The women’s soccer team got off to a stellar start in their first two games of the season, scoring two goals in each contest en route to an early undefeated record.

The pressure will be on as the Elis return home this weekend for the Yale Classic, a tournament that will be held in Reese Stadium. Though they have not had much recovery since their last game, a 2—1 victory over Sacred Heart on Tuesday, the Elis’ endurance will be tested as they have two games in a three-day period this weekend.

The rough schedule will mean plenty of new faces on the field this weekend.

“This year we’re really focusing on proper recovery/preparation between games, so knowing we have a lot of games coming up, the coaches are keeping things light at practice this week,” defender Colleen McCormack ’17 said. “That being said, there will definitely be more substitutions this weekend, which is a really exciting opportunity for those coming off the bench to make a positive difference on the field.”

The first game comes tonight against Western Kentucky University. The Hilltoppers compete in the Sunbelt Conference, in which they face off against schools like Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette. The squad finished last season 10-6-5 overall and went undefeated in its conference, winning six games and tying two. The team’s only league loss came in the championship game of the conference tournament against South Alabama.

Though none of the Elis on the current roster has faced the Hilltoppers, the team has a good idea of what its opponent will bring to the table.

“We know Western Kentucky is bigger than us, so we can’t make the game a physical battle. We’ll have to play smart and be technical,” McCormack said.

Manhattan did not finish as well as Western Kentucky last season, finishing the year with a 6-12-2 record overall and a 2-7-1 mark in conference. The Jaspers compete in the MAAC, which also includes Yale’s hometown rival, Quinnipiac. Manhattan lost to the Bobats in the teams’ first matchup last season, but Quinnipiac took revenge in the MAAC tournament.

McCormack and midfielder Geny Decker ’17 both said that despite Manhattan’s lackluster performance last season, Yale will be on its toes in both contests this weekend.

McCormack added that because the Bulldogs focus on one game at a time, they will think more about Manhattan after the Western Kentucky game.

After producing a win in their first away game of the season against Sacred Heart on Tuesday, the Yale squad is looking forward to the next two games being at home, McCormack and Decker said.

“I think we’re all more comfortable on our own field no matter how many of our fans we have out there supporting us,” Decker said. “It’s the same field we practice on every day and that repetition definitely translates to a higher comfort level in games played at home.”

The Bulldogs begin the Yale Classic with their game against Western Kentucky tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Reese Stadium. Yale takes on the Jaspers at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.