"We got caught sleeping on that direct kick," Meagher said. "I didn't see the ball until it was ten yards in, and it may have deflected off of one of our defenders."

With a riotous Yale crowd behind them and a 2-0 lead at home, the Bulldogs coasted for the remaining 25 minutes.

Yale's third goal came from Harris at 77:19, after a well-placed cross from Alberts found the striker behind his man and ready to strike in the box. Meagher got a hand on Harris' point-blank shot, but it deflected over him into the goal for a 3-0 lead.

Yale's second-half onslaught was nothing new this season. Over six games, the Bulldogs' offense has only two goals in the first half, but has scored 10 in the second.

"I am not so sure they were three goals better than us, but were not worrying about it too much," Petruccelli said. "We're still in it. Most teams who win the Ivy League usually have a loss. What we need to do now is get a win against Northeastern and go out to California and have a good show. That's what's important now."

The Crimson will face Boston-area rival Northeastern tomorrow on Ohiri Field at 3:30 p.m.