Yale earns 1-1 Tie With Penn

October 25, 2014

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After falling in their first three Ivy League games – each on the road, the Yale men’s soccer team was determined to make a statement in its Ivy home opener. The Bulldogs did just that, even if the result wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. Yale took it to defending Ivy champion Penn but was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie on a chilly fall night at Reese Stadium.

The Bulldogs (1-9-3, 0-3-1 Ivy) had a significant edge in play, outshooting the Quakers 17-9 and finishing with 10-4 edge in corner kicks.

“I don’t usually say this but I thought we were a little unlucky tonight,” said Yale head coach Brian Tompkins. “Kudos to our players. I thought we really rose to the occasion against a very good team.”

All of the scoring came in the first 6:19 of the game.

The Bulldogs struck first just 2:33 in when Archie Kinnane slipped a nifty pass through the box to Keith Bond, who broke in alone and fired a shot past Penn goalkeeper Max Polkinhorne.

“Keith was excellent tonight,” Tompkins said. “I thought it was maybe his best game since he’s been at Yale. He scored and could have had a couple of more goals.”

Bond was active throughout, finishing with a team-high five shots.

The Quakers (6-6-1, 2-1-1 Ivy) answered Bond’s goal less than four minutes later. Forrest Clancy ripped a free kick over the defensive wall and into the top corner from 25 yards out.

From there, the Bulldogs had the overall edge in play but couldn’t get a second goal.

“I thought we were dangerous and made Penn uncomfortable at times,” Tompkins said. “It was an exciting game, a typical back-and-forth Ivy League affair.”

Yale goalkeeper Blake Brown was forced to make only one save. Polkinhorne stopped three shots for Penn.

The Bulldogs are back in action on Tuesday when they play at UConn. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.