Bulldogs Drop 1-0 Decision; Tigers Clinch Share Of Ivy Title

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It was a day of celebration on Saturday at Reese Stadium. It started with a ceremony honoring Yale's seniors and ended with a tribute to Brian Tompkins, who coached the Bulldogs for the final time.

In between, Princeton clinched at least a share of the Ivy League title. Cameron Porter scored the only goal of the game at 57:25 as the Tigers knocked off the Bulldogs on a very chilly afternoon.

Yale's four seniors – Peter Ambiel, Blake Brown, Conner Lachenbruch and Kevin Michalak – all saw action. That was especially sweet for Michalak, who has been unable to play this season due to injury.

The ceremony for Tompkins also was special as several of his former players were on hand to pay tribute to him.

"I was shocked how many of our great players of the past were here. I had no idea they were coming," Tompkins said. "I'm honored that they came back."

Tompkins finishes as the second winningest men's soccer coach in school history with 138 career wins. He guided the Bulldogs to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and an Ivy League title in 2005.

Yale made a valiant effort to send Tompkins out with a victory. The Bulldogs went toe-to-toe with the Tigers throughout the game, but were done in by one negative moment. It came early in the second half when Porter banged in a rebound after Brown had stopped his initial shot. Porter now has 15 goals, which far and away leads the league.

The Bulldogs had one great opportunity to tie in the 76th minute when Ollie Iselin sent a wide ball to Avery Schwartz, who fired a shot that deflected off the post.

"We held our own and had a couple of opportunities," Tompkins said. "Credit to Princeton. They are a very deserving champion."

The Tigers, who won their fifth straight game, had only a 13-11 edge in shots. Both teams had five corner kicks.

It was the 10th time this season that Yale played a game that ended 1-0.

Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity