Yale and Harvard are slated to clash on the gridiron this Saturday, but several other Bulldog squads have already competed in their versions of The Game this fall. In one-on-one matchups, the Bulldogs currently hold a 4–2–1 lead over the Crimson, with field hockey, volleyball, women’s cross country and sailing all delivering wins over Yale’s archrival.
FIELD HOCKEY — WIN
The field hockey team’s class of 2013 made history this year by becoming the first class to defeat Harvard four years in a row. The team’s seniors capped their perfect run against the Cantabs with a 2–1 overtime win over the Crimson in their Ivy League opener in September.
Senior Mary Beth Barham ’13 delivered a two-goal performance to secure the win for the Bulldogs. Her first goal in the 24th minute of the first half gave Yale a 1–0 edge, which held until Harvard’s Noel Painter scored to tie the game with just four minutes left in the second half. At 12:42 into overtime, Barham notched her second goal of the night off a penalty corner to clinch Yale’s historic win.
The Elis ended the season tied with Penn and Cornell for fourth place in the Ivy League, while the Cantabs finished in a last-place tie with Brown.
VOLLEYBALL — WIN
Harvard and Yale battled twice on the volleyball court this fall, with the Bulldogs coming out on top each time. The Bulldogs did not drop a set in either game, sweeping the Crimson 3–0 in both matchups.
The rivals first faced off in Cambridge, when the Elis defeated the Cantabs 25–19, 25–18 and 25–15. Kelly Johnson ’16 led the Elis by hitting .722 with 13 kills, 20 assists, nine digs and no attack errors.
Last weekend, the Bulldogs once again shut down the Crimson in New Haven 25–19, 25–10 and 25–10. Mollie Rogers ’15 had a strong night for the Elis, hitting .480 with a team-high 13 kills.
The Bulldogs ended the season with a perfect 14–0 record against league opponents and their third consecutive Ivy League crown. Up next for the Elis is the NCAA tournament. The tournament’s 64-team field will be announced on Nov. 25.
MEN’S GOLF — WIN
The Bulldogs enjoyed two strong performances against the Crimson this fall. At the MacDonald Cup, held Sept. 29 and 30 at the Yale Golf Course, the Elis clinched first place, earning the trophy and bragging rights over their archrival, who finished in fifth. William Davenport ’15 and captain Bradley Kushner ’13 led the Bulldogs by placing second and 13th, respectively.
Yale also placed ahead of Harvard at the Ivy League Match Play Tournament in October. The Bulldogs finished in fourth while the Crimson trailed in seventh.
WOMEN’S GOLF — Loss
In their first meeting of the season at the Yale Intercollegiate, Harvard bested Yale by five strokes to secure a third-place finish, while the Bulldogs tied with Seton Hall for fourth place.
When both squads teed off again at the Nittany Lion Women’s Invitational, Harvard once again defeated Yale with a second-place finish. The Bulldogs finished the fall season in fifth place at the Lehigh Invitational and will resume their spring season in March.
MEN’S SOCCER — Tie
The men’s soccer team opened its Ivy League season by facing off against Harvard in Cambridge in late September. But neither team could find the back of the net in a 0–0 tie.
The Crimson outshot the Bulldogs 23–11 and finished with a 20–6 edge in corner kicks, but both teams failed to break the stalemate. Yale captain and goalkeeper Bobby Thalman ’13 stopped seven shots, including two in overtime, to keep Harvard off the board for the entire match. Forward Jenner Fox ’14 led the Bulldogs with four shots, two of which were on goal.
Last year, Yale defeated Harvard 1–0 for the first time since 2005. This season, the Elis ended the Ivy League season in sixth.
WOMEN’S SOCCER — Loss
For the fourth consecutive year, the women’s soccer team was unable to snag a win against Harvard.
Crimson midfielder Meg Casscells-Hamby scored just four minutes into overtime to lift Harvard to a 1–0 win in Cambridge, marking the second consecutive year the Bulldogs had fallen to Harvard in extra time and the fourth consecutive loss to the Crimson by a single goal.
The Cantabs outshot the Bulldogs 22–4 in regulation, but neither side could capitalize on its opportunities, sending the game into overtime. Forward Paula Hagopian ’16 had a chance to put the Bulldogs ahead in the 91st minute, but her shot sailed high over the net. Three minutes later, Casscells-Hamby sealed the win for the Cantabs. Yale finished its season sixth in the Ivies.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY — WIN
Though Harvard bested the women’s cross country team at this year’s Ivy League Heptagonal Championships and the NCAA Regionals, the Bulldogs finished ahead of the Crimson in their dual meet in New Haven.
In their one-on-one matchup on Sept. 14, the Elis crushed the Crimson, 19–40, with Yale runners securing six of the top seven spots. Liana Epstein ’14 paced the Bulldogs, finishing in first place with a time of 17:24.78.
However, Harvard dominated the fall’s later meets. When the two teams raced again at Heps, Harvard edged Yale by 15 points, earning a third-place tie with Brown while the Bulldogs came in fifth. At Regionals, Harvard also outperformed the seventh-place Elis with a fourth-place finish.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY — Loss
Yale raced Harvard three times this fall, but each time the Crimson outpaced the Elis.
In a Sept. 14 dual meet in New Haven, Harvard defeated Yale, 21–38. The Crimson also bested the Bulldogs at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships on Oct. 27, when Harvard finished in fifth place, edging out sixth-place Yale by 27 points.
Last weekend, the two teams competed against each other at the NCAA Regionals in Madison, Conn., where Harvard clinched sixth place, with Yale not far behind in eighth.
Matthew Nussbaum ’15 led the Bulldogs at Regionals and finished in 24th place by completing the 10-kilometer course in 31:02.9. However, the team could not qualify for the national championship.