After a solid performance in a loss to Princeton, the Bulldogs shut out Cornell 3–0 during their annual “Get a Grip” game on Saturday before losing to Quinnipiac on Sunday.
The Saturday game against Cornell at home was the team’s fourth fundraiser for the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation in honor of former Eli goalkeeper Ona McConnell ’13.
“It was really awesome to be able to win on Saturday not only because it was an Ivy game, but also because we were able have a successful day on top of raising awareness for one our teammates who was also able to come out to the game,” forward/midfielder Erica Borgo ’14 said. “Winning for her was special.”
Forward Brooke Gogel ’14 said McConnell’s perseverance continues to inspire both players and coaches.
The Elis (3–6, 1–2 Ivy) certainly had a dominant performance against the Big Red (4–5, 1–2 Ivy), scoring two goals within the first 15 minutes of the game and a third goal in the second half.
The Yale defense performed as strongly as the offense. Although they allowed 11 shots in the second half, the Elis limited Cornell to only two shots and one penalty corner in the first half–and did not allow a goal the whole game.
“We capitalized on our speed and used quick passes to move up the field,” Gogel said. “[Midfielder Emily Schuckert ’14] scored an important goal early in the game to give us the momentum and after that we just kept going. The goalies and defense did a great job keeping Cornell from scoring.”
The Bulldogs dominated throughout the game, holding the advantage in shots on goal 23–13. The two goalkeepers, Emily Cain ’14 and Heather Schlesier ’15, combined to notch eight saves to preserve the shutout.
Unfortunately, the team was unable to replicate their home performance on the road Sunday at Quinnipiac University (6–5, 0–0 MAAC), falling 3-2.
The Elis could not overcome a three-goal deficit after the Bobcats scored early and often in the first half, although they rallied with two goals in the second half. Forward Jess Rusin of Quinnipiac had a big day, assisting a teammate on the first goal and scoring the third goal of the day with 44 seconds left in the first half. She moved into sole possession of second place on the Quinnipiac career points list and into a tie for second on the career goals list.
Yale mounted a comeback in the second half as forward Rhoni Gericke ’17 tipped in her first career goal at 35:12 to bring the Bulldogs within two. Garcia then scored with almost 20 minutes left in the game; unfortunately, the Elis were denied the rest of the way as Bobcats goalkeeper Megan Conaboy made five saves in the second half.
The Bulldogs still played a solid game, outshooting Quinnipiac 13-5 and earning more penalty corners, 9–6.
“Our performance and play was not what it needed to be the first half,” head coach Pam Stuper said. “Quinnipiac capitalized on their opportunities more than we did. They were very opportunistic scoring three goals on four shots in the first half. Those are incredible statistics. You usually look to score 30 percent of your goals, and they scored 75 percent. It was quite unfortunate for us, and although we made a strong comeback, in the end we just ran out of time.
Yale travels across the country next week to the West Coast where they will face California and No. 13 Stanford.