HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Player of the Game Roberto Carbone (Sr., Genova, Italy) scored five of his eight goals in the second half to account for 5/9ths of Atlantic Division Champion/No. 19-ranked the University of Virginia’s second half offense as the Cavaliers outscored New England Division Champion/No. 15 Yale University by a 9-6 count over the final 14 minutes to post a 16-13 victory in the final opening round game of the 2026 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Competing at the Huntsville Aquatics Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Virginia – which has previously picked up Fifth (2024) and Ninth (2023) place finishes at Nationals to go along with ties for 13th (2022) and 15h (2003) – overcame a seven-all halftime tie to collar the Bulldogs and claim a slot in the quarterfinals. The Cavaliers are guaranteed another Top Eight finish in the 16-team championship field and will return to the water at 9:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, November 7, against Pacific Coast Division Champion/No. 1/defending National Champion California Polytechnic State University for a chance at the program’s inaugural semifinal berth.
Yale – which holds Second (2011), Third (2003), Fourth (2004), Fifth (2005) and Seventh (2009) place results at Nationals – can not finish higher than Ninth in the final 2026 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship standings due to the loss. The Bulldogs will seek to rally back to notch another Top 10 finish as the team begins the quest at 9:50 p.m. this evening in a consolation game versus Southeast Division runner-up the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Knotted at seven-all exiting halftime, Virginia outscored Yale 4-2 in the third quarter to take the lead for good in the game.
Following a go-ahead score by Teddy Meeks (Jr., Menlo Park, Calif.) 40 seconds (6:20) into the third quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 8-7, Carbone connected on a man-up equalizer at 5:47 to square the squads at eight-all. Tomas Watson (Sr., London, England, United Kingdom) responded to give Yale a 9-8 lead, but the Cavaliers out-jousted their foes over the remainder of the third quarter as Ted Zhang (Gr., Salt Lake City, Utah) (3:11), Penn Clay (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.) (1:40, man-up) and Carbone (1:09) provided Virginia with a 11-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Clay inflated the spread to 12-9 21 seconds into the fourth quarter (6:39) and Meeks snapped the Cavaliers’ 4-0 spurt at 6:21 to make it a 12-10 contest. Carbone (5:05, man-up) and Zhang (2:59) padded the lead to 14-10 prior to Meeks depositing a strike at 2:06 to keep Yale on the cusp of a comeback at 14-11.
Carbone began to put the Bulldogs’ comeback hopes to rest by spinning in another marker with 1:39 remaining to return the spread to four goals at 15-11. From there, the teams traded goals as Meeks (45 seconds, man-up; 13 seconds) sandwiched a counterstrike by Carbone with 22 seconds left to establish the 16-13 final score.
For Yale, Meeks finished with nine goals to join Antonio Giraldez Greco (So., New Haven, Conn.) (three goals) and Watson on the scoresheet. Garrett Curtis (Jr., New Haven, Conn.) made a claim for Player of the Game recognition as the goalkeeper turned aside 11 shots in an effort to stymie the Virginia offense.
Carbone (eight), Zhang (five), Clay (two) and Ethan Scifres (Sr., Granite Bay, Calif.) combined for the Cavaliers’ 16 goals to aid an eight save performance by goalie Carter Grohe (Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.).
University of Virginia’s Boris Rubel (#3) & Yale University’s Antonio Giraldez Greco (#15)
University of Virginia’s Roberto Carbone (#20) & Yale University’s Antonio Giraldez Greco (#15)
Yale University’s Ryan Karr (#21) seeks an opening against the University of Virginia’s Sam Lindsey (#16) & Ethan Scifres (#17)
University of Virginia’s Roberto Carbone (#20)
