Yale Athletics

In a local showdown, the Men’s Soccer team took down Quinnipiac 2–1 thanks to a thrilling late-game header from captain TJ Presthus ’25.

The 2–1 win was the Bulldog’s second win of the season, immediately following their  4-1 victory against Sacred Heart over the weekend. This was their first time facing QU since 2016. 

The game got off to a slow start, with neither team finding the back of the net in the first half. 

“This was a really tough game and we were far from our best, and especially in the first half, but I’m proud of the guys to find a way to get our first road win,” Coach Kylie Stannard said to Yale Athletics. “We took far too long to get into the game but our guys that started the second half gave us a good spark of effort to get us into the game.”

In the 26th minute, forward and midfielder Aydin Jay ’26 had a promising opportunity but could not seize it due to a strong Quinnipiac defense. A minute later, seasoned goalkeeper Chris Edwards ’25 made a key save, diving to keep a shot from Bobcat forward Drew Seguro out of the net. 

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Edwards made another clutch save, preventing Quinnipiac from getting on the board.

At the 73rd minute, things started to heat up. Nick Miller ’27 opened the scoring with his first collegiate goal. Off of a throw-in into the box, Miller slotted the ball past Quinnipiac’s keeper, securing the Bulldogs’ initial lead. 

Four minutes later, QU answered Miller’s goal with a free kick from right outside the 18 by midfielder Filip Kangeman. Kangeman’s goal was his third of the season.

In a race to secure a win, the Bulldogs brought it home in the 83rd minute with a header into the back of the net from Presthus, a defender. Presthus’ goal came off a corner kick into the box from midfielder Jonathan Seidman ’25. 

“[It was] great to see Nick score his first career goal, and TJ has stepped up his leadership to another level to help elevate the group,” Stannard said.

Presthus’ goal was his third of the season, which is tied for the team lead. 

Although the Bulldogs’ start to the game was slow, they are proud of their performance against an in-state rival. Now, they look towards Ivy League play.

“We’ve had a very difficult out-of-conference schedule, so to get these wins before the Ivy’s are a boost to our confidence and a result of our progress,” Seidman wrote to the News. “Now we can use this momentum, as the Ivy’s are our main focus which start this weekend versus Cornell.” 

Presthus added that while he is proud of the group’s effort to respond to a difficult start and build forward momentum, he stressed the importance of the team not getting too comfortable and taking its “foot off the gas now.”

He said the team hopes to continue their winning streak as they begin conference play.

Yale will open Ivy play at Reese Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 28.