After 24 years, HBS Soccer Club wins the Yale Cup again and brings back the trophy that Yale SOM took from the last Boston Tournament.
It is 9 a.m. in New Haven, and the HBS Soccer Team is ready to kick off against the Yale SOM Alumni Team. The field doesn’t look great — mostly dirt with some chunks of grass — but the team is warmed up and ready for the first match of the tournament, with one objective in mind: winning back the trophy from Yale, who defeated the HBS Soccer Team last spring in the Boston Cup. The tournament includes three teams from Yale, one from Babson, one from Columbia Business School, and the HBS Soccer Team. A combined team of RCs, ECs, and partners makes up the 11 players on the field, plus six waiting on the sidelines, eager to give it their all.
The match begins and turns tough from the outset. The HBS team dominates possession but struggles to break through, as the minutes tick away with limited action from both sides. The first half ends in a tie, with neither team able to find the back of the net. The second half starts with little variation from the first, as players struggle to connect accurate passes, and the strikers receive no quality opportunities. As the clock nears the final moments, a stunning strike from outside the box puts Yale SOM Alumni ahead, 1–0. With only a few minutes left to equalize, HBS pushes forward with determination but lacks precision. They continue pressing, hoping for a breakthrough, but Yale’s defense remains solid. Finally, the referee blows the whistle — it’s over. HBS has lost the first of three group-phase games. The team looks dejected, wondering how they will beat the remaining teams and if they have any chance at all. Then, the captain of the team and Co-President of the Soccer Club, Pablo Eguiguren, steps in and addresses his teammates:
“Guys, do you know the only team that won a World Cup after losing their first match?” The players look at each other. “Exactly,” he says. “Argentina. They lost their first match against Saudi Arabia, but they made it to the final and beat France. We can do it.”
Spirits lifted, the team reorganizes their strategy and steps back onto the field for another 50 minutes to face the Babson Soccer Team, who they’d recently lost to in the Boston Grad League. Again, the field is challenging — the ball bounces unpredictably, making it hard to control. HBS keeps pushing, and the strategy works: they go up 2–1 with goals from Alejandro Bohn and Carlos Valdovinos. The referee blows the whistle, marking HBS’s first victory — a small revenge and three crucial points.
After a brief rest, the team prepares for another 50-minute match against the Yale SOM Team. This is what’s known as a “must win” — HBS has to win in order to advance. Despite tired legs, the team knows what’s at stake. They step firmly onto the field, determined to exact revenge on the team that beat them in the spring tournament and secure the points needed to progress. The game begins, and both teams have chances to score, but neither succeeds. The first 25 minutes fly by with no goals. The second half is even tougher — both teams are giving their all — but the score remains tied. With five minutes left, desperation sets in. Suddenly, a cross comes in from the right, and Juan Agustín Montes rises to meet it with a header that beats the goalkeeper. HBS secures their ticket to the final.
Eguiguren’s words proved prophetic: after losing their first match, HBS is in the final and out for revenge, facing none other than the Yale SOM Alumni Team again. This time, however, the match is on turf, and HBS is eager to demonstrate their true skills, keeping the ball on the ground and targeting the gaps in Yale’s defense.
After some much-needed rest, the team is ready for the final — a 60-minute showdown. Both teams step onto the field with a single goal: winning the trophy. The ball rolls for the last match of the day, bringing the total playtime to 210 minutes. The game begins with intense pressure from Yale. Although HBS feels they are executing their game plan, a miscommunication in defense leaves a Yale striker one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and suddenly, history has repeated itself: Yale takes an early 1–0 lead.
In the face of adversity, HBS remains composed. There is still plenty of time to play, and they haven’t shown their full potential yet. The team starts moving the ball, creating spaces and opportunities. Valdovinos leads the charge and scores a spectacular goal from outside the box while falling to the ground—it’s 1-1. A few minutes later, a perfectly executed free kick from Valdovinos sails over the wall, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to save it. HBS takes the lead, 2-1. Two more goals by Carlos complete a poker, bringing the score to 4–1 in HBS’s favor. The team remains solid in defense, managing the game effectively. Additional goals from Edward Doan (2) and Juan Agustín Montes (1) seal a commanding 7–2 victory. The HBS Soccer Team lifts the trophy, ending a 24-year drought.
2024 has proven to be a magical year for the HBS Soccer Club. After winning the Boston Grad League in the spring, they have now claimed the Yale Cup. Most recently, in honor of the Harvard-Yale football classic, the HBS Soccer Club invited Yale to play two matches as a preview of Saturday’s big game. The HBS RC team defeated Yale’s first team 1–0, while the EC team triumphed over Yale’s second team 4–0, showcasing an impressive display of skill despite the cold and rainy conditions. What lies ahead is an exciting schedule: the Austin Tournament in February, the Boston Cup in the spring, and the ongoing Grad League, where the two HBS teams (RC and EC) will face off in the semifinal during the second semester. With many games and tournaments still to come, the HBS Soccer Team is determined to keep winning.
Special shout-out to the players of the match that brought back the trophy.
Front row: Marcos Pereyra Iraola, Juan Agustín Montes, Pablo Eguiguren, Ousmane Sacko, Carlos Valdovinos. Middle row: Patricio Larraín, Albert Wu, Edward Doan, David Hogan. Top row: Louis, Jin Jung, Morgan Hawthorne, Kyota Sakamoto, Chiedu Onichabor, Alejandro Bohn, Theo Goode, Mubashir Ekungba, Selin Sirinterlikci
Patricio Larraín (Partner of MBA ’25) is from Santiago, Chile. Prior to HBS, he studied Industrial Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Having worked in recycling and circular economy back in Chile, he moved to modular construction in Boston, and currently serves as HBS Soccer Club CFO.
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