NEW HAVEN, Conn. – First year David Leidl scored the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute to give the Yale men's soccer team a 3-2 victory over Harvard on Saturday evening at Reese Stadium. In an exciting back-and-forth affair, four of the game's five goals were scored in the final 15 minutes.
With the victory, Yale improved to 3-6-2 overall with a 1-1-2 mark in Ivy League play. The Bulldogs with in fifth place in the conference standings, just one point back from the fourth slot. Harvard dropped to 3-6-3 with a 2-2 record in Ivy League games.
"Wow, what a great college soccer game," said Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "I can't express enough my level of pride in this team. We played very well for the large majority of the game and I thought we were especially strong in the first half. We knew Harvard is always really good in the second half and we just had to be ready for that and keep our heads, which isn't easy with emotions high."
"We did a fantastic job tonight of staying in the moment when we faced adversity and we showed a lot of belief and maturity to respond as well as we did and to come out on top," Stannard said. "This can be a huge stepping stone for this team and we look forward to building off this."
How it Happened
- 23' | YALE GOAL! Danny Grumann delivered a cross into the box for Sven Meacham who finished the play with a header. 1-0 YALE
- 76' | Harvard tied the game on a goal by Ben Kelly. 1-1
- 80' | YALE GOAL! Five minutes later, Nathan Harmon sent a ball into the box at the far post to Leidl. The first year headed it to Owen Bull who scored with his left foot off the volley. 2-1 YALE
- 83' | Harvard responded with a goal by Dylan Tellado to tie the game once again. 2-2
- 84' | YALE GOAL! Just over one minute later, the Bulldogs earned a corner kick. Meacham sent a perfect ball into the box to Leidl who rose above the Harvard defense, converting the game-winning header.
Game Notes
- Yale earned its first home win against Harvard since 2019.
- The Bulldogs matched their season-high goal total.
- Meacham scored his first goal of the season and added an assist. He leads the team with nine points. Meacham leads the Ivy League with seven assists this season.
- Bull scored his first collegiate goal.
- Leidl added his second goal of the season. He also tallied one assist.
- Yale goalkeeper Josh Linebaugh made four saves, earning the victory.
Up Next
"We have a quick turnaround but we look forward to using our depth to go into the next game," Stannard said.
The Bulldogs will host Fairfield in a midweek matchup on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.
