MEN’S SOCCER: Bulldogs draw second consecutive match after late game heroics
The Yale men’s soccer team scored a goal late in the second half of its Tuesday night contest to tie with the Hartford Hawks 2–2.
Courtesy of Nina Lindberg
The Yale men’s soccer team battled back from two deficits to earn a draw against non-conference opponent Hartford on Tuesday night.
Yale (3–4–2, 0–0–1 Ivy) traveled to the state capital to face off against the Hartford Hawks (3–6–3, 1–2–0 America East) for a midweek non-conference battle. The Hawks, who entered the game on a two-game winning streak, jumped out in front as midfielder Patrick Gryczewski struck a loose ball into the net minutes before halftime. The Elis equalized early in the second half as first-year midfielder Sandor Pelle ’25 knocked home his first career goal. Both teams exchanged goals once more with the Bulldogs’ equalizing goal coming on an acrobatic header from forward Eric Lagos ’24 with two minutes left in the contest. After two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, the Bulldogs left Hartford with their second tie in a row.
“We were all disappointed to come home with a tie, even though Hartford had a good team,” defender Sam Harshe ’25 said. “We weren’t sharp enough in a few key moments and that was the difference. We fought hard, though, and I am very proud of our resilience in getting an equalizer after conceding late.
If we keep putting teams under pressure and just make a few more plays, we will get back to winning.”
The Elis jumped out to a quick start, earning two corner kicks in the first four minutes alone. But Yale was unable to convert, and the game remained scoreless until minutes before the end of the half. In the 41st minute, the Hawks’ right midfielder served a ball on the ground into the box. As the ball bounced around in the box, Gryczewski struck a low, hard ball on target with his left foot. The ball zipped past Yale keeper Elian Haddock ’23 and into the back of the net.
After the break, the Blue and White responded with a goal of their own. From a corner kick on the right side, midfielder Sigfus Arnason ’23 whipped a ball in with his left foot. Forward Paolo Carroll ’23 headed the ball, but it deflected off of a teammate’s head and landed at the feet of a Hawks’ defender. A failed clearance left the ball at the feet of Pelle, who drove a shot into the left corner for his first career goal.
In line with the back-and-forth nature of the game, the Hawks responded with a goal in the 77th minute. Gryczewski received a long ball while being defended by both Yale center backs. Gryczewski allowed the ball to run past him, breaking free from both defenders in the process. The Hartford first year deftly tucked a right-footed shot into the corner of the net for his second of the game.
But the scoring did not end there. The Elis equalized on a second set-piece goal with just two minutes remaining in regulation. Arnason — now providing service from a free kick rather than a corner — once again tallied an assist as Lagos beat the Hawks’ keeper to the ball and headed it home. A late save from Haddock denied the Hawks any final opportunities before the game progressed to extra time.
Just like its 0–0 draw against Harvard, Yale neither scored nor conceded in extra time. Although Hartford outshot the visitors 4–1 during the two 10-minute periods, the Bulldogs remained sound on defense to come home with a draw.
The Bulldogs will return to their home field Saturday night to take on Dartmouth in their second Ivy contest of the season.
Yale last played Dartmouth in October 2019 and collected a 3–1 win, its seventh consecutive victory at the time. This season, the Big Green has struggled to put victories on the board. Dartmouth has only won its most recent match against University of Albany. The Big Green had a chance to open up their Ivy season with a win, but narrowly lost to Princeton 3–2 in double overtime.
This weekend’s men’s and women’s soccer games will be jointly hosted by La Casa Cultural in honor of Latinx Heritage Month, which is celebrated from Sep. 15 to Oct. 15 this year. The first 100 Yale students at each game will receive a free t-shirt and tickets to be used at various food trucks at Reese Stadium. According to Jordi Bertrán Ramírez ’24, a peer liaison for La Casa, the soccer team reached out to facilitate the partnership.
“This is hopefully the first of many collaborations between Yale Athletics and La Casa this year,” Bertrán Ramírez said. “I’m thrilled that members of the Yale community get to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month while supporting the men and women’s soccer teams.”
Yale kicks off against Dartmouth at 7 p.m on Saturday.