs did just that, and put themselves ahead just six minutes into the second half. A pass from Eric Lagos ’24 found Joseph Farouz ’27, whose shot brought the score to 1–0. The first year has now scored in back-to-back games, adding to the positive impact the team’s younger players have had this season. 

“It has been fun to watch some of the younger guys step up,” goalkeeper Chris Edwards ’24 said.  “Some freshmen have been scoring goals and getting assists. Others have been pushing us in practice, making guys better. Or they just bring really good energy from the bench.”

From there, it was a back-and-forth game, with the Bulldogs putting on a stronger second half performance. The game remained 1–0 until an unfortunate moment of brilliance from Princeton’s Will Francis in the 84th minute. A one-two pass from the left side of the field found him about five yards from the top of the box where he hit an unsavable shot into the top right corner. The game ended 1–1. 

Edwards spoke to the News on the importance of playing the whole 90 minutes in order to maintain their lead. He recalled late goals conceded against UConn, SMU and Penn — the latter two costing the team valuable points. 

Although the Bulldogs are still fighting for their first Ivy win, the tie was enough to maintain their unbeaten run — which is now up to five games. The impressive streak still leaves room for improvement, as the team sits at midtable in conference standings. 

“We’re looking to learn from our successes and failures from Princeton and use them moving forward,” captain Jake Schaffer ’24 said.

The team’s next opponent will be Dartmouth (4–4–1, 2–0–0 Ivy), who are currently first place in the Ivy League with six points. Their victories came against Penn and Princeton, two teams the Bulldogs tied. 

The game should be an evenly contested affair. The teams have similar overall records and have each won their respective home games over the other in the last two years. The Bulldogs will have some much appreciated rest before playing Dartmouth, as their schedule did not have their usual midweek game. 

“It will be nice to have a full week to recover after playing nine games in September,” Stannard said to Yale Athletics. “We will make sure to take full advantage of some physical and mental recovery.”

The Bulldogs will face Dartmouth at Reese Stadium this Saturday at 7 p.m., and then head to Massachusetts to play Boston College on Tuesday, Oct. 10.