Men's soccer controls Ivy, NCAA tourney fate

Despite a close loss to Brown, the Bulldogs can still send their seniors off with a league championship.

By Jeffrey Amster

The men's soccer team has posted a 3-1 record over its last four games despite a disheartening defeat to Brown, raising its season record to 11-4 and 3-2 in Ivy League play. The surge has put the team in position for a potential league championship and NCAA tournament berth.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Kurt Ahlstrand, MC '01 (left), and the Elis must win their final two games to ensure a coveted NCAA tournament bid.

On Sat., Oct. 23, the Bulldogs dominated Columbia in their first Ivy match since a disappointing loss to Dartmouth two weeks earlier on Sat., Oct. 9. In the 2-0 victory, Jay Alberts, SY '03, continued to emerge as a team star, netting both goals for the Elis. "He's very opportunistic," Coach Brian Tompkins said. "He forces defenders to make mistakes and then punishes them." Danny Moss, MC '01, posted the shutout in a sound defensive effort for the Bulldogs.

Four days later, Yale suffered a painful 2-0 defeat at home to archrival Brown on Wed., Oct. 27. The game was scoreless until the 80th minute, when the Bears notched both goals. "We didn't create as many opportunities as we usually do," Tompkins said. Moss added, "We had problems developing the rhythm of our play." Tompkins also noted that the lack of fouls called by the referees was a problem due to Brown's physical play. "It was a frustrating game," Tompkins said. "I really felt that the officiating was poorly managed. The game became untidy and very violent."

The loss was a major setback for the Bulldogs, as it dropped their Ivy League record to 2-2. "The loss really shook our chances at an Ivy League title," Jac Gould, CC '00, said. Moss agreed. "It was a difficult game to lose," he said. "We both play in each other's tournaments, and we've developed a rivalry. It was very disappointing."

The team quickly recovered, outclassing Penn in a 3-0 victory on Sat., Oct. 30. "Penn is a team that's been having some difficulty scoring in the league this year," Tompkins explained. "We put a lot of defensive pressure on them, and we could quite easily have [scored] more. It was a nice way for our seniors to finish out their home careers." Alberts scored another two goals, and Gould added a third. David Boehmer, SM '00, made four saves en route to the shutout.

On Mon., Nov. 1, the Bulldogs easily beat Colgate, 4-1, in the team's final non-league match of the regular season. "We created a lot of opportunities," Tompkins said. "We were unfortunate not to get a couple more goals." Players who were able to convert their scoring opportunities into points included Gould (twice, bringing his season total to nine), defensemen James Pearce, BR '02, and Kurt Ahlstrand, MC '01.

In all likelihood, the Bulldogs' hopes for an NCAA berth rest on their performance in the final two games of the regular season. The Elis will travel to Cornell on Sat., Nov. 6 and then to Princeton on Sat., Nov. 13. If they can pull out two victories, they are virtually assured of winning the Ivy championship and would automatically qualify for their first NCAA tournament bid since 1991.

According to Tompkins, Cornell and Princeton play very different styles of soccer. Cornell is a powerful team that plays a very direct style, while the Tigers are technical and fast, and possess a lot of individual talent. "I think they're going to attack us in different ways," he said. "Any team that attacks suits us because we're a very good counter-attacking team. I'm confident we can cause some problems for them." If Yale fail to sweep both games, it will not win the league title, but it could still be selected for the 32-team NCAA field. Its chances for an at-large bid would be aided by its victories over fifth-ranked Indiana, 14th-ranked St. John's, and 25th-ranked Columbia. Additionally, despite falling out of the NCAA top 25 poll this week, Yale is still ranked third in the Northeast Region behind 11th-ranked Connecticut and 22nd-ranked Brown. However, the team will likely be hurt by its 3-2 loss to Dartmouth and its 5-0 loss to Connecticut.

At-large bids are decided in a room by a committee, not on the soccer field. "Each of [the remaining] games is basically a playoff game," Moss said. "It would be particularly disappointing for the seniors if they didn't get an Ivy League championship or an NCAA berth despite having four 10-win seasons." Thus, in many respects, the tournament begins this weekend for the Bulldogs. If they win, they qualify for the NCAA tournament. If they lose, they can only hope for the best. As Ahlstrand said, "I think the best way to look at it is to take one game at a time."

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