Yale Edges George Mason 2-1

September 21, 2018

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Another big Friday night crowd at Reese Stadium was treated to another very strong performance from the Yale men’s soccer team. Paolo Carroll scored in the first half, and Aldo Quevedo added a second-half goal as the Bulldogs topped George Mason 2-1.

Yale (3-2-1) is now unbeaten in its last three games, including last Friday's 2-2 tie with then No. 4 Michigan State.

“We had really been preaching consistency in our mentality and focus for 90 minutes going into this game because that’s what winning teams are able to do, and to keep performing at a high level like we have been was our main goal. The guys executed this very well,” said Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs. “This was a similar game and feel to our Fairfield game with how we dominated the first half but were only up 1-0. This time, we did a better job of controlling the game again in the second half and being smarter and more mature in our possession, and it still resulted in a second goal.”

The Bulldogs had the better of the play for a large majority of the game. They had a 6-1 edge in shots in the first half and had a 1-0 lead at the intermission thanks to Carroll’s goal. It was set up when Nicky Downs tapped a ball forward to Enzo Okpoye. Okpoye took a couple of dribbles forward and sent a long pass to Carroll, who quickly fired a shot inside the far post at 25:55.

Carroll, the two-time reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, now has two goals and three assists in his last three games,

Yale kept the pressure on early in the second half and was rewarded at 61:25. Downs again started the play, sending a ball to Lucas Kirby. Kirby streaked down the near sideline and sent a cross to Quevedo, who finished.

Ryan Mingachos, a Danbury, Conn., native playing in front of a number of family and friends, cut the lead to 2-1 at 76:54 when he headed home a Colin Brezniak free kick.

The Bulldogs, though, protected the lead very well, limiting the Patriots to very few scoring opportunities.

“I’m always really disappointed to give up a goal on a restart so it gave some life to George Mason and made the game interesting at the end, but I’m really proud how we managed the last few minutes and didn’t give them many good looks,” Stannard said. “George Mason is a good team and our performance was very good all around, and especially given it’s our third game in eight days.”

Goalkeeper Tom Wallenstein made two saves to earn the victory.

George Mason (1-3) was playing its first game since Sept. 8 because of the effects of Hurricane Florence.

The Bulldogs, who open Ivy League play next Saturday at Harvard, are at Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.

“We have another quick turnaround on Sunday so we will do our best to rest and recover,” Stannard said.