Yale's M. Soccer team falls in Tourney

The Yale Daily News NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- (U-Wire) Their dream season came to an abrupt halt on Sunday. No. 24 Yale (13-5-1, 4-2-1 Ivy) fell 3-0 at No. 6 Connecticut (18-4) in their second-round NCAA Tournament match. Yale beat No. 20 Rutgers (12-6-3) 1-0 in double overtime on November 20th to reach the second- round matchup. The Huskies -- who were seeded fourth in the tournament -- produced a brilliant performance, controlling the run of play and ball possession for most of the game. With their flowing and up-tempo style, they produced many quality scoring chances and showed the form that has made them a legitimate contender for the national championship. "There are a group of teams that make it a goal to play attractive attacking soccer and they [Connecticut] are certainly at the head of the group," head coach Brian Tompkins said. "Teams like that deserve to be the national powers and they're as good as anybody I've seen." Connecticut produced several good scoring chances early, and got the first breakthrough in the 22nd minute. Big East Defensive Player of the Year Chris Gbandi fed first-team All-Big East forward Luis Arauz, who tiptoed his way around several Eli defenders before slotting the ball into the back of the net. The Elis came out stronger in the second half by applying more pressure up front to create scoring chances, but that elusive goal never came. Instead, it was the Huskies who tacked on a second goal in the 77th minute after a misclear by goalkeeper Danny Moss that allowed Michael Mordocco to tap the ball into an empty net. Mordocco then added another goal with two minutes left in the match for the final 3-0 victory. With the Huskies controlling ball possession throughout the match, the Elis could not come up with any type of attack that threatened the Connecticut goal. The strong Husky midfield dominated throughout and made it difficult for the Elis to establish a good rhythm. "When they move the ball, they move it as well as anybody," Tompkins said. "They've got such quickness and they can be a handful." Sunday's loss was the final game for Yale's five seniors -- David Boehmer, Gould, Phil Harris, Chung-Ming Ip and captain Hiro Suzuki. Those five players have been the backbone of the squad during their four years. They brought a team that finished in last place before they arrived to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. "To be able to take a program that was in the cellar of the Ivy League, bring it back up to the top half every year and contending against national powerhouses like Connecticut, we're proud of what we've done," Suzuki said. It also ends one of Yale's best seasons ever. The Elis finished up with a school record 13 victories and beat four top-25 teams, including St. John's, Georgetown, Rutgers and defending national champions Indiana.