1977
Captains Nannette Beckley ’78 and Karen Nelson ’78 led the team to its first victory, a 5-1 decision at Vassar on Oct. 5, in Yale’s first varsity season. That team was coached by Roberto Taylor (5-5-2, 1 year). Cynthia Hayden ’79 scored Yale’s first goal at home in a 2-2 OT tie with Tufts on Oct. 8.
1978
Chico Chacurian (17-16-7, 3 years) took over as head coach.
1979
Newcomer Elizabeth Traver ’84 set a school record with 18 goals. The first-team All-Ivy center-forward, had all but six of the team’s goals while notching three hat tricks, a pair of two-goal performances and four game-winners, which earned her a spot in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.” She also owns the Yale career records for goals (39) and points (99).
1980
Sept. 26: Led by captain Shannon O’Brien ’81, the Bulldogs notched an Ivy League-record 17 goals in a shutout of Rhode Island College at New Haven that included 10 tallies and four assists from Elizabeth Traver ’84.
1981
Margaret Dunlop (20-34-2, 4 years) became Yale’s new head coach.
1982
The Bulldogs competed in the first official (round-robin play) Ivy League Women’s Soccer season and finished 3-2 for third place.
1985
Felice Duffy (60-89-3, 10 years) began a tenure as head coach that included the program’s first championship.
1991
Forward Laura Valade ’92 was Yale’s first Ivy League Player of the Year. The Trumbull, Conn., native earned MVP honors in the New England Senior All Star game and was recognized as one of the top 30 senior female NCAA soccer players by the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America.
Sept. 19: In a matchup of the Ivy’s two best teams, the Blue avenged a 1991 loss to Brown by edging the Bruins 3-2 at Providence.
Oct. 31: Yale clinched the title on Halloween by beating Penn 6-0 at Philadelphia behind goalkeeper Tina Pihl ’93.
Nov. 8: The Elis, who won their first two ECAC Tournament games, fell at No. 13 Rutgers in the championship contest, 2-0 in OT.
1993
For the second straight season, Jen Teti ’94 (six goals, 9 assists) was named Ivy League Player of the Year, giving a Yale player the top league award three consecutive times. Teti was also a three-time, first-team All-Ivy selection who tied the school record with 21 career assists while making the All-New England and All-North squads.
1996
Defender Lorelei Wall ’00 earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, but the offense was the story of the season with a school-record 56 goals while Jill Rubinstein ’99 established a new Yale record with 39 points.
1997
Nov. 1: Blanca Fromm ’98, who owns the school record for career assists with 29, broke the Ivy League record for assists in a game with four in a 4-3 win over Penn at New Haven.
1998
Annie Kwon ’99 earned her third selection on the first team of the All-Ivy League squad.
2002
Yale finished 12-5-2 overall and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance with senior goalie Lindsay Sabel ’03 setting a new school career records for goals against (0.86).
Nov. 15: Yale and Villanova go scoreless through double OT, but the Bulldogs win 1-0 on penalty kicks (4-2) at Philadelphia in round one of NCAAs. Lindsay Sabel ’03 made 13 saves for the Elis. Ali Cobbett ’03, Chandra King ’03, Laurel Karnes ’06 and Lee Anne Jasper ’04 found the net in the shoot-out.
Nov. 17: The Elis fell 1-0 to Nebraska in the second round of the national tournament.
2004
The Bulldogs, who tied a school record with nine shutout wins, produced a 13-5 overall mark that earned them an NCAA Tournament ticket after a second-place Ivy League finish. Goalie Sarah Walker ’05, defender Christina Huang ’07 and forward Laurel Karnes ’06 were all first-team All-Ivy League picks. Yale lost 2-1 to Villanova in the first round of the national tournament.
2005
Yale, which won its first outright Ivy League title with a 5-1-1 mark under captain Eleni Benson ’06, earned its best national ranking ever at No. 13 in the NSCAA Poll while making the third round of the NCAA College Cup before finishing with a school-record 15 wins (15-4-1). The season also included a program-best 12-game unbeaten streak and a record, 11-game win streak.
Nov. 5: The Elis, who outscored opponents 34-9 on the year, clinched the Ivy title with a 3-0 win over Brown before a crowd of 1,400 at Yale's Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium. Mimi Macauley '07, Crysti Howser '09 and Emma Whitfield '09 all scored, while Chloe Beizer '07 needed just two saves to post the shutout.
Nov. 12: Yale’s first home NCAA Tournament game was a 3-0 win over Central Connecticut.
Nov. 14: The Bulldogs beat No. 3 Duke 2-1 at New Haven as Yale senior midfielder Laurel Karnes ’06 put the ball in the back of the net, after a crossing feed from Ivy League Rookie of the Year Crysti Howser ’09, with just one second remaining in regulation to complete an unbeaten home slate.
Nov. 19: The magical season came to an end at Notre Dame against the defending national champions in a 5-2 loss to the Irish.
2006
Christina Huang ’07, a 2006 second-team NSCAA All-America pick on defense, finished her career as Yale’s only four-time, first-team All-Ivy League selection.
2009
Forward Becky Brown ’11 was Ivy League Player of the Year with 12 goals and 28 points, while midfielder Kristen Forster ’13 (1 goal, 10 points) earned Rookie of the Year honors.
2011
Forward Melissa Gavin ’15 was Ivy League Rookie of the Year after netting six goals with 19 points.
2014
Goalie Elise Wilcox ’15 established Yale season records for goals against (0.50) and save percentage (.914) and was Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. Midfielder Meredith Speck ’15 completed her career as a three-time, first-team All-Ivy League selection.
2016
Forward Aerial Chavarin '20 was Ivy League Rookie of the Year after leading the Bulldogs with nine goals and 23 points.
2017
The Elis, who opened with a 1-0 win at UConn, went unbeaten (6-0-2) at Reese Stadium, including victories over Miami, Harvard and Dartmouth. Forward Michelle Alozie ’19 was Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year after notching nine goals and 23 points.
2019
The Bulldogs had a pair of four-game win streaks while Aerial Chavarin ’20, the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection, made the United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team before earning the Nellie Pratt Elliot Award, Yale’s top prize for a senior female athlete. Chavarin was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars and played her first game in the NWSL Fall Series.
Dec. 3: Sarah Martinez took over as the Loring Family Head Coach of Yale Women’s Soccer.
2020
Sept. 12: Aerial Chavarin 20 plays her first NWSL game with the Red Stars in the Fall Series.