The men’s soccer team’s final game of the season may be its hardest.
The Bulldogs (3–11–2, 1–4–1 Ivy) will take the field for the last time in 2010 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon against the No. 11 Princeton Tigers (12–3–1, 6–0–0 Ivy). The Tigers are looking to secure the Ivy League title with a win against the Bulldogs. Yale holds the lead in the long-time series 42–35–22 and has gone 3–1–1 in its last five meetings with Princeton.
But the Bulldogs will be facing a different Princeton team this Saturday. The Tigers are undefeated in the Ivy League and are coming off one of the most important victories of their season. The Tigers defeated Penn 2–1 last Saturday, bumping the Quakers down to a second-place rank. Princeton walked away from the win with the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
“I think this is going to be the toughest game we’ve had all season,” captain and midfielder Andy Shorten ’11 said. “They are probably going to want to go undefeated in the Ivies so my guess is they won’t let up.”
The Bulldogs will look to be a speed bump for the Tigers this weekend and play to avenge a 4–0 loss to Princeton last season in New Jersey.
The Elis will honor five seniors this weekend as they play in the last game of their careers. All five seniors play in either the midfield or forward, with Shorten leading the team in goals and points this season. Forward Brad Rose ’11 also poses a threat up top, leading the team in points last season. But an injury unfortunately has limited the senior to just two games this fall. Midfielder Eric Meyer ’11 is also dangerous offensively as he leads the team in assists and was named to the ESPN: The Magazine Academic All-District 1 first team last week. Midfielders Dale Peterson ’11 and Sebastian Serra ’11 will also be honored Saturday. Serra scored his first career goal earlier this season against Dartmouth. Peterson’s brother, midfielder Kevin Peterson ’13 is also on the team.
“It’s sad that it is coming to an end,” Shorten said. “But it’s nice because most people don’t get to play college soccer and get that far in their career. It’s been a blast and I’ll definitely miss it but it has to end at some point and hopefully it will end on a high note.”
The Bulldogs, led by their five seniors, will take the field to face the Tigers Saturday afternoon at Reese Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 3 p.m.