Yale field hockey has once again fallen one goal short of victory.
The Elis (0–2, 0–0 Ivy) closed their opening weekend with a 3–2 loss against Sacred Heart (2–2, 0–0 Mid Atlantic Athletic Conference) last night. The match, originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6, was postponed due to severe weather conditions and lightning. Before the game, players said that they were ready for the chance to play a night game.
“It was a surprise,” midfielder Kelsey Nolan ’17 said. “I haven’t had a game postponed due to weather before, but I am excited to play under the lights.”
The game remained scoreless for almost the entire first half, until Sacred Heart scored two goals in quick succession at the 29 and 31-minute marks.
The Bulldogs entered halftime down by two goals, but hoping to score a few of their own in the second half.
“It was definitely a tough first half, but our team mentality is to always push through in adversity,” back Noelle Villa ’16 said. “Halftime is an opportunity to regroup and get back on the same page, which I think we accomplished.”
Coming out of the half, Sacred Heart scored once more, increasing its lead to three.
Fifty-three minutes in, Yale answered with a goal of its own as forward Jessie Accurso ’15 found the back of the net.
“My reaction to the first goal was pure excitement,” Villa said. “It just fueled us and kept us fighting.”
After Accurso’s goal, the Bulldogs took the offensive and kept possession for the majority of the game from then on.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, the squad called a time-out. When play resumed, the Bulldogs took three consecutive shots on goal, scoring when an attempt by captain Nicole Wells ’16 got past Sacred Heart goalie Mary Altepeter.
“In my two years of Yale field hockey so far I can easily say that the second half [against Sacred Heart] was one of, if not the best, halves that I’ve ever played with the team,” Wells said. “It’s a fire that we need to have from the start of the game, but the season is quite young.”
Despite the last-minute goal by Wells, the team could not manage to even out the score, even with several more shots on goal in the final minutes, and fell to Sacred Heart 3–2.
This loss gives the Bulldogs an 0–2 record, but the players are still positive about the season’s potential, noting that both Hofstra and Sacred Heart had already played several games before arriving to face the Yale squad.
“Our offensive push is definitely present this year, but we just need to capitalize on the opportunities we create for ourselves,” Wells said. “We have definitely seen improvements this game from the last one, so there’s no reason to hang our heads.”
The next games for the team will be at home versus Quinnipiac on Sept. 13 and California on Sept. 14 for the team’s Alumnae weekend.