If the opening weekend is any indication, Yale men's soccer fans are in for a very entertaining and nerve-wracking season. On Friday, the Bulldogs tallied a late goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in the second half to edge Fairfield 3-2. On Sunday in Philadelphia, Villanova got a tie-breaking goal with less than 20 minutes left in regulation to earn a 2-1 win over Yale at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
The Bulldogs (1-1) had opportunities in the final minutes but couldn't score the equalizer.
 
"This was a good test for us, but we are disappointed that we didn't have a full 90-minute performance," said Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "We did well to dictate the game we wanted in the first half, but we did not execute at all at the level we expect in the second half. Credit to Villanova for their ability to make it more difficult for us in the second half, and they were very dangerous in their attacking transition. However, we also need to be much better on the ball and with our decision making as we gave the ball away far too easily on too many occasions."
 
Goalkeeper Elian Haddock was strong for Yale, finishing with eight saves.
 
Most of Haddock's saves came off shots from Lyam Mackinnon, who was far and away the most dangerous player for the Wildcats. He fired 10 shots at the Yale goal. One of his early attempts found the back of the net at 17:25 to give Villanova a 1-0 lead.
 
Yale tied it less than five minutes later when Paolo Carroll scored on a penalty kick.
 
It remained tied until the 72nd minute when Villanova's Balthi Saunders scored, assisted by Mackinnon.
 
The Wildcats, who were playing their fourth game of the season, out shot Yale 15-11. Only three of Yale's shots were on goal.
 
The Bulldogs had a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.
 
"I think we missed a good opportunity today, but we will get better from this," Stannard said.
 
After playing its first two games on the road, Yale has its home opener at Reese Stadium on Saturday against UMass Lowell. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.