After two consecutive losses, the men’s soccer team is determined to pick up a win.
Yale (2-8, 1-1 Ivy) will take on Cornell (1-8, 0-2 Ivy) Saturday in Ithaca. The Bulldogs, which are coming off a 3-0 loss to Boston College Wednesday, and the Big Red, which have not won a game since Sept. 24, have had disappointing starts to their seasons. Both teams are hoping for a win this weekend to catapult them into Ivy League title contention.
Last year, the Big Red squeaked by the Bulldogs, 1-0.
“We’re excited to get back to another league game,” Yale head coach Brian Tompkins said. “We’ve played quite well on the road [against Harvard and Dartmouth]. We’ll be looking to bounce back with a good performance in Ithaca.”
For two teams that have struggled finding the net this season, the difference between winning and losing Saturday will come down to which team can organize its offense and capitalize on scoring opportunities.
“At this stage, we’re good at giving up goals and not so good at scoring goals,” Cornell head coach Bryan Scales said.
The problem for the Elis, who made a strong showing in their first two Ivy showings against Harvard and Dartmouth, is not creating chances to score, but finishing them. The Bulldogs have struggled all season to execute in front of the net, often losing control of the ball in the box or hitting shots just wide or high of the goal.
“We need to do some work on our finishing,” Tompkins said. “We’ve been creating some scoring opportunities, but we need to be a bit sharper in the box.”
Yale is confident it can pull together for this game and leave Ithaca with its second Ivy win.
“I’m optimistic we can get another victory in the league.” Eli captain Ryan Raybould said. “That’s ultimately what matters at this point.”
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