NEW HAVEN, Conn.--On a chilly, hostile night in New Haven, the Harvard men's soccer team dropped 3-0 to No. 8 Yale on Saturday.

In front of a vocal crowd of several hundred, senior forward Jac Gould, Yale's all-time leading goal scorer and last week's Ivy League Player of the Week, put the Bulldogs (5-1, 1-0 Ivy) ahead for good on a low, bouncing shot in the 58th minute of play.

It was the first of three Bulldog goals in a span of 19 minutes after a tightly contested first half, a stretch of time that showcased Yale's senior offensive threats and, by contrast, the Crimson's young, injury-depleted backfield.

Harvard (1-3-1, 1-1 Ivy) traveled without its junior captain Ryan Kelly, who broke his hand on Wednesday night, only hours after the Crimson tied Boston University, 1-1.

While the two teams warmed up on Yale's Soccer-Lacrosse field, the P.A. speakers blared Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle," foreshadowing the tenor of the first half, as the initial 15 minutes were littered with tough fouls and retaliatory challenges that often went uncalled.

"It's an old rivalry, and it was a night game in front of a huge crowd," senior midfielder Armando Petruccelli said. "Everyone in that place was pumped, and I think it was the atmosphere that created the early physical play, not anything personal."

Although play cleaned up as the half progressed, the pace never slowed down, especially around both teams' goals.

Forwards Alan Bengtzen and Will Hench both had good chances early on, but Yale keeper Danny Moss, who entered the game with a 1.40 goals-against average, was impenetrable.

Yale was also pressing in its offensive third, registering three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes.