NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Yale men's soccer team begins its 2026 campaign on Friday, August 28, when the Bulldogs host in-state rival Quinnipiac. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Reese Stadium.
The Bulldogs concluded the 2025 season with a 3-9-3 record, but finished just one game outside of qualifying for an Ivy League Tournament berth for the first time since winning the postseason event in 2023. Yale picked up victories over Columbia, New Haven, and Brown. This year, the Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh in the Ivy League Preseason Poll.
Moving Forward
The Bulldogs graduated a large, 10-person senior class, including former team captain Diego Zaffanella and starting goaltender Conrad Lee.
Yale returns an experienced core on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field, featuring nearly a dozen players who appeared in 10 or more games last season. Sven Meacham returns for his junior year after a fantastic sophomore campaign in which he landed a spot on the All-Ivy Second Team. Meacham tallied one goal and six assists. His assist total was second in the Ivy League and the most by a Yale player since 2023. Sophomore Angelo Zhu will be a catalyst in the midfield, as he was in his debut season with the Bulldogs in 2025. Zhu tied for the team lead with two goals and was an All-Ivy Honorable Mention selection as a first year. Classmate Billy Altirs also netted two goals, while sophomore Sebi Roy added a goal and an assist. The Bulldogs boast a strong backline, with Owen Bull and Andrew Myerson expected to log the bulk of the minutes. Yale will also rely on the veteran leadership of captain Nick Miller, Simon Adjakple, and goalkeeper Constantin Jung.
Welcome to Yale
The Bulldogs welcome 10 new players to the roster: first years Dijon Fosu, Keegan Clamp, David Pousseu, Ethan Otterberg, Danny Grumann, Felix Wessels, David Leidl, sophomore Tunkanmi Opeyemi, junior Sebastian Cuervo, and senior Michael Kluger.
Last Time Out
Last season, the Bulldogs and the Bobcats tied 2-2 in an exciting game in which Yale found the equalizer from Altirs in the 89th minute. The Bulldogs hold an 8-4-3 record over Quinnipiac since 2000.
Scouting Quinnipiac
The Bobcats enter Friday's contest with a 1-1 record. Quinnipiac dropped its season opener 3-1 to Missouri State before rebounding for a 3-2 victory over Providence. Sophomore Taehyeon Lim leads the team with one goal and one assist.
