After going scoreless against Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and Albany last weekend, the Bulldogs will attempt to take their first victory of the season against Colgate tonight.

“Our goal is to go into this game with our previous losses behind us and get our first win in order to build momentum for the rest of the season,” forward Peter Jacobson ’14 said.

Despite experimenting with various offensive strategies, the Bulldogs have not yet translated their plays into goals. In their match against Albany, the Elis took 17 shots.

“We can play with anyone in the country, we just have to get the winning-mentality ball rolling,” forward Jenner Fox ’14 said.

Yale (0–2) has not faced Colgate (1–2–1) in the last three years, so none of the current players from either team have played against each other.

“Colgate is a very hardworking team, and they play good compact and disciplined defense,” Jacobson said.

Fox added that Yale has been focusing on Colgate’s weaknesses and how best to exploit them.

Defending Patriot League champion Colgate has so far recorded a total of four goals this season, with midfielder Mike Reidy being responsible for half of those goals. Last season, he was the third-highest scorer for his team and contributed significantly in the win over American in the Patriot League Championship. Other players to watch are forward Tanner Schilling and midfielder Mike Garzi, as they have already scored a goal apiece this season. Garzi is also a key member in Colgate’s returning lineup. He was instrumental in taking the Raiders to the NCAA tournament last year and was named to the 2011 Patriot League All-Tournament team.

Jacobson said the Bulldogs should be technically sound, move the ball quickly and have good off-the-ball movement to overtake the Raiders’ defense.

Besides the team’s defensive strategy of focusing on hard-pressure ball and defending as one unit, Yale has captain and goalkeeper Bobby Thalman ’13, who has recorded 13 saves with a save percentage of 0.765, to close off the team’s goalposts. Thalman was placed on the Ivy League Honor Roll on Monday.

The Elis also have last season’s honorable mention All-Ivy winner Jacobson. He has been playing a significant role in boosting the team’s offensive power, recording six shots out of the 20 shots Yale has taken this season. Freshman forward Avery Schwartz ’16 also has contributed four shots.

Fox said the team will be playing flying V for the game.

“We know that we are a better team than our previous matches have shown, and we want to show that on Friday,” Jacobson said.

The game starts at 7 p.m. tonight. On Sunday, the Bulldogs will head to Fairfield for a 1 p.m. game.