For the first time in a long while, the field hockey team had something to smile about after a game.

“It was the best cool-down stretch we’ve ever had,” Ali Rotondo ’09 said. “It was nice as a team to come together and talk about all the good things we did.”

The Elis (2-5, 0-2 Ivy) defeated Holy Cross 2-1 in Worcester, Mass. yesterday to snap a five-game losing streak. The win over the Crusaders was Yale’s first since defeating Sacred Heart in its season opener. The team lost to Cornell (5-2, 3-0 Ivy) 3-2 in overtime Friday at Johnson Field.

Against Holy Cross, the team remained aggressive throughout the game, and the defense was able to hold the Crusaders to just two shots. The Bulldogs made 14 attempts.

Holy Cross got on the board early with a goal by Jenna Cook. After that goal, the Yale defense kept the pressure up and held the Crusaders scoreless for the rest of the game.

The Elis, on the other hand, were able to score twice. Their first goal came 25:20 into the contest by Trish Bissett ’07. The teams went into the half with the score tied at 1-1.

Midfielder Harriet Thayer ’08 came through for the Bulldogs with what was the winning goal just over five minutes into the second half.

“In games, the only variable you can really control is how you play as a team,” forward Rachel Lentz ’07 said. “You should attack every situation you can.”

In earlier action Friday night at Johnson Field, the Bulldogs came up short against a strong Cornell squad in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Big Red.

Yale put up a good fight, forcing Cornell’s offense into a scoreless first half. The key defensive play was when goalkeeper Elizabeth Friedlander ’07 stymied a Cornell penalty corner with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

With 25:09 minutes of play remaining, Abbi Horn put Cornell on the board. Less than four minutes later, however, Yale answered right back when midfielder Lindsay Collins ’07 scored on a penalty corner, knotting the game at a goal apiece.

The Bulldogs then grabbed the lead with a little more than 10 minutes to go when Thayer tallied an unassisted goal.

But the game fell back into a tie when Cornell’s Alyssa DePaola connected on a penalty corner, evening the score with 6:54 remaining.

As the overtime played out, the Bulldogs’ offense remained aggressive, taking six shots compared to Cornell’s three. Their aggressiveness went for naught, though, when Cornell’s Belen Martinez connected on a penalty corner with 7:11 remaining in overtime to notch the win.

Despite the loss, Yale came away with impressive statistics. The Bulldogs outshot Cornell 21-10 in the entire game and were awarded with seven penalty corners compared to the Big Red’s five.

The statistics are even more telling coming in a game against a team like Cornell.

“Cornell’s a very good, young team, and right now they’re riding the momentum of their wins,” head coach Pam Stuper said.

Even against the Big Red, the Bulldogs refused to give up during the match, an attitude that certainly helped the team yesterday.

“All our hard work and everything we’ve been trying to do paid off [Sunday],” Stuper said. “It’s a great step in the right direction.”