Yale didn't have a lot of high-quality scoring chances Saturday at Penn. Fortunately, the Bulldogs made the most of one of them. Emily Yin one-timed an Aerial Chavarin pass into the top corner midway through the second half to lift Yale to a key 1-0 Ivy League victory over the Quakers in Philadelphia.
It was the fourth straight victory for the Bulldogs, who remain in the thick of the race for the Ivy title with a 4-1 record.
Yale has won nine of its last 10 games overall and sits at 11-3.
Chavarin's strength with the ball helped set up the only goal. She dribbled down the middle, held off a couple of Penn defenders and sent a perfect ball forward to Yin, who finished it with authority from the wing at 72:37.
Yale's defense did the rest, shutting down the Quakers. It was the sixth shutout of the season for the Bulldogs.
"We knew it was going to be a battle today, and credit to Penn for the way they challenged us, especially in the second half," said Brendan Faherty, The Loring Family Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "At the same time, I'm happy with how our group responded when the game became harder for us. We continued to try to get the ball down and play out of the back and were rewarded with a great team goal."
Penn (8-5-1, 2-3 Ivy) finished with a 9-7 edge in shots. The Bulldogs, though, had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Fagel made four saves to earn the win.
It was Yale's first victory over the Quakers since 2009.
Yale is back on the road next Saturday at Columbia. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.
"Our student-athletes have worked really hard this fall, and I'm so happy for them that they are being rewarded for all their efforts," Faherty said. "We will enjoy this win the next few days and then refocus for another big match at Columbia."
