Liza Kaufman, Photography Editor

The Yale men’s soccer team (0–2–1 Ivy) played the Quinnipiac Bobcats (0–3–1 MAAC) at Reese Stadium Sunday afternoon after weather prevented the game from being played on Saturday, its originally scheduled date.

The Bobcats entered Sunday’s matchup coming off of three straight losses to Pitt (0-1), UMass (2-5), and Stony Brook (0-3). Likewise, the Bulldogs came into the “Battle of Whitney Avenue” rivalry game hungry for a victory, after dropping their season’s first two games to Sacred Heart (1-3) and Syracuse (0-1).

Although Yale didn’t secure a victory, the improved performance could signal an upwards trajectory for the Bulldogs.

“It was a good step. Definitely one in the right direction. We’ve been working on a few different things, free formations, so it’s starting to come together, definitely now, and it was good to get a result, definitely at home,” Aydin Jay ’26 told the News in a post-game interview.  

The first half was a slow start for both teams, but both put up strong defenses. Neither team scored for the majority of the half, until Quinnipiac’s Fredrik Moen scored the first goal of the game off a free kick with only two minutes remaining.

With the Bulldogs looking to get on the scoring board in the second half, Sven Meacham ’28 pulled the Bulldogs level with a goal in the 71st minute. His goal came off of a cross from Angelo Zhu ’29, who played a ball from the right sideline into the box at a height perfect for Meacham. Meacham won his airspace and re-directed the ball home.

Two minutes later, Quinnipiac responded with a goal of their own to go up 2-1. The Bobcat offense completed a passing play to break down the Eli defense, and forward Joey Saputo tapped it behind Yale goalkeeper Conrad Lee ’26. 

In the 90th minute, Billy Altirs ’29 fired a shot into the back of the Quinnipiac goal to tie the game at 2-2. Off of a corner kick from Meacham, the ball bounced out to Altirs standing just outside the box. He controlled the bounce with his right foot, set himself, and fired a rocket into the top corner. 

Forward Joseph Farouz ’27 highlighted the significant role played by the two first years.

“It was good for the boys to find a way to tie the game. Good from our freshman, Angelo and Billy. Really top top performances. One off the bench, one starting, just really, really proud of them, but overall, good progress and good momentum going into the California trip,” Farouz said to the News at the end of the game. 

The Elis will travel to the Golden State to square off against UC Irvine and San Diego State University on Sept. 12 and Sept. 15. 

Correction, Sep. 8: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the game was played Saturday. The game was actually played Sunday after it was rescheduled for weather.