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NEW YORK - The Columbia football team dropped a 25-7 decision to Yale on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium on the first day of November.

The Lions defense saw three players record double-digit tackles with defensive back Malcolm Thaxton, linebacker Gianmarco Rea and defensive lineman Toba Akinleye each boasting 10 tackles.

Ryan Flannery paced the offense with 85 receiving yards on five catches. Early in the fourth quarter, quarterback Trevor McDonagh found Flannery in the end zone for the Lions sole score of the game.

The Bulldogs scored on the opening drive of the game, when Tyler Varga punched it in from 1-yard out, for the only score of the first quarter. Yale led 6-0 after a failed two-point conversion.

Yale scored again at the start of the second quarter the same way it did in the first score of the game, via a 1-yard Varga run. The Bulldogs took a 16-0 lead into the locker room at the half, after adding a Kyle Cazzetta field goal in the second quarter.

Cazzetta converted two more kicks in third quarter, giving Yale a 22-0 lead at the end of three. The Flannery score came at the 13:05 mark in the fourth, on a 4th and goal play from the 12-yard line. The touchdown for Flannery was his second of the season, and McDonagh's seventh of the year through the air.

For the game, Cameron Molina led the rushing attack with 51 yards on the ground, while McDonagh finished 19-for-47 with 232 yards and the touchdown.

Along with his 10 tackles, Thaxton added three pass breakups. Devin Williams added two pass breakups to his seven tackles, while Alexander Holme led the team with two tackles for a loss.

The Lions return to action next Saturday, Nov. 8, when Columbia travels to Harvard for a 1 p.m. kickoff.