Courtesy oF Steve Musco

Last week, the Yale men’s soccer team beat then-league leaders Cornell in dramatic fashion. But this Saturday, the Bulldogs disappointed — drawing 1–1 with a winless Penn at Reese Stadium.

The contest marked the Elis’ (6–4–3, 1–1–2 Ivy) return to Reese for their first home conference game of the season as they took on the Quakers (2–4–5, 0–3–1 Ivy). An early goal by senior attacker Kyle Kenagy ’19 put the Bulldogs up for most of the game, but a Quaker goal in the last 10 minutes would force the game into an inconclusive overtime. The tie marked Penn’s first point in the league this season.

“Even though it was a bummer to concede a goal that late after dominating most of the game, we had plenty of belief and knew it was vital to give all we had,” midfielder Miguel Yuste ’20 said. “Because every game is like a final for us now if we want to win the Ivy League.”

After controlling possession in the first half, the Elis put themselves up 1–0 with a goal in the 25th minute. Just two minutes after being subbed into play, forward Logan Sullivan ’22 received the ball from midfielder Yuste and blazed down the left side of the field. Dodging a Quaker defender, his cross flew over the top of Penn goalkeeper Scott Forbes. As the ball came down on the right side of the net, a sliding Kenagy pushed the ball towards the net with his left foot. Defeating and disorienting the Penn defense, the low ball deflected into the net off the opposite goal post.

Yale finished out the first half with the lead and continued to pressure the Quaker backline despite having the advantage. The Elis overwhelmingly outshot the Quakers in the first half 10–3 and led in corner kicks 5–1. As the first half concluded, Penn retreated to the locker room down a tally.

“[When in the lead,] we try to keep the ball as much as possible and wait patiently to create more scoring opportunities to increase the lead,” goalkeeper Tom Wallenstein ’21. “Good communication on and off the field also helps us to remain focused and calm when we’re leading.”

The second half brought a more concerted effort from the Quakers, whose frontline saw more opportunities. However, for the majority of the half, the Bulldogs backline was able to handle the threats. But in the final seven minutes, Penn broke through.

A tough call on Yuste for a jumping header around midfield granted the Quakers a free kick. As the kick from Brandon Bartel came down in front of the net, goalkeeper Wallenstein got his hands on ball but could not claim it because Penn’s Erumuse Momoh boxed out the keeper, in what looked like goalie interference. Chaos ensued in front of the net, but Jake Kohlbrenner was able to strike the loose ball home to tie the game 1–1 with just six minutes left.

The goal marked Kohlbrenner’s fourth career goal and Bartel’s third assist this season, all from set pieces.

“We all think it was a foul from the striker who attacked me in the air after I caught the ball,” Wallenstein said. “Looking back today, I obviously should have just punched the ball away to clear the ball out of our box. Unfortunately, you always know it better after such things have happened.”

Despite maintaining the lead for most of the match, the Elis now faced two overtime periods to defend their home field. Prior to this contest, both teams had experience in overtime. The match marked Penn’s eighth overtime match in 11 games, compared to Yale’s fourth.

In the first period, Kenagy, Carroll and Winhoffer combined to place four shots on net, forcing Forbes to make his first saves of the match. However, the effort was not enough to gain an equalizer, and the Elis left with a draw.

Despite the score, Yale heavily outplayed the Quakers. The Bulldogs outshot the Quakers 17–8 and led in corner kicks 7–2. Kenagy led the team with four shots, closely followed by Sullivan who held three.

The tie earned Penn its first point in the league this season, bringing its overtime record to 2–1–5. The match puts Yale at a draw with Dartmouth for fourth in the league with five points.

Penn is now unbeaten in its past six meetings with Yale; the last time Yale beat Penn was back in 2012.

The Elis take on their next Ivy foe, Columbia, at Reese Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m.

Cate Sawkins | cate.sawkins@yale.edu .