After tying Sacred Heart last Wednesday 1-1 in double overtime, the Bulldogs were not ready to settle for a second consecutive draw. As the clock reached the 105th minute on Saturday night, forward Charlie Paris ’12 scored a sudden-death goal to lift Yale to a 2-1 victory over Penn.

Yale (7-5-2, 3-1 Ivy) first took the lead in the 57th minute off the foot of captain and midfielder Chris Dennen ’12. Dennen controlled a pass from defender Marcus DiLallo ’12 and drove it past Penn goalkeeper Max Kurtzman. Although the Quakers (6-6-2, 1-3 Ivy) tied the game on a free kick in the 83rd minute, Dennen said that the Elis were not discouraged.

“We knew that they were a man down and that if we kept fighting and did not give up that the goal would come,” Dennen said. Quaker midfielder Nick Unger gave the Elis a man advantage when he was given a red card in the 78th minute.

While the Class of 2012 netted both goals for the Elis, Coach Brian Tompkins and two players on the team noted that the seniors brought more to the game than just goals. Goalkeeper Bobby Thalman ’13 said that every senior has stepped up to bring confidence and leadership to the team. Tompkins added that the seniors have brought a great energy and spirit to the team since the first day of preseason.

One senior that brought that energy off of the bench against Penn was Paris, Tompkins said. Paris substituted in for forward Peter Jacobson ’14 in the 32nd minute.

Paris made the substitution pay off in the 105th minute with his game-winning goal. Forward Brad Rose’s ’12 shot deflected to Paris, who passed the ball to Dennen for a give-and-go that set up the winning goal.

“It is an amazing feeling to step up and help this team win,” Paris said. “It was the best give-and-go I have had in my life, and I knocked it in.”

Thalman and Tompkins said that the defense did an excellent job against one of the fastest offenses the Elis will face this season. Thalman stated that the defense contested every shot and contained and stayed in front of the Quaker attack. Paris added that Yale’s defense gave the offense a chance to win the game, despite Penn’s out-shooting Yale 24 to 16.

When Penn was able to get past Yale’s defense, Thalman made eight saves to keep the Elis in the game. Tompkins and two players said that Thalman gave a solid performance in goal.

“[Bobby] really controlled the box,” Dennen said. “He was huge for us in the game.”

With the victory, the Elis remain in a tie with Dartmouth for second place in the Ivy League. They are just one point behind first-place Cornell. Tompkins said that the league is still wide open at this point in the season, and that Yale is among several teams that have a chance. Along with their coach, however, Dennen and two other players remain confident that the Elis can contend for the Ivy League title.

The team will face Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 29 in New York.