Yale Athletics

The Yale men’s soccer team (3–3–0, 0–0–0 Ivy) stayed home in New Haven this week, beating the University of California, Irvine (3–2–2, 0–0–0 Big West), on Saturday and Colgate (3–4–0, 1–0–0 Patriot) on Tuesday at Reese Stadium. The team did not allow its opponent to score in either game, winning each matchup 2-0. The Bulldogs’ eyes are now set on the first game of their Ivy League schedule, against the University of Pennsylvania (2–2–2, 0–0–0 Ivy). 

Yale’s victory in its first-ever matchup against Irvine was, in large part, the result of a 90-minute defensive effort by the Bulldogs, as the team only saw one shot on goal the entire game. The offense proved decisive, with Simon Adjakple ’27 and Jonathan Seidman ’25 both scoring their first collegiate goals. Adjakple opened the scoring when he put away a cross from Joseph Farouz ’27 with less than 20 seconds left in the first half. Seidman made it 2-0 in the 57th minute, this time assisted by Max Rogers ’24.

“It feels amazing to have scored my first goal for the program,” Adjakple said. “Helping the team win is my number one objective and thankfully I played a decisive role in making that happen.”

The game against Colgate proved to be a similar contest, with the Bulldogs scoring two goals to turn another great defensive showing into a win. The first goal came in the 13th minute, when TJ Presthus ’25 converted a penalty with a clinical shot to the upper-right corner of the goal. Just before halftime, Ryan Cote ’25 doubled the teams’ lead by putting away a deflected cross from Farouz. With only two shots on goal against Yale all game, and with no goals scored in the second half, Yale won the game 2-0.

The two victories were important to the team beyond the result, as they were able to actualize some of their pre-season goals. For one, the team showcased their strong defense, as defender and captain Jake Schaffer ’24 told the News. 

“Our defense has been fantastic from front to back,” Schaffer said. “We take pride in earning clean sheets.”

Another objective from before the season was to win as many home games as possible, an effort that was greatly improved with the two wins this week. Adjakple referred to Reese Stadium as a fortress, and told the News that the team has the mentality that no one should beat them on their home turf. The Bulldogs are now 3-1 at home. 

The Bulldogs’ next opponent will be Penn on Saturday, Sept. 23. Yale’s first Ivy League game will be a challenge, as Penn was voted the preseason favorite to win the conference. Schaffer reiterated his statement from a few weeks ago regarding the Penn game, saying that it’s a game they’ve circled on their calendar. According to Schaffer, the conference as a whole is very competitive.  

“Every [conference] game is going to be a battle,” Schaffer said. “We plan on approaching every game with the same mindset.” 

In preparation for the game, the team’s upperclassmen have relayed the spirit and intensity of the Ivy League to the first years. Adjakple said the older players referred to the conference as “a different beast.”

Members of Yale’s student body have also expressed interest in the conference games, with one supporter at the game against Colgate saying he’s looking forward to Penn in particular. cq

“I always tune into the Ivy League games,” RJ Kelly ’25 told the News. “We as fans also keep rivalries in mind … we want revenge on Penn for last year.” 

The Bulldogs have not beaten the Quakers since 2012.