Despite a seemingly lopsided loss to the No. 1 Trinity Bantams on Wednesday night, the Bulldogs (8-1, 2-0 Ivy) will head into the season’s stretch run with high expectations. The Elis matched up well with the defending national champions, winning at the No. 8 spot and falling just short at No. 7 in five games.

“We’re looking at this as a positive,” Ethan Oetter ’09 said. “This will definitely send a message to Harvard and Princeton that they’re going to have to be really on their games to beat us.”

The Bulldogs will start their journey to Annapolis today to face off against Navy before the long awaited match against Princeton. Unlike last year, the Elis are undefeated in the Ancient Eight, meaning that the match against the Tigers will almost certainly impact the Ivy League title hunt. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, the Elis will have more than enough confidence heading into the showdown in New Jersey.

“The chemistry of the team is really great,” Rusty Feldman ’10 said. “Guys not only play for themselves, but they play for each other and they play for Yale.”

­— Karan Arakotaram