LOWELL, Mass. – It was a night of firsts for the Yale men's soccer team in their final non-conference road game.
Quanah Brayboy, Alex Umana and
Olivier Van Spaendonck all scored their first career goals as the Bulldogs cruised to a 3-0 victory over UMass Lowell.
It was the second straight victory for Yale, which finished a very challenging non-conference road schedule at 5-0-2.
The Bulldogs (6-1-3 overall) wasted little time seizing control. Brayboy scored less than four minutes into the game, firing a hard shot from in front inside the far post off assists from
Paolo Carroll and
Sigfus Arnason.
Yale kept the pressure on but was facing a talented goalkeeper in Jacob Heihsel, who kept the River Hawks in the game despite being under heavy pressure.
The Bulldogs broke through again midway through the second half when Umana headed home a perfect
Max Rogers corner kick at 72:11.
Van Spaendonck's goal also was pretty. He finished with a hard shot to the top corner after a nifty forward ball from
Sandor Pelle.
Yale was in complete control throughout, outshooting UMass Lowell 23-9, while having a 9-3 edge in corner kicks.
Goalkeeper
Chris Edwards made his first start of the season and stopped two shots to post the shutout.
"These are often tricky games and especially in the middle of the season when everyone is a little banged up," said
Kylie Stannard. the 5K Corral Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "Our starters set a great tone, and we knew we were going to need contributions from a lot of guys, so I am really happy for the entire team for taking care of business. It is also really special to have three different players score their first career goals. This was a great team performance and we were overdue for a shutout, so I am also very happy about that."
The Bulldogs are back on the road on Saturday when they face Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
