Saturday night’s success against Cornell did not carry over for the men’s soccer team, which lost to No. 10 UConn at Reese Stadium on Tuesday night.
Yale kept up with an opponent strong in speed and ball-handling, yet the scoreboard did not reflect the Elis’ efforts against their formidable Huskyfoes, as they lost 2–0.
A UConn goal at 28:26 did not subdue the Bulldog’s fierce attempts to control the Huskies, but a second goal by the away team with three minutes left in the game dashed the Elis’ hopes of clinching a victory.
Both goals represented the problems the Huskies posed to Yale. Stephane Diop raced down the left side of the field to shoot a goal off the right post for the team’s first score of the night, and Max Wasserman found an open shot before two other Yale defenders could pounce after dashing past a Bulldog defender’s attempted tackle.
“UConn is one of the best teams in the country,” head coach Brian Tompkins said. “Yet I am pleased by the opportunities we created. We were dangerous in both the first and second half. But it all comes down to execution.”
UConn made execution nearly impossible, as proven by the Bulldogs’ struggles to get the ball past midfield and into offensive territory.
Nevertheless, the Elis still managed to outshoot the Huskies 12-11, with midfielder Andy Hackbarth ’12 and forward Brad Rose ’11 garnering the most Yale shots with three shots each.
“We just had to be patient,” Rose said. “We played the ball into the midfield and started our attack higher up the field. It was like a chess game. They would have the ball, and then we would have it with each of us trying to make a move.”
Yale’s free kicks could not change the Bulldogs’ luck either. After narrowly defeating Cornell with the help of three free kick goals, Yale could not capitalize on its free kick opportunities last night. Defender Milan Tica ’13, who assisted on two of the free kick goals against the Big Red, saw his shot from 25 yards out go high at 61:13.
On defense, the Husky speed rivaled and even surpassed a defensive line that defines itself by its athletic prowess.
“Often we’re the more athletic ones,” captain Jordan Raybould ’10 said. “Yet the guy who was on me was faster, and I was not able to use my athleticism. UConn shifted really well, which made the offense hard for us to break down. Offensively, we broke a couple of times, but we couldn’t turn those opportunities into goals.”
UConn goalkeeper Josh Ford managed to block all four Yale shots on goal, despite taking a tumble during the first half. Midfielder Andy Shorten ’11 collided with Ford as he challenged him for a header, causing the goalie to flip over Shorten before falling hard on the ground.
Yale goalie Travis Chulick ’10, who had two saves on the night, aggressively came out of the net to clear balls in an attempt to assist the Bulldog defenders, but he could not keep the two decisive UConn shots out of the goal. The game marks Yale’s eighth straight shutout.
On Saturday Yale will take on Penn in Philadelphia.