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The Yale women’s soccer team clinched its third win of the season in a 5–0 game against St. Francis College last Wednesday night and closed out its season with a loss in a thrilling matchup against Brown Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (3–14–0, 1–6–0 Ivy) faced the Terriers (5–8–6, 3–4–3 NEC) at Reese Stadium in a matchup that was only recently added to the season schedule. Yale reached its season high in goals and outshot St. Francis 26–4.

“The level of soccer we played in our final week of [the] season is something for us all to be proud of,” head coach Sarah Martinez said. “We were challenged all year and we certainly grew this fall.”

The Bulldogs, determined to earn another tally for their season, started the game off with an early goal and a series of shots. Yale forward Alanna Butcher ’25 had a goal and three assists, midfielder Ellie Rappole ’25 scored two goals and forward Ellery Winkler ’23 had a one-goal one-assist game.

The game began with a foul on St. Francis and a yellow card issued to defender Payton O’Donnell, which was followed by midfielder Chloe Laureano ’24 taking a shot on goal that went high. In the fifth minute, Butcher received a through ball and took it along the left side, entered the 18-yard box and sent the ball to Rappole, who shot and scored Yale’s first goal of the game.

In the 12th minute, Butcher took a shot that was blocked, recovered the ball and fed it to Winkler, who used a chest-bump and first-touch to gain possession of it. Winkler spun left and shot to the back of the net for the Bulldog’s second goal of the night — her third goal of the season.

“I’m really happy for our group to be rewarded for the many great things we’ve done lately on the ball,” Martinez said to Yale Athletics. “To keep a shutout and score five quality goals feels like a bit of relief for us all. The growth we’ve had this season has been tremendous and I’m excited to gain a little momentum.”

The second period started with Rappole dribbling into the 18 down the right side and passing to Butcher, who shot 15 yards away from the goal and tallied Yale’s third goal of the game. In the 48th minute, Terrier junior Margaret Motolese took a shot on goal, which was saved by goalkeeper Marisa Shorrock ’24.

St. Francis forward Hailey Russell made a high shot in the 50th minute, which was followed by a high shot by midfielder Sarah DeWitt. Rappole made a high shot in the 52nd minute and one on goal in the 57th, which was saved by Terrier goalkeeper Klil Keshwar.

Keshwar made another save from a shot by Winkler, and in the 63rd minute, Rappole scored the fourth goal of the game, assisted by defender Molly Fallek ’24. Shorrock made a save against a shot by Russell in the 64th minute. In the 70th minute, midfielder Tanner Cahalan ’25 took a shot on goal, which was saved by Keshwar, and both midfielder Reina Bonta ’22 and forward Mia Grillo ’22 took shots that went high a minute later.

In the 73rd minute, forward Emily Yin ’22 scored the fifth and final goal of the game, assisted by Butcher and Grillo. Bonta took a shot that was blocked in the 80th minute, and two minutes later, Yin took another shot that was blocked. In the last seven minutes of the game, forward Tina Teik ’25 made a shot that went wide.

Last Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs faced the Bears (12–3–0, 7–0–0 Ivy) at Reese Stadium for their Senior Day and final game of the season. No. 12 Brown had most recently defeated Penn 1–0 on Oct. 30 and Cornell 3–0 on Oct. 23. They also conquered No. 16 Harvard 1–0 on Oct. 16.

Brown outshot Yale 18–3, but goalkeeper Maya Bellomo ’24 made six saves, in comparison to Brown’s zero. In the sixth minute of the game, midfielder Sarah Jordan ’22 sent the ball to Rappole, who dribbled into the 18-yard box and crossed the ball to Laureano, who scored the first goal of the game.

“We knew today was going to be a battle and credit to Yale, they battled hard and didn’t make it easy for us,” Brown head coach Kia McNeill said to Brown Athletics. “We have some special players in our attack, Brittany being one of them, and she really put the team on her shoulders to make sure we got a result today.”

In the ninth minute, Brown forward Brittany Raphino scored off a penalty kick goal and after a shot by midfielder Evelyn Calhoon that went high, Raphino scored again, who broke away past a defender to shoot and score. In the 21st minute, defender Nana Yang ’25 headed a corner kick and flicked the ball into the upper corner of the goal for Yale’s second tally.

A series of shots were taken by both teams, but in the 74th minute, Raphino scored her third goal of the game, putting Brown in the lead for the rest of the game. A corner kick by Laureano closed out the match.

“The end of the year is always emotional when you have to say goodbye to members of your program,” Martinez said. “The seven seniors we have embody resiliency and sacrifice in ways we can’t put into words. They have experienced a very untraditional career but they leave this program in a better place than they arrived. The future is bright and we owe a lot of that foundation to them.”

Brown clinched the Ivy League title in late October.

AMELIA LOWER
Amelia Lower covers football, men's ice hockey and men's lacrosse. She is a senior in Jonathan Edwards College from Rye, New York, double-majoring in Spanish and the History of Science, Medicine and Public Health.