NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Elian Haddock had a memorable 2019 season. The goalkeeper started all 18 games, earned first team All-Ivy honors and helped the Bulldogs to an Ivy League championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Haddock is certain to again play a prominent role when the team returns to the pitch this fall. He was recently elected captain of 2021-22 Yale men's soccer team.
 
"It is a huge honor to be elected captain of Team 114," said Haddock. "Ever since coming into the program as a first year, I've enjoyed so much of my experience. Being able to lead in this way is a responsibility that I'm really looking forward to. I think that where I can add the most value is in unifying this team after such a long period of being separated. It's hugely important for our success, especially considering that we have a large group without college soccer experience."
 
Haddock and the Bulldogs burst into national prominence in 2019. He finished 16th in the nation in goals against average (0.75) and 20th in save percentage (.794). Yale finished with a 13-3-2 overall record, including a program-record 11-game unbeaten streak to open the season, and a 6-1 Ivy mark which matched the best in school history. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 and were nationally ranked for much of the season, reaching as high as No. 21.
 
"Elian is a great choice to take on this responsibility, and he has already embraced this role very well," said Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "Along with our other rising seniors, he was thrust into even more leadership responsibilities during the past year while dealing with the challenges of the pandemic and not having the opportunity to have a normal junior year and properly learn and transition from the seniors.  Elian has been determined from the time we recruited him to help further elevate Yale men's soccer, and we know he will keep doing a great job of helping lead us into the next chapter of our growth."

A challenge facing the Bulldogs in 2021 will be to maintain and build on the recent success.
 
"I feel really confident about what we aim to do this fall," Haddock said. "Over the long pause I've been working hard mentally and physically as we expect all the players have done, but maybe more importantly, we've all been making an effort to stay in contact with one another and strengthening our bond in different ways."
 
Haddock will have a strong support system in leading the Bulldogs, including his brother and classmate Jeremy.
 
"I'll definitely be relying on Jeremy to help lead this team. We were co-captains in high school, so I feel like we've been here before," Elian said. "That being said, Jeremy and I are only two of a large group of leaders on our team. We have a number of guys who have invested a lot into the growth of the program, so we have a strong core group that we all feel really good about."
 
Haddock is working hard to be ready for the 2021 season. He is training with Manhattan SC in the USL2 league, while interning at a venture capital company.