Yale Athletics

The Men’s Soccer team (2–4–1) faced off against Sacred Heart University, or SHU, (5–2) on Saturday, Sept. 21, on home turf at Reese Stadium. After struggling to secure a victory so far this year, the game featured an explosive offense from the Bulldogs. 

At the six minute mark, Aydin Jay ’26 took the Bulldogs’ first shot on goal, but the Sacred Heart goalkeeper found the save to keep the game scoreless. The game would remain that way for another 30 minutes until TJ Presthus ’25 headed a corner kick from Jonathan Seidman ’25 just inside the far post, giving the Bulldogs the lead. Goalie Chris Edwards ’25 kept the Pioneers scoreless through the rest of the first half, securing the Elis’ 1–0 lead going into the second period of play.

Following the half, Joseph Farouz ’27 worked his way through the Sacred Heart defense before passing the ball over to fellow sophomore, Simon Adjakple ’27, who swiftly found the back of the net, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 2–0. 

The Pioneers answered only 10 minutes later, with a goal off a rebound that snuck past Edwards, thinning the Bulldogs’ lead to 2–1.

The Bulldogs on offense, however, were not finished. Fifteen minutes later Farouz fired a shot past the Pioneer’s goalie, extending the Elis lead to 3–1. Five minutes after that, Jay slotted a low shot into the goal, with the SHU goalie diving, but failing to grab the ball. This cemented a 4–1 lead and was Jay’s first career goal.

At the 81 minute mark, the Pioneers attempted to strike back, but goalie Edwards put a stop to it, and the game saw no more goals. The Bulldogs won decisively, securing their first win after four losses and one tie to start the rocky season.

“We definitely needed a night like this, and seeing the results of our work as a team will propel us into more solid performances, I know it,” Jay wrote to the News.

Yale now leads the series with SHU 6–3–3, and the win broke the Pioneers four game winning streak. Yale’s first goal marked the first time the Pioneers had allowed a goal in over 400 minutes, with SHU previously shutting out their last four opponents.

When asked about takeaways they can apply to upcoming Ivy League play, Alex Umana  ’26 replied, “We’ve learned that no game will be handed to us, regardless of the opponent. It takes hard work, and every match is physical.The team understands that if we mentally prepare and give our all for 90 minutes, we’ll be ready for our Ivy opener against Cornell at home.”

The Bulldogs mounted an away campaign against Quinnipiac (2–4–1) on Tuesday, Sept. 24, before beginning Ivy League play against Cornell (4–0–2) on Saturday, Sept. 28, on home turf at Reese Stadium.