Yale Athletics

Over the spring break, the Bulldogs (1–5, 0–2 Ivy) secured their first win of the season over No. 16 Denver (4–3, 0–0 Big East) and began Ivy League play, falling to No. 13 Harvard (5–1, 1–0 Ivy) and No. 4 Cornell (6–1, 2–0 Ivy). 

Yale vs. Denver

The Elis started the game off on a high note, scoring the first six goals, putting them at an impressive lead over the Pioneers. 

Midfielder Brad Sharp ’26 kicked things off for the Elis with his assist to David Anderson ’27 to score the first goal of the game within the first 30 seconds. Yale’s Max Krevsky ’25, Leo Johnson ’25 and Johnny Keib ’25 kept up the momentum, each scoring unassisted to bring the Bulldogs to a 4–0 lead over Denver. The first period remained strong for the Elis with Johnson’s assist to midfielder Cole Cashion ’27. Cashion immediately followed up with an unassisted goal at 8:12. 

Down by six goals, Mic Kelly charged the goal to put Denver on the scoreboard. However, attackman Chris Lyons ’25 refused to let the Pioneers make a comeback, swiftly putting down their hopes with his unassisted goal with 6:48 remaining of the first period. Kelly scored his second unassisted goal to narrow the Elis’ lead to 7–2. Attackman Peter Moynihan’s ’27 assist to Johnson ended the Bulldogs’ best first period of the season 8–2. 

The second period did not see as much action as the first, but Yale maintained a strong lead over Denver. Midfielder Cole Jackson ’27 scored the first goal of the period, and the first goal of his career, at the eleven-minute mark. Yale’s defense put up a tight front, only allowing Judge Murphy to earn the Pioneer’s third and only goal of the second period. Johnson and Krevsky shut down the first half with unassisted goals, bringing the score to 11–3. 

The Elis continued to dominate in the third period, with Sharp’s unassisted goal at 14:20 further cementing the team’s lead. Denver’s Russell Overly fought to narrow the lead, but Keib’s assist to William Sheehan ’26 shut things down. Pioneers Noah Manning and Kelly responded with back-to-back goals, to which the duo of Moynihan and Sharp came back with a goal of their own in the last eight seconds to conclude the third period with Yale up by more than double (14–6). 

Both teams put up strong defenses in the fourth period, not allowing any goals until 7:09 when Manning assisted Kelly to score Denver’s seventh goal. Johnson’s assist to Moynihan marked Yale’s last and 15th goal of the game. Despite three consecutive goals, the Pioneers could not overcome the Elis’ early lead.

Although the victory was a team effort, goalie Hugh Conrad ’26 proved to be an asset for the Bulldogs, blocking 11 shots on the goal. Machado Rodriguez ’25 played an integral role in the victory, winning 19 of the 24 faceoffs, and Johnson was the highest scorer of the game with his three goals and two assists.

Yale’s victory marked its fourth consecutive victory over Denver and its first win on the season, improving the team’s record to 1–3 overall. The game also marked the Elis’ highest goal total per game this season. 

Yale vs. Harvard

The Elis then launched into Ivy League play, suffering a close 11–14 loss to the Crimson in Cambridge, MA. 

Harvard started the game strong with a 6–0 lead over the Bulldogs. Teddy Malone proved to be a powerhouse, scoring two of the six goals and assisting with another. Krevsky assisted Johnson to put Yale on the scoreboard with 2:12 left in the first period. Lyons’ unassisted goal, followed by Harvard’s Sam King’s goal, ended the period with Yale down 2–7. 

The second period proved a stronger quarter for the Elis, with the Bulldogs responding to John Aurandt’s goal with three back-to-back goals of their own. Moynihan assisted Lyons, Moynihan scored unassisted, and Sharp passed to Keib to narrow the deficit to 5–8. However, the Crimson’s Owen Gaffney refused to let the Bulldogs make a comeback, charging forward with an unassisted goal. The period continued to see more back-and-forth action, with Keib’s goal followed by Harvard’s King’s fourth goal of the game. Johnson and Lyons then followed with two consecutive goals to bring the Bulldogs up to eight goals to Harvard’s ten. 

Harvard took back control of the game in the third period, with the defense only allowing Johnson’s shot to make it into the goal. Yale’s defense also proved strong, but the Crimson was able to push through, scoring three more goals to enlarge its lead to 13–9. 

The Bulldogs held off the Crimson in the final period; Logan Ip’s goal at 12:16 was Harvard’s final goal. The Elis continued to fight to earn a win in their first conference game of the season, but Lyons’ and Sharp’s unassisted goals were not enough to secure a victory. Yale fell 11–14 in this close match-up. 

Despite the devastating loss to Harvard, Lyons put up a stellar performance, more than doubling his goals this season while also scoring four goals in the game, notably his first-half hat trick. Johnson’s hat trick was his ninth this season, and Rodriguez won 19 of the 27 faceoffs, helping the Bulldogs narrow the Crimson’s lead throughout the game. 

Yale vs. Cornell 

After the bitter loss to Harvard, the Elis sought to recover and secure their second win of the season against the Big Red. Cornell entered Saturday’s matchup after an impressive 15–10 win against the No. 2 Princeton Tigers. 

Senior attackman CJ Kirst, who leads nationally with the highest number of goals per game, gave the Big Red an early lead in the first period, scoring the first three goals with assists by Ryan Goldstein. Krevsky’s assist to Lyons put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard, but Kirst responded with an unassisted goal to bring Cornell to a 4–1 lead. 

Play continued to go back and forth, with Johnson’s assist to Anderson, who scored his fourth goal of the season, followed by Cornell’s Walker Schwartz. Cashion, unassisted, scored his fourth season goal and the Elis’ third. Kirst continued to be a powerhouse for the Big Red, scoring his 33rd goal of the season, to which Anderson led the Bulldogs with a goal of his own. Krist’s 34th season goal rounded out the high-scoring first period, with the Elis trailing the Big Red 4–7. 

The Bulldogs entered the second period looking to narrow the gap. At 14:09, Johnson assisted captain Krevsky to score. However, Cornell responded with a goal of its own. Yale then came back with two consecutive goals by Johnson, unassisted, and Anderson, assisted by Sharp. With the score now at 7–8, the Elis looked to be in a good position with 10:43 remaining of the second quarter. Despite Lyons’ second goal of the game, Kirst and Michael Long each scored two goals for the Big Red, advancing Cornell’s lead to 12–8. 

After halftime, both sides were determined to not let the other put up more goals. Sharp made his way through the defense to score Yale’s only goal of the period at 13:26. The Bulldogs’ strong defense held off the Big Red until 11:21 but then began to slowly fall apart, allowing Cornell to post four more goals, including Kirst’s ninth goal of the game. 

At the start of the fourth period, Yale lagged behind 9–16. The Elis’ defense proved to be stronger in the final period, only allowing two goals before Yale’s offense charged. Cashion led the Bulldogs in what would become five consecutive goals. Midfielder Christian Johnson ’25 scored the second goal, and his first of the season. Lyons’ then followed with three straight goals of his own at 6:10, 5:20 and 2:20. While this powerhouse Yale offense sought to send Cornell back to Ithaca with a loss, these five goals were not enough to win the game. Goldstein’s final goal for the Big Red ended the game 19–14. 

Although Saturday’s game ended in another conference loss for the Bulldogs, several players posted impressive statistics. Lyons led the team with the highest number of goals in the game with five, followed by Anderson’s three, which marked his first hat trick of the season, and Cashion’s two. L. Johnson, Sharp, C. Johnson and Krevsky each scored one goal. Sharp and L. Johnson led the team in assists. 

The Elis will continue Ivy League play, hosting Brown on Saturday, March 29 for a 3:30 p.m. faceoff at Reese Stadium.