YALE SOCCER FALL 2017 / NEWS
From the Association Dear Alumni and Friends of Yale Soccer, The 2017 season is finally upon us! We are a few weeks into the Fall and both the men and women are off to promising starts including challenging west coast trips against nationally ranked opponents. Enclosed in this newsletter are notes from both coaches that include their thoughts on the first few weeks, their west coast trips, and also thoughts from both the men’s and women’s captains. We had a successful Alumni gathering in Chicago in August with 25 teammates from the class of ‘96 through 2002 getting together. It was great reconnecting with old teammates and it was amazing to see the strength of the friendships 20 years after graduation for many of us. The event was an excellent reminder of the importance of the shared experience we have through Yale Soccer. See photo attached.... The common refrain in Chicago was “Why don’t we do this more often.” That’s my subtle transition to Alumni weekend which is fast approaching. We hope to see many of the group from Chicago and many more at the annual Alumni weekend and golf outing on the 13th and 14th of October. More details about the weekend’s events are included on the back of this newsletter. Everyone’s schedules are packed but reach out to a few teammates and make a plan to come back to Yale. As you follow the teams this fall and read the coaches’ updates in this newsletter I am confident you will see both programs are showing significant positive momentum. While the players
Men’s & Women’s Soccer Teams 2017-18
and coaches are doing their part on the field we need to do our part to support them. An active and engaged alumni association is critical for a successful program. I invite and encourage you to get involved in any of our association initiatives that help support and strengthen Yale Soccer. We currently have mentoring, communication, events, and fundraising committees, and welcome new members who are interested in participating in any way. The work of our association also provides fundraising support for Kylie, Rudy, and the student athletes of Yale Soccer. The funds raised go to the most critical needs of the teams including travel for games, equipment, and recruiting the next generation of players. No gift is too small – every dollar counts. To show your support, you can mail a check to the Yale Soccer Association, PO Box 1844, New Haven CT 06508. If you would like to make a gift via credit card, simply visit giving.yale.edu, click ‘Make a Gift Now’, and be sure to select ‘Athletics’ and ‘Soccer’ from the drop down menus. (Remember, all gifts to the YSA count towards your personal and class giving totals for your next reunion!) Thank you for your continued support, Sam Powers ’98 & Vanessa Resnick ‘05 Yale Soccer Association Presidents
Coaches Corner Rudy Meredith, Head Coach of Women’s Soccer Dear YSA Alumni, Friends and Family, We hope this letter finds you in good health and enjoying the current soccer season as much as we are. For the first time in our history we have opened up our schedule with SIX victories in a row. Unfortunately, we suffered a heavy defeat in our 7th game when we played a hugely impressive Stanford team during our West Coast trip. In reflecting on the match itself, it offered us a great opportunity to continue to improve on our past seasons. Despite that loss the players were buoyed by the support in the stands at Stanford where our Bulldogs fans out performed their local rivals in the level and loudness of team support. The entire trip was a wonderful experience for our athletes, with memories made both on and off the field. Thank you to everyone who came out to show their support! It was great to see alumni, friends, and family in the stands. Of our 6 victories to date we have toppled some hefty opponents and regular names in post season play. Hofstra, UConn and ACC Miami have all pushed us hard, but we overcame those challenges and the players represented the program in a professional and determined manner. To say I’m proud is an understatement.
This past weekend we saw two challenging games; the first at home against Colorado College on Friday evening where we came to a 1-1 draw, and the second a Sunday afternoon game on the road at UMass where we fell short by a goal. The trip to Amherst, MA gave us the opportunity to play on a grass field before our next matchup. I am looking forward to Ivy League play, which commences this weekend. We head to Princeton on Saturday, September 23rd, and then host Harvard a week later. Two huge games. This year, more than most, we feel even better prepared for the challenge. We look forward to your continued support and hope to see you at the games in person. You are always welcome! You can also see our games on the Ivy League Network. And, as always, if you just want to catch up please feel free to reach out. You can always reach me at rudolph.meredith@yale. edu or on my cell at 203-464-4865. I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully seeing you at Alumni Weekend in October. Go Bulldogs! -Rudy
Captain’s Q & A Carlin Hudson ‘17
How would you describe this year’s team in one word? Passionate What was your favorite moment from this past fall season? I’m most looking forward to Princeton, because it’s the Ivy League opener. We’re always so excited for the start of the Ivies because Princeton is historically strong, and if we knock them off, we start conference on a high note. What does it mean to you to be a captain at Yale? It means a lot that my team has confidence in me to lead them to a successful season. I’m extremely honored to play this role for Yale Women’s Soccer.
Coaches Corner Kylie Stannard 5K Corral Head Coach of Yale Men’s Soccer Dear Yale Men’s Soccer Alumni, It is hard to believe we are already over a third of the way through our season! We have had a very busy, but productive start to the season, starting with a three game home stand with two wins and a loss to Fairleigh Dickinson University. It was one of the most dominating performances I have seen from our team, with 21 shots and eight corner kicks to their eight shots and one corner kick. We responded well with back to back wins and shutouts over Howard and Hartford, the first time that has happened since 2012. Our first test on the road came against Vermont, a 2nd round NCAA tournament team from 2016. After a very poor first half, we responded very well in the second and forced a couple of great saves and a goal line clearance in the last three minutes, but couldn’t find the equalizer and lost 1-0. The trip to Vermont was a good test and preparation for our most recent trip to the West Coast where we Stanford and Cal, two elite college soccer programs and academically prestigious universities. Against Cal, we worked out some nerves in the first half but were great defensively and went into half 0-0. We settled into the second half and played some really good soccer, including having more shots on goal than Cal. Unfortunately, their one shot on goal found the back of the net on a special play from a special player. With less than 48 hours between games, we kicked off against the back-to-back national champions, the #5 ranked Stanford Cardinal. Stanford came out strong and scored off a questionable corner kick call. Our response was amazing and we equalized just one minute later. Although under a lot of pressure, we went into half 1-1 against the champs. Our fitness and work rate was sensational and we created many great opportunities in the second half and at many times, we looked like the better team. Stanford was awarded with controversial penalty with just a few minutes left in the game and they were able to close the game out from there. Despite the losses against these top programs, I am extremely proud of the way the Bulldogs represented Yale and the Ivy League at the highest level both on and off the field. Off the field, we were able to do some sightseeing in the beautiful Bay Area, see an MLS game, and connect with nearly 20 YMS alumni from the West Coast at two different gatherings. The memories that our young men will have for a lifetime will be treasured. Thank you to the alumni, family, and friends who came out to support YMS - we actually had more
fans present than Stanford! 2017 marks the 10th consecutive year where we begin the Ivy season facing our biggest rival, Harvard. Looking at the league, Harvard is returning most everyone from last year’s team that was ranked in the top 20 RPI. Columbia and Brown are off to excellent starts and should be contenders. Dartmouth is always a top contender, and are the team to beat having won the league the past three years. Your Bulldogs are hungry to compete for the Ivy Championship this year. We are confident in our abilities, preparation, and senior leadership. We hope to see you at alumni weekend to cheer on your Bulldogs! Boola Boola! Best regards, Kylie
Captain’s Q & A Archie Kinnane ‘17
How would you describe this year’s team in one word? Lads. What was your favorite moment from this past fall season? We are trying to take the season one game at a time, and give all our focus to our next opponent. Right now, that is St. Joe’s in Philadelphia. After the St. Joe’s game, we play Harvard at home, which is always a very fun and intense game and we would love to start off the Ivy season with a big home victory over our oldest rival!” What does it mean to you to be a captain at Yale? It is a huge honor and responsibility, and I’m so grateful and excited to have the opportunity to lead the team this year together with the other seniors.
Yale Soccer Alumni/ae Weekend It is with great sadness that we share news of the sudden passing of former women’s soccer assistant coach and athletic administrator Fritz Rodriguez. We gratefully remember Fritz for influencing the lives of so many in the Yale community with his warmth and caring and his ever-present smile. Memorial and funeral information will be forwarded at a later date.
Schedule of Events: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 4v4 Coed Alumni Tournament (Teams of 5: 4 players, 1 sub) 7:00PM - Reese Stadium SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 Golf Outing - The Course at Yale 8:00AM - Registration Opens 9:00AM - Tee Off Yale Doubleheader - Reese Stadium 2:30PM - Women's Game vs Cornell 5:00PM - Men's Game vs Cornell To register and RSVP for alumni weekend, please visit: http://www.cvent.com/d/ftqn2x/1Q
Save the Date for The Blue Leadership Ball presented by President Peter Salovey and Athletic Director Thomas Beckett proudly honoring the GEORGE H.W. BUSH ‘48 LIFETIME OF LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS Abigail Disney ’82, Volleyball Dick Jauron ’73, Football, Baseball Carole M. Stanyar ’78, Basketball, Softball, Volleyball Geoff Tabin ’78, Tennis Joe Tsai ’86, ’90, Lacrosse