Kenagy Scores For Bulldogs

In the days leading up to Yale's games at California and Stanford, Kylie Stannard, The 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs, talked about how there probably wasn't a better or more challenging trip in all of college soccer. Stannard can certainly be pleased with how his team handled the two games. While disappointed with the final outcome, the Bulldogs more than held their own against Cal on Friday, dropping a 1-0 decision, before giving two-time defending NCAA champion Stanford all it could handle in a 3-1 loss on Sunday.

"I thought I was proud of this team before this weekend, but they continue to impress me more and more," Stannard said. "They just traveled across the country and played toe to toe with a top 25 caliber program in Cal and then turned around less than 48 hours later and played an excellent game against the back-to-back national champions that haven't even started classes yet."

The Cardinal, who is ranked fifth in the nation, was awarded two penalty kicks in the game, including one that was stopped by Yale goalkeeper Kees Schipper. The Bulldogs perhaps should have been awarded a penalty kick late in the second half when a ball appeared to deflect off a Stanford players' hand in the box.

"I thought we deserved a better outcome today with the performance we displayed," Stannard said. "We executed everything tactically to a "T" and I thought we were pretty hard done by with two penalty kicks against us. Kees made a top class save on their first penalty call which I felt was justice, and we were actually fouled on the play they got their second penalty."

Stanford struck first when Tomas Hilliard-Arce headed home Derek Waldeck's corner kick at 13:39.

The Bulldogs answered almost immediately. Justin Lobe sent a long throw-in that Kyle Kenagy headed in for his first goal of the season exactly one minute later.

The score stayed at 1-1 until early in the second half when Logan Panchot fired a shot inside the far post from 20 yards out at 50:28.

Tanner Beason scored on a penalty kick with 6:32 left to cap the scoring.

Despite the outcome, Stannard welcomed the opportunity to face the Cardinal, one of the most storied and successful programs in the nation.

"I have been using Stanford as an example for our program for the past couple of years, both from an academic and sporting perspective," he said. "They have set the bar very high and they are a sensational program. Coach [Jeremy] Gunn is as good as it gets and to have the opportunity to come and play them and compete with them as well as we did was a special opportunity for our program.  They are where we want to be, and we will take great lessons from this trip, from both Cal and Stanford."

Stannard also was appreciative of the many Yale fans in attendance.

"It was amazing to have so much support out here with family, friends and alumni," he said. "They actually outnumbered the Stanford fans and gave us some incredible energy."

The game was particularly memorable for senior Josh Totte, a Palo Alto, California native.

The Bulldogs are off until next Saturday when they play at Saint Joseph's at 7 p.m.

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