NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Kahveh Zahiroleslam made sure Senior Night was memorable for
Enzo Okpoye. Zahiroleslam scored a pair of second-half goals, including one that was SportsCenter top-10 worthy, as Yale remained unbeaten in Ivy League play with a 2-1 victory over Brown at Reese Stadium.
"It's always extra special to win on Senior Night, and I'm so happy for Enzo to finish his last game at Reese on a positive note," said
Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "It was a strong performance overall against a dangerous Brown team."
The Bulldogs (7-4-4 overall) are unbeaten in their last eight games overall and are 4-0-2 in league matches. Unfortunately, Yale was eliminated from the Ivy League title chase when Princeton (6-0 Ivy) clinched the crown with a 1-0 win at Penn later on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Stannard is pleased with what his young team has accomplished so far this season.
"I'm proud of our team to put ourselves in a position to fight for the Ivy League title this late in the season," he said.
The Bulldogs will close out the regular season at Princeton next Saturday at 4 p.m.
After a scoreless first half, Zahiroleslam got Yale on the board at 55:25 when he headed home a
Sigfus Arnason cross.
Jules Oberg also assisted on the goal.
Less than 10 minutes later, Zahiroleslam struck again in highlight-reel fashion. He settled a clear, put the ball through a Brown defender's legs, and fired a shot into the top corner.
Zahiroleslam, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, now has seven goals on the season.
A two-goal lead was more than enough for a Yale defense that had allowed only one goal in its first five Ivy games.
The Bulldogs seemed poised for another shutout, but Brown scored with only four seconds remaining. All that remained after that was for the Bulldogs to clear the ensuing kickoff down the field as time expired.
Goalkeeper
Elian Haddock was again sharp, finishing with three saves.
Okpoye, the only senior on the Yale roster, was honored prior to the game.
