NEW HAVEN, Conn. – What was looking like a frustrating night for the Yale men’s soccer team turned magical in the blink of an eye.

Yale scored twice in the final 2 minutes, 15 seconds to knock off Harvard 2-1 before a raucous crowd of 1,410 at Reese Stadium in the Ivy League opener for both teams.

“I told the players after the game that I’ve been a part of a lot of great nights here, but I’m not sure there have been any better or more exciting,” said Yale head coach Brian Tompkins, who is in his 18^th year at the helm.

Yale (2-6, 1-0 Ivy) had the better of the play for much of the game but found itself trailing after Harvard’s A.J. Agha scored off a corner kick at 68:38.

The Bulldogs kept pressing for the tying goal but seemed to be snake bit.

That finally changed with 2:15 left when Conner Lachenbruch scored after a wild sequence near the Harvard goal. The ball went off the head of two Crimson defenders and came to Lachenbruch, who jammed it home from the side.

Before the big Reese crowd had settled back into their seats following the goal, Harvard was whistled for a foul just outside the box. Freshman Henos Musie calmly took his time lining up the free kick with the clock winding down, and fired a shot that deflected off Harvard’s defensive wall and just inside the near post with 40 seconds left, setting off a wild celebration on the Yale bench.

It was Musie’s first career goal.

The Crimson (1-6-2, 0-1 Ivy) applied pressure in the final seconds but couldn’t get off a good shot.

Many in the big crowd came on the field to celebrate with the Bulldogs following the final horn.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Yale. Four of those losses came by one goal.

“A lot of close games haven’t gone our way, but our guys showed persistence and grit to come back against our biggest rival,” Tompkins said. “I give our guys all the credit.”

The Bulldogs finished with a 16-6 edge in shots.

Yale, which played five of its seven non-league games on the road, has its next two Ivy contests at Reese, starting next Saturday against Dartmouth.

“Belief and confidence are huge factors in how a season goes,” Tompkins said. “Getting a [positive] result should help our confidence moving forward.”NEW HAVEN, Conn. – What was looking like a frustrating night for the Yale men’s soccer team turned magical in the blink of an eye.

Yale scored twice in the final 2 minutes, 15 seconds to knock off Harvard 2-1 before a raucous crowd of 1,410 at Reese Stadium in the Ivy League opener for both teams.

“I told the players after the game that I’ve been a part of a lot of great nights here, but I’m not sure there have been any better or more exciting,” said Yale head coach Brian Tompkins, who is in his 18^th year at the helm.

Yale (2-6, 1-0 Ivy) had the better of the play for much of the game but found itself trailing after Harvard’s A.J. Agha scored off a corner kick at 68:38.

The Bulldogs kept pressing for the tying goal but seemed to be snake bit.

That finally changed with 2:15 left when Conner Lachenbruch scored after a wild sequence near the Harvard goal. The ball went off the head of two Crimson defenders and came to Lachenbruch, who jammed it home from the side.

Before the big Reese crowd had settled back into their seats following the goal, Harvard was whistled for a foul just outside the box. Freshman Henos Musie calmly took his time lining up the free kick with the clock winding down, and fired a shot that deflected off Harvard’s defensive wall and just inside the near post with 40 seconds left, setting off a wild celebration on the Yale bench.

It was Musie’s first career goal.

The Crimson (1-6-2, 0-1 Ivy) applied pressure in the final seconds but couldn’t get off a good shot.

Many in the big crowd came on the field to celebrate with the Bulldogs following the final horn.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Yale. Four of those losses came by one goal.

“A lot of close games haven’t gone our way, but our guys showed persistence and grit to come back against our biggest rival,” Tompkins said. “I give our guys all the credit.”

The Bulldogs finished with a 16-6 edge in shots.

Yale, which played five of its seven non-league games on the road, has its next two Ivy contests at Reese, starting next Saturday against Dartmouth.

“Belief and confidence are huge factors in how a season goes,” Tompkins said. “Getting a [positive] result should help our confidence moving forward.”